Supporting Student Access
Student Access works with faculty and instructors to ensure students with disabilities have equal access to academic programs and activities.
Students approved for accommodations may send a Faculty Notification Letter through the Commodore Access Portal at any point during the semester. The letter identifies the accommodations a student is requesting to use in your course.
We encourage faculty and students to communicate about accommodation implementation early in the semester to ensure accommodations can be provided effectively.
If you have questions about an accommodation or concerns regarding implementation, contact Student Access for guidance.
Important Reminders
- Accommodation information is confidential.
- Students must request accommodations through Student Access.
- Accommodations are implemented prospectively and are not retroactive.
- Faculty should contact Student Access if they have questions about accommodation implementation.
Proctoring Quizzes and Exams
Refer to our Faculty Info for Proctoring pages for information on how Student Access proctors exams.
Student Access's Commodore Access Portal
Emails from the Commodore Access Portal
The Commodore Access Portal is the third-party platform the Student Access Office uses to communicate accommodation needs between students, faculty, and the Student Access Office. Student Access uses the Commodore Access Portal to send Faculty Notification Letters, Testing Agreements, and other emails related to accommodations and access in your course. Those communications come from a secure address: studentaccess@sa.vu.edu.
Export Student Accommodation List
- Log into the Commodore Access Portal (CAP) Instructor Login, also found under Quick Links 👉
- Go to the Overview link under Views and Tools on the left side of the CAP
- Click the button labeled Export Student Courses with Eligibility to download a CSV spreadsheet:
Classroom Accessibility
Instructors play a critical role in facilitating implementation of these accommodations. Frequently, the initial contact about an accommodation will come from the student; occasionally, the first point of contact may be a notification from SA (such as a communication regarding a testing agreement). Following receipt of the initial notification of the need for accommodation, please engage with the student or SA, as appropriate, to facilitate implementation of the accommodation(s). In all circumstances, students must inform you or SA of their intention to use accommodation(s) in your course in advance of the course event for which the accommodation(s) are needed and with reasonable time for adequate implementation. Accommodations do not need to be facilitated retroactively.
Vanderbilt University is committed to providing accessible information, materials, and technologies to ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to university resources comparable to access that is available to others.
Students with disabilities are afforded rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. These rights grant equal opportunity and access to an education.
Student Access acts as an initial point of contact, conduit of information, and provisioner in matters related to disability accommodation, access, and awareness.
However, Vanderbilt faculty and staff strive to build accessible instructional and informational materials, thus reducing the need for the SAS's support and accommodations. Please let us know if we can aid you in learning how to create accessible materials, and we will do our best to provide resources.
Concerned about online accessibility?
We appreciate all that you do to make course materials accessible to all students! We've created accessibility support pages to help you think through online course accessibility.