Advice for Navigating Indiana University as a Disabled and/or Chronically Ill Graduate Student

MarChe’ Daughtry

Ph.D. Student, Department of Gender Studies

February 2025

 

Being a graduate student can be a rewarding yet challenging experience and being disabled and/or chronically ill can add additional challenges. This blog post will walk disabled and chronically ill students through some of the supportive resources IU offers and provide advice that may help students increase their access to campus spaces.

Accommodations

A crucial aspect of graduate student life is that students often occupy multiple roles. For instance, a graduate student may be enrolled in courses and have a Student Academic Appointment (SAA) as a teaching assistant or instructor for an undergraduate course and/or a research or graduate assistantship where they work directly for a faculty member, department, or center. Each role requires students to consult with a different office to receive accommodations.

When students need accommodation for a course, they must contact Accessible Education Services (AES). This office provides classroom and testing accommodations for students with qualifying medical conditions. AES can connect students to the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Centers (ATAC), which offers consultation services, alternate formats for course materials, assistive hardware and software, and training for most assistive software available at IU. As scheduling consultations, training, and accommodations can take time, students should submit documentation to AES as soon as possible. This will help ensure accommodations are in place before the semester starts.

While AES provides classroom accommodations, the Office for the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs (VPFAA) administers accommodations for graduate students with teaching appointments. If a graduate student has a non-teaching position, they may need to receive accommodations from the Human Resources office’s ADA coordinator. For the Office of the VPFAA and the ADA Coordinator, students should be aware of the roles and responsibilities associated with their appointment or job as those requirements are what these offices will use to help determine reasonable accommodations. Depending upon where a student is in their program and their academic appointment, it is possible that a graduate student would need to be in contact with more than one office at a time.

Additional Campus Resources

1. Graduate students using a personal vehicle may want to consider contacting the Office of Parking Operations for a Disabled Parking Permit. This permit allows people with qualifying disabilities or medical conditions to access disabled parking which includes restricted areas at the center of campus.
2. Graduate students have access to the Student Health Center which contains a medical and eye clinic and provides access to a pharmacy, lab, physical therapists, nutrition/dietician support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is also located in the Health Center and CAPS staff offer workshops and support groups that graduate students may find helpful. While it is not an explicit resource for disabled and chronically ill students, this is a good place to establish primary care, and the staff can connect students with any specialists they may

Additional Tips

Here are some additional tips student should keep in mind:

1. Students should contact building managers. Managers are usually a student’s point of contact when it comes to any issues with accessing buildings on campus. It is a good idea for students to know the building manager for the spaces where their department and classrooms are located. It can sometimes be difficult to know who the building managers are, so students can contact facilities staff, and they can help locate the correct person.
2. If a student has questions about accessible spaces, they can reach out to facilities staff. Given how large IU’s campus is it can be challenging to find specific information about campus spaces and facilities staff can assist students in finding information about accessible event, study, or quiet spaces on campus.
3. Students should be aware of their school’s leave of absence policies. Each school at IU has guidelines governing leave of absence for students. While not all graduate students with disabilities or chronic illnesses will need to take a leave of absence, it can be helpful to understand these policies in case leave is ever needed.
4. Do not hesitate to utilize community resources. Graduate students not only have access to on-campus services offered by IU, but they can also take advantage of off-campus resources. Offices such as Accessible Education Services often have information about these resources they can provide students.

Navigating graduate school with a disability or chronic illness can be confusing and challenging, but with on and off-campus resources, students can be successful at IU.