If you have a health condition or disability that affects your learning, you can get extra support. Health conditions can be temporary or permanent, or affect you physically or mentally.
Accessibility Services offers confidential advice and support with an aim to remove barriers for your learning.
We need to understand the functional limitations you have, whether it's because of a temporary or permanent health condition or disability.
Here's how it works
- You book an appointment to speak to an Access Advisor before your program begins, or as new functional limitations arise.
- You have a medical professional complete a medical accommodations form.
- We review your medical documents and assess how your limitations affect your learning.
- We co-create a plan that could include letters of accommodation or consideration for your instructors.
Read our academic and physical accommodations policy.
Types of health challenges
Health challenges can include temporary or permanent disabilities, or physical or mental health challenges.
Access Advisors will offer you different support or services depending on your circumstances.
Temporary disability
Examples of a temporary disability:
- a healable injury
- a broken limb
- a concussion
For a cold or flu in our community of caring you can ask your instructors for short-term flexibility with individual assignment deadlines.
Permanent disability
Examples of a permanent disability:
- a chronic health condition
- low vision or blindness
- deafness or difficulty hearing
- limited mobility
- neurodiversity, learning disability or mental health challenges
Academic or physical accommodations
Here are some examples of support you can receive for temporary or permanent health challenges:
- extra time for assignments or tests
- transcription of course materials to other formats
- emotional supports including emotional support animals
- wheelchair accessible tables or computer workstations
- sign language interpreting or captioning
- medical leaves of absence (request form pdf)
- authorized withdrawal from individual courses for personal medical reasons (request form pdf)
Other assistance
The following organizations can provide assistive technology or course materials to support your learning needs. This may include requesting materials in formats like digital audio, large print or e-text for screen readers.
- Assistive Technology BC provides assistive technology resources to make learning environments usable for people with disabilities throughout BC.
- CAPER-BC (Centre for Accessible Post-Secondary Education Resources) helps BC post-secondary students get their course materials in formats that meet their learning needs.