Frequently Asked Questions for Students
If you are a student who has not yet registered to receive accommodations with SAEO, you should start by reviewing the information at this link. Prospective students may also want to review information about some of our additional programming.
If you are a currently-registered student with SAEO with questions about your accommodations or other SAEO services, please contact your case manager or email saeo@vcu.edu. The below are some of the most common questions we receive from students.
SAEO serves to provide accommodations, including academic and non-academic accommodations, for students with disabilities enrolled in classes on VCU's Monroe Park Campus.
If your request is for accommodations on the MCV Campus, you should begin by contacting the Division for Academic Success.
If you are seeking accommodations on a short-term basis during pregnancy, you should contact the Title IX office.
If you are seeking accommodations for other, non-disability related support needs (including short-term illness such as the Flu, COVID, or Mono), you should contact the Dean of Student Advocacy.
In most cases, accommodations approved by SAEO are approved to remain in place as long as you are a student. The only exception would be an accommodation approved on a temporary basis (e.g.: an accommodation you received to support an injury). This means that you do not have to get your accommodations approved again each semester.
However, you do still need to share them with your professors, which means you need to get a new copy of your accommodation letter each semester. You will find instructions on doing that here.
When you request your letter, it will be sent to you by email within about a business day. Once you have this email, the simplest way to share it with your professors is to email each professor (ideally separately), sharing your letter.
It is a good idea to discuss the letter with your professor as well, either by email or during office hours. Not sure how to start this? Try asking your case manager for support.
If you’re realizing you may need a new accommodation that you are not currently receiving, the best place to start is by contacting your case manager, or emailing saeo@vcu.edu to get connected with them to discuss this further or schedule an appointment.
Sometimes, accommodations may need to be adapted slightly to preserve essential learning objectives in your courses. With that said, you can always come to SAEO to get support making sure your needs are met, even in courses with unique learning structures and objectives.
If you and your professor are unable to come to an agreement on how to best implement your accommodation, contact your case manager or email saeo@vcu.edu to get connected to them right away, and we will help you and your professor find a solution.
If you feel you have been discriminated against, you can review our grievance policies on this page, or discuss them with your case manager.
You can find your case manager’s signature on your accommodation letter, or you can check our About Us page to check who you would be working with.
Every now and then, our team changes, and we need to re-assign students to new case managers to ensure they continue to receive support. Know that you can always reach us at saeo@vcu.edu, and that our team always makes sure that when you work with a new member of our team, they know what they need to know to support you as a student.
There are a few things you might have questions about that are not questions for your case manager. You can always email saeo@vcu.edu to get connected with the right person, or you can check this list:
- Testing & Test Scheduling: saeotestadmin@vcu.edu
- Housing & Dining Accommodations: csparthemos@vcu.edu
- Assistive Technology Services: smithsonc@vcu.edu
- Captioning & Interpreting Services: smithsonc@vcu.edu
- Learning Specialist Program: levingstonb@vcu.edu
- SAEO Scholars Program: levingstonb@vcu.edu