Navigating the DRC Student Portal: A Comprehensive Guide

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) plays a vital role in ensuring equitable access to education for students with disabilities. To streamline services and enhance accessibility, the DRC utilizes an online student portal. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the DRC student portal, its features, and how students can effectively utilize it to manage their accommodations.

Introduction to the DRC and its Mission

The Disability Resource Center values intersecting identities and recognizes that individuals have both visible and invisible differences that make them unique. The DRC is committed to interrupting ableism, ethnicism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ageism, xenophobia, body shaming, and other systems of oppression and marginalization. The DRC works with students toward an equitable future by focusing on building partnerships and infrastructure that incorporate the principles of universal design and disability justice. Student Access serves degree-seeking and non-degree seeking undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across University programs and disciplines.

Transition to the New AIM Portal

Starting January 8, 2025, the DRC services transitioned to a new web portal called AIM (Accessible Information Management). AIM replaces the previous portal, OneDRC. This new portal is designed to provide a more user-friendly and efficient experience for students requesting services and managing their academic accommodations.

Key Features of the AIM Portal

The AIM portal offers a range of features to support students with disabilities. Some of the key functionalities include:

Requesting Services: Students can request services and accommodations through the online Student Portal.
Sending Academic Access Letters: Students can send academic access letters to faculty each quarter. Students may request letters for winter quarter beginning January 8, 2025.
Viewing Accommodations (Eligibilities): Students can view a list of their accommodations, referred to as "Eligibilities" in AIM, under "My Dashboard" and selecting "My Eligibility."
Generating PDF of Accommodations: Students can download a copy of their accommodations by selecting “Generate PDF.”
Selecting Courses and Sending Accommodation Letters: Students can select courses and proceed to the next step to send accommodation letters to their instructors.
Resending Accommodation Letters: To resend a letter, select “Re-send notification”. Re-sending the notification will resend the letter without the changes.
Submitting Additional Documentation: Students can submit additional documentation in AIM under Accommodations in the Submit Additional Documentation for Review section.
Viewing Equipment Loans: Students can view all equipment loans through the DRC under My Dashboard-Equipment.
Viewing Accommodation Requests: Students can view their accommodation requests for the current and previous semesters under Accommodations-List Requests.
Uploading Course Syllabi: Students can upload course syllabi if a specific accommodation request requires it (i.e alt format) under Accommodations-Course Syllabus.
Scheduling Exams in the Testing Center: Students can schedule their exams in the DRC Testing Center if they have testing accommodations under Accommodations-Testing Center.

Accessing and Navigating the AIM Portal

To access the AIM portal, students will need to log in with their UMN credentials. Upon logging in, they will be directed to an overview page, also known as "My Dashboard." The dashboard provides access to various features and information, including:

Read also: Comprehensive ETAR Guide

My Eligibility
Accommodation Requests
Equipment

Understanding Key AIM Terms

Familiarizing yourself with the terminology used within the AIM portal is crucial for effective navigation and utilization of its features. Here are some key terms:

AIM - Accessible Information Management: The new portal that will replace OneDRC.
Eligibility: Your accommodations (i.e extended testing time, a peer note taker, an interpreter, alternative formats, etc.)
Faculty Notification Letter: The accommodation letter that is sent to your instructors containing information about your accommodations and how to contact your access consultant with questions.

Sending Accommodation Letters to Instructors

One of the primary functions of the AIM portal is to facilitate the process of sending accommodation letters to instructors. Students can select as many or as few courses at a time. Your accommodation letter will be sent to your instructor once your access consultant reviews the request. If you have submitted requests for all your courses in a semester, you will see a green check in the Accommodation Requests section under My Dashboard.

To update a request, students can select/deselect their accommodations and select “Update Request”.

Utilizing the Testing Center

For students with testing accommodations, the AIM portal allows them to schedule their exams in the DRC Testing Center. This feature ensures that students have access to the necessary accommodations during their exams.

Additional Resources and Support

The DRC provides various resources and support services to assist students with disabilities. These include:

Read also: Accessing the Cal Poly Portal

Info Session Hours: To learn more about the DRC and disability accommodations, the DRC offers Info Session hours Monday - Friday, 11am - 12pm and 2pm - 3pm for a 15 minute consultative conversation with one of their access consultants. Both in-person and virtual Info Session meetings are available. All Zoom links will be sent out the day of.
Faculty and Instructor FAQ: More resources can be found on the faculty and instructor FAQ.
Accommodations Specialists: Service Coordinators will now be called Accommodations Specialists. They are your primary contact at the DRC.
Optional SIS Connection: An optional SIS connection is available for importing students with their associated demographics via a direct connection between a district’s Infinite Campus SIS and DRC INSIGHT. This is an optional data import method and is not required. For districts using Infinite Campus SIS connections, if classes are defined in the SIS data, corresponding rosters will be automatically created and available in the DRC INSIGHT Portal. Having multiple options for importing data provides districts much needed flexibility in terms of when and how data is imported for different programs. The SIS automation also reduces the effort and overall time involved in the import process.

Faculty-Specific Information

Faculty members also have a dedicated portal called the AIM Instructor Portal. Faculty-Specific Notes: Bookmark the AIM portal link: AIM Instructor Portal. Questions? Please check out the FAQ.

Read also: Accessing the MUSD Student Portal

tags: #drc #student #portal #information