I. General Policy
Rice University values the contributions and engagement of all our community, including those who are experiencing disabilities. The goal of this policy and process is to create an environment where all employees (faculty and staff), students, applicants and campus visitors can readily and efficiently ask for and receive reasonable accommodations necessary to perform at work and in the classroom. This policy complies with our federal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and other applicable state and local disability related regulations.
Rice is committed to processing requests for reasonable accommodation and will promptly and efficiently provide reasonable accommodations where appropriate.
II. Roles and Responsibilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the University’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The ADA Coordinator, or a designee as appropriate, conducts activities such as (but not limited to):
- Assisting University offices in making their programs and services accessible;
- Reviewing University policies, facilities, and activities to assure institutional compliance with the ADA/Section 504;
- Responding to any complaint pursuant to the implementation of this policy
Applicants for employment who want to request reasonable accommodation should contact Human Resources at any point during the hiring process.
Applicants for admission to academic programs who want to request reasonable accommodation should contact Rice’s Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC), which will work with the Office of Admissions to facilitate the request.
Employees and Students who want to request reasonable accommodations should contact Rice Office of Human Resources or Student Disability Resource Center, respectively.
Facilities & Capital Planning (F&CP) is responsible for ensuring that new construction or building renovations meet all applicable legal requirements.
Faculty and academic program administrators are responsible for timely implementation of reasonable accommodations (e.g., arranging for extended test time or accessible materials in advance) approved by the SDRC.
Human Resources facilitates the reasonable accommodation process for employees (faculty and staff). When an employee makes a request for an accommodation that involves the performance of their job, Human Resources works with the employee and the employee's supervisor to ensure that a reasonable and appropriate accommodation is provided that meets the individual's disability-related needs and enables the individual to perform the essential functions of their position.
Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) facilitates the reasonable accommodation process for students. When a student makes a request for reasonable accommodation, the SDRC works with the student, faculty and other pertinent personnel to ensure that an appropriate accommodation is provided that meets the individual's disability-related need and ensures the student’s full access to their educational program or activity.
Supervisors and Department administrators who are notified of an employee request (or become aware of a need) for accommodation should forward the request or information to Human Resources. Once an accommodation is established, supervisors and department administrators should continue to work with the individual and Human Resources to ensure that the accommodation request is evaluated and any reasonable accommodation decided upon is implemented.
Parking and Transportation is responsible for providing adequate accessible parking and transportation services (as defined by federal law).
Visitors to Rice University events who have questions or concerns about reasonable accommodations should contact the responsible event organizer (such as the facility, department or host of the event) they plan to visit and state the specific accommodation they are requesting. Due to the nature of community events, organizers may require a minimum of two weeks' notice to process such a request.
III. Definitions
For the purposes of this policy, these definitions will apply.
Employee: full-time and part-time faculty, University staff, student employees, wage employees (including temporary employees), professional research staff, and post-doctoral fellows.
Individual with a Disability: An individual who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, seeing, hearing, breathing, bending, lifting, sitting, or learning.
Reasonable Academic Accommodations are modifications or adjustments to academic programs, services, or environments that ensure students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate and succeed. These accommodations are individualized to meet the specific needs of the student and remove barriers caused by their disability, but they don't fundamentally alter the nature of the course or program.
Reasonable Academic Accommodations may include but are not limited to the following:
- Changes to a classroom environment or task that permit a student with a disability to participate in the educational process;
- Modifications to policies, practices, or procedures (e.g., reduced course load, extended time to degree, etc.);
- Provision of accessible instructional materials and effective communication services; and,
- Other adaptations or modifications that enable a student to enjoy the benefits and privileges of the university's programs, services, and activities.
Reasonable Employment Accommodations are any changes or adjustments to a job or work environment that permit a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the job application process, to perform the essential functions of a job, or to enjoy benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by employees without disabilities.
Reasonable Employment Accommodations may include but are not limited to the following:
- Providing or modifying equipment or devices,
- Part-time or modified work schedules,
- Adjusting or modifying training materials or policies,
- Providing readers and interpreters, and
- Making the workplace readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
Student: An individual pursuing a credentialed academic program or continuing education program (including, but not limited to Continuing Education, Executive Education, and Rice Online—elsewhere known as “Rice Learners”) at Rice who has become “in attendance” at Rice.
Undue Burden/Hardship: Any academic or employment-related accommodation, adjustment, or service that would result in a significant financial or administrative burden or expense.
Visitors: Any person (alumni, program or event volunteers, vendors, etc.) who is not currently a student or employee of Rice who is seeking to access campus services, programs, or activities offered by the university.
IV. Elaboration of Policy
A. Reasonable Accommodation
Employees and Applicants
Employees and applicants for employment with a disability who want to request Reasonable Employment Accommodations should contact Human Resources to obtain and thereafter complete the Request for Employment Accommodation form. Human Resources will notify the supervisor of the request and maintain the original completed form. Supervisors who receive a request for accommodation from an employee shall immediately notify Human Resources. Documentation of a disability may be required when a disability and/or need for employment accommodation is not non-apparent. If the disability and/or need for an employment accommodation is non-apparent, Human Resources may provide the employee with a copy of their job description, an Authorization for Release and Disclosure of Medical Information form, and a Medical Inquiry form may need to be completed by the employee's Licensed Health Care Practitioner.
The employee and manager/HR should engage in an interactive process to determine appropriate accommodations. The interactive process is a collaborative effort between the employee and manager/HR to discuss the need for accommodation as well as identify effective accommodation solutions. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the employee’s essential job duties and disability-related limitations.
Students
Students with a disability who want to request Reasonable Academic Accommodations must first contact the Student Disability Resource Center and complete the application process, including providing any required documentation. Required documentation may include the most current and/or relevant documentation of their disability from an appropriately licensed professional that clearly identifies the nature of the disability and how the disability affects a major life activity. The student is responsible for any costs necessary to provide the appropriate documentation from the licensed professional.
Any academic accommodation, adjustment/auxiliary aid, or service that would fundamentally affect or change the nature of a program or course being taught or that fundamentally alters the essential requirements of instruction or course requirements is not considered a reasonable academic accommodation. The university is not required to alter or modify a course or program to the extent that it changes the fundamental nature of that course or program. Additionally, the university is generally not required to provide retroactive academic accommodation.
B. Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals
A service animal, as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, is trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. In compliance with the ADA, service animals are welcome in most buildings on campus, including dining halls, and the animal may attend any class, meeting, or other event that its handler is permitted to attend.
Service animals may be prohibited in certain designated areas when necessary for health or safety (e.g. a controlled laboratory environment or the Rice Animal Use Facility). Any such prohibition must be approved in writing by either Human Resources or the Student Disability Resource Center.
Employees requesting accommodation for a disability that includes a service animal in the workplace must contact Human Resources. Applicants for employment may bring service animals with them to any campus interview or meeting.
An emotional support animal—also known as an assistance animal, therapy, or comfort animal—is recognized under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) as an animal that provides emotional support, alleviating one or more symptoms of a person's disability. Unlike service animals, assistance animals do not require specific training or certification and can be animals other than dogs. They are not considered pets but are necessary for individuals with disabilities to have equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing.
Students wishing to have an ESA in their on-campus residence, should review the full guidelines located here.
C. Digital Accessibility
Rice University is committed to fostering a community of access and belonging by promoting equal access to information and improving the experience of IT and digital content for all users, including those with disabilities. As part of our commitment to equity and inclusion, Policy 851 Digital Accessibility provides that all forms of digital content and information and communication technologies (ICT) should be equally accessible to all members of the Rice community.
D. Architectural Barriers and Physical Access
All new construction or renovation must, at a minimum, conform to relevant state or federal regulations regarding access, and should be designed and include features to allow for independent use and equal access.
Certain buildings on Rice University’s historic campus predate current disability requirements and may not have been designed in ways that provide for access by individuals with disabilities. Future renovations to these buildings must conform to applicable law. Additionally, in conjunction with Facilities Engineering & Planning, the ADA Coordinator should periodically assess potential architectural barriers and provide recommendations for continued enhancement.
If any Rice University service, department, or office is in a location that cannot be accessed by an individual with a disability, Rice will make arrangements (upon request by the individual with a disability) to meet or provide services in another accessible location.
E. Confidentiality
Records or information obtained by Human Resources or the SDRC as part of the accommodation request process that reflect diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of a person’s health condition are confidential and shall be maintained by Human Resources or the SDRC. Such records shall be shared only with those University employees whom Human Resources or SDRC determines have a legitimate need-to-know to implement the workplace or academic accommodation process. These records shall not otherwise be released to anyone except as required by law.
F. Appeals and Complaints of Discrimination
If an individual with a disability is dissatisfied with the decision of SDRC or Human Resources regarding their request for accommodations, they may appeal that decision to the Director of the SDRC (if it is an academic accommodation) or the Senior Director for People and Culture (if it is an employment accommodation). All decisions, including approved academic accommodations for a student that a faculty member believes fundamentally alters their course, may be appealed to the ADA Coordinator. However, once the ADA Coordinator makes their determination, that decision is final.
If an individual with a disability believes that they have been discriminated against during the accommodation process on the basis of their disability (or other protected class), or retaliated against due to a request for an accommodation made pursuant to this policy, they may register their concern or complaint in accordance with Rice’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy 830.
However, if their complaint regards the accommodation decision, the appropriate redress is through the appeals process in this policy. Once a decision regarding the request for accommodations has been finalized, that decision cannot be grieved further through any other policy, including Policy 830.
V. Cross References to Related Policies
Policy 815, Equal Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Policy
Policy 830, Policy on Discrimination and Harassment
Policy 851, Digital Information Accessibility
VI. Responsible Official and Key Offices to Contact Regarding the Policy and its Implementation
Responsible Official: Associate Vice President, Ethics, Compliance and Enterprise Risk & Chief Compliance Officer
Other Key Offices: Student Disability Resource Center; Operations, Finance & Support; Human Resources; Facilities & Capital Planning; Information Technology; Equal Opportunity Services; Parking and Transportation
VII. Procedures and Forms
Policy History
Revised
October 1, 2025; March 17, 2017; October 1, 1994; January 1, 1993
Clerical Change
June 10, 2025; April 10, 2020 (clarified sentence on emotional support animals); January 15, 2020 (updated titles, and clarified process for service animals)
September 30, 2022 (updated responsible official)
August 15, 2023 (updated responsible official title)
March 4, 2024 (updated responsible official title)