Students with disabilities that arrive at UCLA do so with the skills, inner resources, and ambition needed to be a great success. The Center for Accessible Education will work closely with you to identify reasonable accommodations for your time as a SOD student.
Our Approach to Supporting You
The Center for Accessible Education serves thousands of our undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled at UCLA. Students seeking reasonable accommodations or support services from The Center for Accessible Education are required to register with the office as early as possible so that you can work closely with your Disability Specialist and tap into the knowledge and support available to navigate your UCLA experience.
Updates
Welcome, Jess!
In an effort to respond to the nuanced and unique needs of professional students, CAE has identified specific point individuals for certain professional programs. For School of Dentistry, the CAE Disability Specialist is Jess Austin. You can email Jess at jaustin@saonet.ucla.edu
Jess officially started on May 23, 2022, and will be working with all CAE School of Dentistry students moving forward.
Virtual Drop-in Hours
Please refer to the calendar on the CAE website at https://cae.ucla.edu/ to see drop-in hours for Jess.
Scholarship Opportunities
The CAE is seeking to provide a $1,000.00 Will Rogers Scholarship award to enrolled students with disabilities that demonstrate strong leadership, dedication or involvement in organizations, activities, academic research, or issues that promote awareness and acceptance for the disability community. We want to help support your research, projects, and vital work towards amplifying the experiences of the community. If you are interested in the scholarship, please submit your application for consideration. The CAE will select 5 students.
Campus Advocacy and Involvement
The Disabled Student Union (DSU)
DSU provides a safe and inclusive place for people with disabilities to feel accepted. Its purpose is to empower students through advocacy and education, build relationships with the administration and the wider campus community, to remove barriers of access on campus, and to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to live in peace. UCLA’s DSU will work to lead programs for people with disabilities as well as create a community of acceptance and solidarity at UCLA. You can find out more information on their Facebook or their Instagram @dsuucla
All-Brains
All-Brains is a neurodiversity community at UCLA that offers an inclusive space for students with Autism, ADHD, and other learning differences through social activities and peer mentoring. You can find out more information on their UCLA All Brains website or their Instagram @uclaallbrains
Frequently Asked Questions
I met with CAE and my CAE Disability Specialist emailed my form to the UCLA School of Dentistry (SOD). Now what will happen? Do I have to do anything else?
Once the dental school receives the email with your form and acknowledges receipt, the dental school will implement your approved accommodations from that date forward.
If you were approved for exam accommodations, those accommodations will be implemented for all your upcoming exams. Please email Anna J. Guzman at aguzman@dentistry.ucla.edu, who is in charge of administering exam accommodations, typically emails accommodated students with information about exam logistics (room and time, etc.) about 3-5 business days before an exam. Please check your email every day starting the week before your exam and read all emails from Anna from the Office of Student Services.
If you were approved for Peer Notetaking, it is your responsibility to contact the class notetaker to ensure you know how to access the class notes.
If you any questions about implementation of your accommodations or exam logistics, please email Anna J. Guzman at aguzman@dentistry.ucla.edu.
Is there a deadline to request accommodations?
It is in your best interest to request accommodations with CAE at the beginning of the quarter to ensure that there is enough time for CAE to process your request and for the UCLA SOD to implement your approved accommodations
I want my accommodations to be kept private. Are accommodations kept confidential? Should I tell my professors that I need accommodations?
UCLA SOD strives to ensure that all accommodations are provided on an anonymous basis whenever possible. The Office of Student Services will notify Course Chairs as needed to ensure proper accommodations are in place. When exam accommodations are provided, there is no notation on the academic record. Students should make all in-class accommodation requests to the Director of Student Services as they pertain to the approved accommodations by CAE.
In regards to information about your registration with the CAE, your record with the office is protected by FERPA. You can ask your CAE Disability Specialist about how FERPA relates to your registration. Lastly, all registered CAE students have the right to talk to their professors about their accommodations if they wish to.
Do I have to request accommodations every quarter or will they continue until I graduate?
You do not have to request accommodations every quarter. Once the Office of Student Services has received your paperwork from CAE with information about your approved accommodations, those accommodations will be implemented every quarter, unless there is a modification or an expiration date for your accommodations. It is still your responsibility as a student to inform the Office of Student Services of the exams for which you are requesting accommodation every quarter. It is also within your right to elect to not use accommodations on a given quarter or in a given class.
If your accommodations are temporary, they will not be implemented past the expiration date that was noted on your CAE form. The Office of Student Services can provide a copy of your CAE form upon request.
I was approved for Peer Notetaking as an accommodation. How do I request notes for my classes?
Each UCLA SOD class has a designated notetaker for classes and will communicate with you/everyone in class about how to access the notes. It is your responsibility to contact the class notetaker to ensure you know how to access the class notes.
What do I do if I find out that I have pop quizzes or exams that are back to back, and I receive extra time on exams?
It is the student's responsibility to find out if your class will have any pop quizzes or exams that occur back to back, and to contact your CAE Disability Specialist as soon as possible.
I have a question about my accommodations. Who should I contact?
For questions about your accommodations or making changes to your accommodations, contact your CAE Disability Specialist directly.
Important Examination Timelines
To ensure that all of your accommodations can be met, you should make request for all the exams for the academic year at the start of each quarter. Students requesting exam accommodations are to make the request at least 14 days prior to the date of the exam. Students that make a request for exam accommodations in less than 14 days do not provide the University with a timely notice by which to coordinate the service. As a result, any exam accommodation requests made in less than 14 days of notification to the School of Dentistry (SOD) Office of Student Services will be reviewed on case-by-case basis. However, the University may be unable to provide exam accommodations to any student request that is less than 14 days.
The SOD will make a good faith effort to accommodate students who do not request proctoring in a timely fashion on a case-by-case basis. If the SOD cannot proctor a student due to a late request, the student will be referred to their Disability Specialist to determine alternative arrangements, if any. You can request exam proctoring accommodations by sending an email to Anna J. Guzman at aguzman@dentistry.ucla.edu. The email must state each exam you are requesting proctoring service for, the date and time of each exam, your name and 3 digit number. *See below for sample email request.
What are my responsibilities as a student?
- Request ALL of your exams/finals at the beginning of each quarter, or as soon as you become registered with the Center for Accessible Education (CAE).
- Arrive to testing location (our office, unless told otherwise) 15-20 minutes before the schedule time to check-in and get settled in a timely manner. This will ensure you received the full allotted extended time.
- Arrive with appropriate materials allowed for the exam (e.g. #2 pencil, laptop, charger, etc.). Blank paper to use as scratch paper will be provided, as needed.
- Clock will be in the testing room, wearing a watch is acceptable (no apple watch or “smartwatch” are allowed). Cellular phone cannot be used during the exam to check time.
- Notify your CAE Disability Specialist of any changes in disability or medical condition as soon as the need arises, as these changes may require a change in your exam accommodations.
- Set a reminder to yourself to request your exam accommodations in advance and in a timely manner to ensure you are accommodated.
- It is the responsibility of the student, not the responsibility of the CAE or UCLA SOD’s staff/faculty, to ensure that proctoring request are made in a timely fashion.
***sample email request should be sent with a 2 weeks’ notice to set up exam arrangements***
Hello Anna,
This is Joe Bruin #777 Below are the dates for which I will need exam accommodations. Friday, August 11 (Cardiology w/ Dr. Hewlett) 12:30pm Friday, September 8 (Systems w/ Dr. Spigelman) 10:00am Monday, October 9 (Restorative w/ Dr. Smith) 8:00am Monday, October 9 (Pain Control w/ Dr. Quinn) 1:00pm and so on….
***You should expect an email confirming your exam accommodations a week prior to your first exam***