Eastern Michigan University offers students a multitude of resources, including tutoring, career coaching and even childcare. One important resource with which new students may not be familiar is the Disability Resource Center, or DRC, which provides academic, housing and dining accommodations to students with disabilities.
The DRC and accommodations provided
Located in Room 250 of the Student Center, the DRC is the main EMU resource for students with disabilities. Elizabeth Shawl, the center's interim director, explained that its purpose is to ensure that students have access to the accommodations they need in the higher education setting.
The DRC offers accommodations tailored to each individual student's needs. As long as accommodation requests are reasonable, the staff at the DRC will do their best to implement them.
"We take all of the accommodations individually into consideration, and so we don't have a laundry list of accommodations that we provide to students," Shawl said. "Some of our more common accommodations are extended time for testing or a reduced-distraction environment, but ... it really depends on the student's disability and the impact of their disability, so we choose to have those individual conversations to ensure that the accommodations are individual for the student."
Sarah Garlinger, an incoming first-year master's degree student at EMU who also attended EMU as an undergraduate, said that the DRC has been helpful and supportive throughout her time at the university.
"I love that we have that resource on campus, and they are super great about accommodating students as much as possible," she said.
There are some accommodations that the DRC cannot provide because they would be impossible, unreasonable or outside of the center's scope to provide, Shawl said. For example, the DRC cannot provide accommodations to change the mode of a class (such as whether it is in person or online); that is up to individual professors. Some other accommodations the DRC cannot provide are unlimited absences, unlimited test time, extensive tardies, reduced course loads or personal assistants.
How to get accommodations
New students beginning the process of requesting accommodations should go to the DRC website and click the green "New Student Intake" box on the homepage. From there, students will complete an intake form and upload their documentation. Then, the DRC staff will review the information and set up a time to meet with the student, Shawl said.
She added that students need to be registered for classes to receive accommodations through the DRC, but there is no minimum number of credit hours for which they must be registered.
There is no deadline for requesting accommodations, but Shawl recommended starting early so students can get their accommodations in place in time for class to begin.
How to renew or change accommodations
Students must renew their academic accommodations each semester, the DRC website says. To do that, they can visit the "Returning Students" tab on the DRC website and log into their portal using the Accommodate Login Link. They will be able to access the portal by entering their single sign-on username and password.
It is important that students sign up for classes before renewing their accommodations, since their accommodations are tied to the specific classes they take. The professor of each course in which the student is enrolled will receive an Academic Letter of Accommodation, or LOA, that explains what the student needs.
Housing and Dining Letters of Accommodation remain in place for the full academic year and do not need to be renewed each semester. To get new housing or dining accommodations, students should email DRC@emich.edu.
If students need to add new accommodations at any point during the semester, they can email the DRC at drc@emich.edu.
Partnership with Disability Revolution Club, upcoming events
The DRC often collaborates on events with the Disability Revolution Club, a student organization focused on supporting and advocating for students with disabilities. Shawl, who serves as the club's adviser, explained that there are several such events coming up in the fall 2026 semester. For example, the DRC will be at EagleFest with the Disability Revolution Club on Sept. 9, 2026, and both organizations will participate in a Together Walk for suicide prevention on Sept. 10.
"I really try to support [the Disability Revolution Club] from a distance, but also try to collaborate on things to make sure our office is connecting with students that are part of that organization and encouraging students to participate in that group if that's something they're interested in," Shawl said.
Advice for new students
It may feel daunting to ask for accommodations for a disability; however, Shawl explained that all students are welcome to talk with staff at the DRC, and it should not be a scary experience.
"I think that there is a misconception ... about who can have accommodations in higher ed," she said. "There are some students that ... because they have ADHD or another type of neuro disability ... [think] that they don't qualify for accommodations if they don't have a physical or outward disability. That's not true. Students with all disabilities have the ability to talk with us about their disability and determine if they have a barrier to accessing academics, and we will help them to figure that out and determine what we can do to help get them access."
From a student's perspective, Garlinger has found the DRC to be welcoming and open to working with her.
"I would say the biggest thing would be, don't be afraid," she said. "The faculty over at the DRC are the most amazing faculty, and they truly do care about their student population. ... The worst thing that they can do is say no, but odds are, they're going to work with you, and they're going to find a way that might not necessarily be fully what you had in mind, but it'll still allow you to be accommodated in some way, shape or form."
For more information
The DRC operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students can visit the DRC's office in Room 250 of the Student Center, contact the center by phone at 734-487-2470, or email the center at drc@emich.edu.
Shawl also said that the DRC will be tabling on the first floor of the Student Center every Wednesday throughout the fall semester from noon to 2 p.m. for students who have questions.
