Temporary Injuries

At RISD we understand that individuals experiencing temporarily disabling conditions that are a result of injuries, surgery or short-term medical conditions may need access to services and resources similar to those accessible to people with permanent disabilities. A temporary impairment (actual or expected duration of six months or fewer) that does not qualify as an ADA disability, may still be considered a serious health condition requiring reasonable accommodations.

Examples of temporary conditions and injuries are:

• a broken or sprained bone with an expected recovery time of a few weeks or months.
• concussions with an expected recovery time of a few weeks or months.
• recovery from surgery.

Please understand that we cannot assist with certain supports related to temporary injuries, such as providing a wheelchair, assistance with everyday tasks (e.g. laundry) or transportation to medical appointments off campus.

To request temporary accommodations, please follow our standard accommodation process. For temporary injuries please upload a one-page letter with the following requirements:

• on official letterhead
• from a licensed off-campus provider 
• clearly listed credentials of the off-campus provider

The letter should also include your:

• diagnosis
• symptoms and limitations
• prognosis
• plans for care
• expected duration for healing time

Examples of accommodations we can provide are:

• access to a chair or stool.
• classroom relocation (on a case-by-case basis).
• screen readers or other assistive technologies.
• access to medical transport through Public Safety, limited to and from on-campus locations.
   

If limitations due to a temporary condition or injury persist beyond six months, are especially severe in nature, or will result in continued lasting effects additional discussions and updated medical documentation may be required to determine appropriate accommodations.