Welcome School of Law Students

Updates

Welcome, Kristen!

As of the Fall 2023 semester, School of Law students registered with CAE have a new specialist, Kristen Acosta. You can reach Kristen by email at kacosta@saonet.ucla.edu. 

Virtual Drop-in Hours

Please refer to the calendar on the CAE website at https://cae.ucla.edu/ to see drop-in hours for Kristen.

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

Are you looking to connect with other students? Check out Disability Law Society

General FAQs

What role does CAE play in my accommodations now? What role does the UCLA Law School play?

Your CAE Disability Specialist will be your contact regarding anything related to your disability.

The UCLA Law School works closely with CAE to support you and your approved accommodations. We work closely with the Dean of Students and the Director of Student Life, to implement your accommodations at the Law School.

Is there a specific CAE Disability Specialist for Law Students?

Yes, in an effort to respond to the nuanced and unique needs of professional students, CAE has identified specific point individuals for certain professional programs. Student interested in discussing accommodations or their approved eligiblity with CAE should reach out to Kristen Acosta at kacosta@saonet.ucla.edu. 

Is there a deadline to request to use my accommodations each semester?

It is in your best interest to request accommodations with CAE at the beginning of the semester to ensure that there is enough time for CAE to process your request and for the UCLA School of Law to implement your approved accommodations. However, typically the deadline to submit an initial request to CAE for accommodations is the week before the last day of instruction.

I want my accommodations to be kept private. Can accommodations be kept confidential?

The law school strives to ensure that all accommodations are provided on an anonymous basis whenever possible. Students who receive notes for classes are not identified to faculty or to any student note-takers. For students utilizing technology-assisted notetaking, Law School staff will inform faculty that a student in their course is utilizing this accommodation.

If you have visible in-class accommodations, Law School staff will likely have to notify your professors of your identity and your in-class accommodation so that they are aware of it.

When exam accommodations are provided, there is no notation on the academic record, and faculty members do not know which students have been accommodated or which exams have been taken under accommodated circumstances. Students should not communicate with their professors about requests for exam accommodations and should make all in-class accommodation requests to Director of Student Life Carmina Ocampo at ocampo@law.ucla.edu

Do I have to request accommodations every semester or will they continue until I graduate?

You do not have to request accommodations every semester. Once the Office of Student Affairs has received your paperwork from CAE with information about your approved accommodations, those accommodations will be implemented every semester, unless there is a modification or an expiration date for your accommodations.

If your accommodations are temporary, they will not be implemented past the expiration date that was noted on your CAE form. This is the same form that was sent after meeting with your CAE Disability Specialist for your intake appointment. If you are registered with a “temporary” disability and hope to become permanently registered, you will need to work directly with your CAE Disability Specialist. Contact your CAE Disability Specialist as soon as possible to discuss renewing your accommodations.

I have a question about my accommodations. Whom should I contact?

For questions about your accommodations or making changes to your accommodations, contact your CAE Disability Specialist directly.

For questions about the implementation of accommodations at the law school, contact Director of Student Life Carmina Ocampo at ocampo@law.ucla.edu. If you have questions about exam logistics, email Assistant Director of Records Kalene VanHuss at vanhuss@law.ucla.edu

Exam Accommodations FAQs

I have accommodations for an exam. When will I know where to go/what my location will be?

Students are typically told their room assignments one week before the exam period begins. You can view the room in advance to be prepared for the environment where you will test. Please contact Assistant Director of Records Kalene VanHuss at vanhuss@law.ucla.edu for more information.

What is distraction-reduced environment (DREE)?

Students approved for DREE will be scheduled to complete their exams in a room that is separate from the main exam room. This room may either be divided into individual testing cubicles or will be a room shared with other accommodated students. When scheduling allows, the Records Office will prioritize scheduling students into individual testing cubicles. However, if the number of students with distraction-reduced accommodations exceeds the number of available individual testing cubicles, the Records Office will assign some students to shared testing rooms. The Records Office will limit the number of students assigned to each shared room, in an effort to maintain reduced distractions. All exam rooms will have power outlets for students to charge laptops and, when resources allow, will have a proctor present to answer questions, trouble-shoot issues and to ensure a quiet testing environment.

My exam date is approaching and I still have not heard anything about my exam accommodations. What should I do?

If you are approved for exam accommodations, they will be implemented for all your upcoming exams, including most take-home exams. Kalene VanHuss is in charge of administering exam accommodations and typically emails accommodated students with information about 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 Kalene VanHuss and the Records Office. If you any questions about your accommodations, please contact Director of Student Life Carmina Ocampo at ocampo@law.ucla.edu. If you have questions about exam logistics, please contact Kalene VanHuss at vanhuss@law.ucla.edu.

I am a 1st year Law student. Do exam accommodations apply to my 8 hour long exams?

This will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Time is an essential element of some of these exams, so sometimes modifications are made regarding the amount of extra time approved. Please contact your CAE Disability Specialist if you have any concerns related to exam accommodations on these exams.

How long will my exams be? And, when will I know?

Exam length varies by course and instructor. The Student Services Office regularly discusses exam length with faculty and encourages faculty to take extra-time accommodations into account when setting the lengths of their exams. Typically, exams are between 3-4 hours in length. The exact length of exams will be posted on the Exam Calendar approximately one week prior to the start of the exam period

My accommodations allow for additional time. Will I receive additional time on all my exams?

Students with accommodations allowing additional time on exams will generally receive additional time for exams that are eight hours or less in length. Exams that are more than eight hours in length are presumed to include additional time for all students and, therefore, the accommodations are already being met. Students will be notified, in advance, if any exam does not conform to the above policy.

Classroom Accommodations FAQs

I was approved for a notetaking support accommodation that allows me to record lectures (audio record lectures, Glean, Otter Voice Notes, Livescribe Smartpen, Notetaking Express). Do I need to let my professor know that I will be recording in their course? Can I get the Panopto recordings from my professor too?

The Law School staff will NOT inform faculty that a student in their course is utilizing this accommodation. As a student approved for accommodations based on a qualifying disability, you have the right to disclose whatever information you would like to your professors, though you are not required to inform your professors due to the typical procedures used to implement accommodations.

While all Law faculty are recording their classes for Panopto, it is up to their discretion if they allow all students in their class access to them. If you are approved for a notetaking support accommodation, you should be utilizing the accommodation in class.

What am I required to do with the recordings after the course is over?

When you sign the CAE audio recording agreement, you agree to delete all recorded information from the recording device or software within a reasonable time after the course ends and no later than after you take the exam or submit the final assessment (e.g., a paper) for the course.

I was approved for Peer Notetaking as an accommodation. How do I request notes for my classes?

If you were approved for Peer notetaking, it is your responsibility to complete a Notetaker Request Form each semester as soon as the class schedule is confirmed. This form is due by the end of the second week of the semester.

To request a peer note taker, please fill out this form as soon as you learn your class schedule.

The Law School will attempt to find volunteer notetakers for your courses. However, please note that the Law School and the CAE do not pay student notetakers. We will ask students to volunteer as notetakers without pay each semester. However, since notetakers are not paid for their services, it is challenging to identify students that sign up to take notes for classes and the process can take weeks. We cannot guarantee that we will find peer notetakers for your courses. We strongly encourage you to contact your CAE Disability Specialist as soon as possible to inquire about alternatives to peer notetaking.

The CAE has moved toward technology-based notetaking options and away from peer notetaking because they have judged peer notetaking to be an ineffective/unreliable system. An approval for a notetaking accommodation is meant to mitigate limitations that directly impact a student’s notetaking ability in class by providing students access to course content during a lecture. Notetaking support does not act as a substitute for attendance and it does not remove a students’ responsibility to engage in their own notetaking or meaning making of notes.

I have been approved for Adjusted Deadlines and/or Adjusted Attendance in Consultation with the CAE and Law School Dean of Students. How do I request/utilize these accommodations?

Please review the Guidelines for these accommodations below:

General Paramters: 

CAE has established a general set of rules that apply in most cases for an adjusted deadlines and attendance accommodations. While students with this accommodation eligibility may request deadline extensions or absences beyond these general parameters, each request is subject to review by CAE staff. Students MUST exhaust all of their options under these general parameters for accommodations prior to requesting individual reviews with their CAE Specialist. The general parameters are as outlined below:

Adjusted Deadline Parameters

1. Requests that fall under the general parameters should be made with the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. Students should only share that they are requesting "an absence or deadline extension under their approved accommodation eligibility" and not provide any disabilty-related rationale for the specific deadline extension or absence need. 
2. For most assignments and course components (e.g., discussion board activities, reflection papers less than 10 pages in length, homework, lab reports, problem sets), a 48 hour extension should generally be allowed.
3. For larger, cumulative assignments and major course assessments (e.g., term papers more than 10 pages in length, capstone projects), a 72 hour extension should generally be allowed.
4. For individual presentations, students may be reassigned to a later date not to exceed a week from the original presentation date.
5. This accommodation generally does not apply to group presentations or group-based work (e.g., group briefs, team-based activities).
6. This accommodation also generally does not apply to exams, quizzes, or finals. Students needing to postpone exams, quizzes, or finals should speak with their Disability Specialist about an adjusted attendance accommodation.
7. All requests for this type of accommodation cannot extend a deadline beyond the end of the term and are subject to individual review by a CAE Specialist in consultation with the Assistant Dean. 

Adjusted Attendance Parameters

1. Student should report absences that fall under these general parameters directly to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. 
2. In most courses, a student should not miss more than 20% of the scheduled course meetings. This means that students should generally only miss 9 absences for a course that meetings 3 times a week, 6 absences for a course that meets twice a week, and 3 absences for a course that meets once a week.
3. For missed exams, quizzes, and finals, students are responsible for scheduling a makeup with the Assistant Dean and the CAE Testing Center.
4. For seminars or other courses in which in-person activities are critical to the learning outcomes, these parameters may shift upon negotiation with the Assistant Dean and/or the student.

Requests Outside of the General Parameters: 

When a student needs to use their adjusted deadline or attendance accommodation and has exhausted all of the options available to them under the General Parameters, the student will continue to confirm their need for a deadline extension or absence with the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs but will then be redirected to their CAE Disability Specialist for individual review. You will fill out the individual request form, which your Disability Specialist will review and make a determination on with the Assistant Dean. 

Important Note About These Accommodations

The Law School’s accrediting body (ABA) requires “regular class attendance” and caps the number of units that may be delivered remotely and/or asynchronously (various State Bars also do so). Furthermore, individual professors may design and teach courses in ways that could mean that numerous absences or other attendance accommodations represent a fundamental alteration of an essential aspect of instruction. All of these considerations and factors will be assessed as part of a student’s consultation with CAE and, as needed, the Law School Dean of Students.

Other Accommodations FAQs

I was approved for Registration Assistance, when does that go into effect for my courses? How does this accommodation work?

Registration Assistance cannot be implemented for 1st year cohorts, and will not go into effect until 2nd year if classes have already started. Once approved, your CAE Disability Specialist will communicate what type of schedule you need to the Director of Student Life, who will then coordinate with you about your schedule. Please note that Registration Assistance does not apply to experiential courses. Students are expected to make a good faith effort to choose courses that fall within the parameters of their Registration Assistance discussed with their CAE Disability Specialist

Can I take a Reduced Course Load as an accommodation with CAE?

All Law students, regardless of CAE registration, need to request to take a Reduced Course Load with the UCLA Law School. You can initiate this request by speaking with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, who can discuss the relevant petition process, required documentation, and implications for degree progress, among other considerations.

What is the UCLA Law Review and can I receive accommodations for it?

The UCLA Law Review is a student run organization and considered a co-curricular activity. Applicants engage in a write-on process that takes place over the course of 10 days and are selected based on merit. Students who are already registered with CAE can request accommodations related to student organization events and/or co-curricular activities. Reasonable accommodations for co-curricular activities will be determined on a case by case basis.

First-year law students who are already registered with CAE can request accommodations after completing their spring semester. To request accommodations, please contact your CAE Disability Specialist directly. If you are not yet registered with the CAE, please complete the CAE Academic Accommodations Application.

Bar Exam & MPRE FAQs

I want to apply for accommodations on the Bar Exam. What do I need to do?

Please review the requirements and deadlines for applying for accommodations for the Bar Exam that you are planning on taking. If you would like to request testing accommodations for the California Bar Exam please review the State Bar of California's "Testing Accommodations" website for instructions and forms.

You will contact Director of Student Life Carmina Ocampo at ocampo@law.ucla.edu to complete Form F for the California State Bar exam or for the relevant form for the Bar in another state. Carmina will request your authorization for release of the disability you were accommodated for to thoroughly complete the form. If you are taking the New York Bar Exam, please review the New York Bar Exam’s handbook for information about how to apply for testing accommodations: http://www.nybarexam.org/Docs/ADAHandBook.pdf

I want to apply for test accommodations for the MPRE. What do I need to do?

Please review the deadlines and requirements for applying for accommodations for the MPRE here:
Requirements: http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/ada-accommodations
Deadlines: http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/registration/

Please contact Director of Student Life Carmina Ocampo at ocampo@law.ucla.edu to request that she fill out the Certification of Accommodations form for you.