The NYU Moses Center Is Here to Help You Thrive

The Moses Center works with NYU students to determine and implement appropriate and reasonable accommodation. It also connects students to programs and resources to support equal access to quality education. These cover a wide range of accommodations from classes and exams to assistive technology and housing. For students on the autism spectrum (ASD), Moses offers a specific program that provides one-on-one weekly meetings and group events. All of these services are also available when you study away at an NYU global site.

When I was trying to figure this out, I wasn’t really sure what type of accommodation I needed, what paperwork was required, or even how to start the process. If you’re just wondering what types of accommodations are available and what the process is like, the Moses Center has drop-in hours on weekdays (1 to 2 p.m.) for NYU students. These were incredibly helpful for me to get my specific questions answered. Just shoot them an email ([email protected]) for the Zoom link!

1. Once you’ve decided to request an accommodation, you need to submit an online application. You’ll respond to some basic questions about the nature of your request. If you have any medical documentation, you can submit it with your application. If you don’t have documentation yet, don’t worry! You can still submit your initial application.
2. A Moses Center specialist will contact you to set up an initial appointment. This is just a meeting to talk a little more about the specifics of your request. I was really nervous about this meeting, but the specialist I met with was so kind, and I could tell she wanted to be my advocate. I felt very reassured and supported after this meeting.
3. This process is fairly quick and the Moses Center will help notify your professors if your request is academic- or exam-related. I highly encourage those who’ve submitted accommodation requests to also communicate with their professors personally (if they feel comfortable doing so).

Moses has a really good step-by-step accommodations request guide if you ever want one. Generally, you will submit these on either a semestral or yearly basis, depending on the nature of your accommodation. Additionally, if your request is housing-related, make sure you still apply for housing! Submitting this request isn’t the same as applying for on-campus housing. These are two separate processes. There is a specific application you need to fill out for a housing accommodation, so be mindful of the deadlines.