Effective Communication

Communication & Assistive Tech

Students and visitors with vision, hearing, or speech disabilities may require effective communication services to receive and convey information to Harvard. Requests for effective communication may include, but are not limited to: American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), text-to-speech, braille, large print, audio description, and/or ensuring adaptive equipment is available when necessary. For more detailed information on Effective Communication, contact UDR and/or consult our Effective Communication Guide.  

Please note that Harvard University will make every effort to offer effective communication accommodations. Services for ASL interpreting and CART are subject to availability. As service providers are in great demand in the Boston metropolitan area and often fill their schedules quickly, it is recommended to make requests at least two weeks in advance, if possible. 

Residential Student Housing - Students

Students who wish to request housing accommodations should contact their school's Local Disability Coordinator (LDC). Many LDCs have resources and forms posted on their website to initiate a request. Please see the LDC List to find your School’s contact person or office for this interactive process. 

Staff

Staff who wish to request effective communication accommodations should contact their local Human Resources office. For more information on this process please see the Workplace Accommodations section. 

Faculty

Faculty who wish to request effective communication accommodations or receive further information should contact their local accommodation coordinator (Faculty Affairs or University Disability Resources). For more information on this process please see the Workplace Accommodations section. 

Visitors

Visitors to Harvard University who wish to request effective communication reasonable accommodation should contact the local department that they are visiting or sponsor of the event that they are attending. If you are unsure of the event sponsor, please call 617-495-1859 or email our office and we will do our best to assist you in locating the contact person for the event.