Asking a teacher or professor for an accommodation.
Concrete language for emailing a teacher, professor, or disability services office. With the version for when you have documentation, and the version for when you don't yet.
Two paths: with and without documentation
If you have a 504/IEP (K–12) or are registered with disability services (college), the official path is: get the accommodation letter, send it to the instructor, follow up in writing. The instructor is required to honor it. You do not need to disclose your diagnosis. You only need to communicate the approved accommodations.
If you do not have documentation yet, you are in a different situation. Many instructors are willing to extend deadlines, offer alternatives, or quietly waive a participation requirement, even without paperwork. The script is different: shorter, more general, asking for grace rather than demanding a right.
Email scripts
WITH DOCUMENTATION (university). 'Dear Professor [Name], I'm a student in [class, section]. I'm registered with [Disability Services / Accessible Education / SAS], and I'm forwarding my accommodation letter for this semester. The accommodations relevant to your class are: [list]. Please let me know how you'd like to coordinate [extended time / alternate format / flexible attendance]. Thank you for your time.'
WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION (high school or college, asking for a one-time extension). 'Hi [Mr./Ms./Dr. Name] — I'm in [class, period]. I'm dealing with a health issue this week and I'm not going to be able to turn in [assignment] by [original due date]. Could I have until [specific new date] to submit it? I can give you a more detailed update if that's helpful. Thanks for understanding.'
WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION (asking for ongoing flexibility). 'Hi [Mr./Ms./Dr. Name] — I want to give you a heads up that I'm working through a [chronic / mental / physical] health issue this semester. I'm doing my best, and I will let you know in advance when I'm having a flare. I'm not asking for a different grading standard — I may just need occasional flexibility on deadlines or attendance. Is there a way you'd like me to communicate this when it comes up?'
INTRODUCING YOURSELF TO DISABILITY SERVICES (college, first time). 'Hi — I'd like to start the process of registering for accommodations. I have [diagnosis, if known; or 'a chronic health condition that affects my coursework']. Could you tell me what documentation you need and what the next step looks like?'
Things worth knowing
You do not have to tell a professor your diagnosis. They are not entitled to it. Your accommodation letter and disability services office are the bridge.
Email is generally better than asking in person — both for paper trail and because it is easier for the instructor to say yes when they are not on the spot. If you are nervous, email is also a kindness to yourself.
Most professors say yes the first time. The ones who don't are not the majority. If a request gets refused, your disability services office is the next call. They have leverage; you usually don't.
what people get wrong
wrongAsking for accommodations is asking for an unfair advantage.
closerAccommodations are about leveling access, not advantage. Extra time on a test for someone with a documented processing disorder isn't an edge — it's a closer approximation of what their ability would look like without the bottleneck.
wrongYou have to disclose your diagnosis to ask for help.
closerYou almost never have to share a diagnosis. Disability services handles documentation; instructors get the letter, not the chart.
wrongIf you ask and they say no, you have no options.
closerDisability services / Title IX / dean of students offices exist for this. Going up a level is normal and not retaliated against.
what actually helps
- Registering with disability services early in the term, before the first crash.
- Keeping a folder (digital or physical) of medical letters, IEPs, prior accommodation letters, dates of doctor visits.
- Sending requests in writing, even for verbal agreements — 'just confirming what we discussed' is a helpful sentence.
- If the school is hostile: contacting outside groups (DREDF, ACLU disability rights, your state department of education) — you have rights even if your school is being difficult.
sources
was this helpful?