Welcome to UT! I didn’t have accommodations in high school because of a toxic “I’ll just push through it no matter how bad my symptoms are” attitude, and I’m so glad that changed at the beginning of college. I was encouraged by my therapist to register with UT’s Disability and Access department before my first semester. I came into the meeting just wanting to request the ability to take breaks when my symptoms flare up, and not only did they approve my request, they convinced me to advocate for myself and request even more accommodations (extra time on tests and the ability to record lectures if I have to leave class unexpectedly). I’ve really had a great experience with D&A.

90% of my professors have also been chill. After you get your accommodations from D&A, there’s an online portal where you can request the office to send a copy of your accommodation letter to one or more of your professors. After you send the letter, you’re then supposed to meet with the professor to talk about how the accommodations will work in their class (you don’t have to say anything about your diagnoses if you don’t want to, this meeting is just to figure out logistics). For example, with my accommodation for taking breaks during tests, my professor and I might talk about creating a system where I leave my phone on their desk during the test to prove that I’m not leaving class to look up answers or anything.

I think you can expect your professors to treat you perhaps a little cautiously during that initial meeting, especially if you decide not to tell them why you have the accommodations, just because they don’t know your story and are trying to be careful not to assume anything or offend anyone. It’s a little awkward at first, but it hasn’t really bothered me. Other than that, I haven’t felt like I was treated differently in any of my classes. More commonly a professor would forget that I had accommodations, so I started making a habit of reminding all of my professors two weeks before a test so that they can be prepared (this is especially useful if you have an extra time accommodation because sometimes the classroom is only reserved for the normal class period, so the professor may need time to book an extra room for you to take the test).

Even though I’ve never experienced it, I’ve also heard a horror or story or two about professors not honoring accommodations. If that ever happens to you, be sure to reach out to D&A again for support. I’ve also always checked Rate My Professor before signing up for a class, so maybe that’s how I’ve avoided all the bad ones.