I asked six Georgia institutions for disability accommodations across 2025 and
2026. Some requests worked. Most did not, and the ones that failed usually failed for the same small
reasons. This is the template I wish I had started with, free to copy and adapt.
The disclaimer. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. This is a plain
language template based on what the federal materials say and on what happened when one disabled
person used it. Adapt every line to your own situation.
Before you write: five rules that decided my outcomes
- Send the accommodation request as its own email. Separate subject line, separate
day if you can. When an access request travels inside a message about the merits of your complaint,
it can be recharacterised as a tactic. In my record it was, in writing, by a Deputy General
Counsel. - Ask about the process, not the outcome. You are asking to participate on equal
terms. You are not asking anyone to decide your matter differently. Keeping that line clean is what
makes the request hard to refuse. - Ask for a written determination on each item. Granted, denied, or deferred,
separately. A warm general reply that does not decide anything is the most common non-answer you will
receive. - Ask for a date. An open-ended process is a denial that never has to be written
down. - Ask what happens if the accommodation fails. This is the question nobody answers
and the one you will need. Accommodations in my record were granted and then quietly stopped working.
The template
Copy from here. Replace everything in square brackets. Delete what does not apply.
Subject: ADA accommodation request . [your matter or file number] . response
requested by [date]
Dear [name and title],
I am a qualified individual with a disability. I am writing to request reasonable modifications so
that I can participate in [name the program, service, or process exactly as the institution names
it].
This request concerns the process only. It is not a submission on the merits of [the matter], and
I am not asking for any different outcome on [the matter].
The accommodations I am requesting
- [Accommodation one. Be specific and operational. For example: all communication in writing rather
than by telephone.] - [Accommodation two. For example: documents in accessible electronic formats rather than
image-only PDFs.] - [Accommodation three. For example: all recipients retained on replies, so that I do not have to
rebuild the distribution list by hand.] - [Accommodation four. For example: a route to submit that does not require a CAPTCHA or a
telephone call.] - [Accommodation five. For example: written confirmation from a person that a submission has been
placed in the correct file.]
What I am asking you to send back
- A written determination on each numbered item above, stating whether it is granted, denied, or
deferred. - The date by which that determination will issue.
- The name of the person responsible for coordinating disability access at [institution], and the
public web address where that person’s contact information is published. - The institution’s published grievance procedure for disability access complaints, and where it is
published. - The procedure to follow if an accommodation is granted and then does not work in practice.
Please reply in writing. If any part of this request is unclear, identify the specific numbered
item and I will clarify in writing.
Respectfully,
[your name]
[your contact details]
The checklist
Print this. Tick it before you send, and again two weeks later.
Before sending
- Is this its own email, with its own subject line?
- Does every request describe the process rather than the outcome?
- Is each accommodation numbered and operational, so it can be granted or denied on its own?
- Have I asked for a determination, a date, a named contact, a published route, and a failure
procedure? - Have I named the program exactly as the institution names it?
- Have I asked for a written reply?
After sending
- Have I saved the delivery confirmation from their system, not just my sent folder?
- Have I turned on read receipts?
- Have I recorded the date I first asked each item, in a numbered list I can reuse?
- Have I screenshotted the institution’s public accessibility pages, with the date?
Two weeks later
- Did a written determination arrive on each numbered item, or only a friendly general reply?
- Has the named contact been identified, and is that person actually published anywhere?
- Have I filed in parallel with the free outside routes?
File the free outside routes at the same time
This is the single thing I would change about how I did it. I treated the institution’s own process
as step one and the outside routes as an escalation. They are parallel, they are free, and neither
requires the institution to finish first.
- Your state ADA coordinator’s office. In Georgia,
ada.georgia.gov. That office treated my request as a
recognizable ADA concern and contacted the institution directly. It has no enforcement power, and
knowing that in advance matters. - The U.S. Department of Justice.
File a complaint at ADA.gov. Initial review may
take up to three months.
The full plain language map of the federal materials .
What happened when I used this in a bar
grievance
Use this freely
This template is here to be copied. You do not need to credit this site, ask permission, or tell
me you used it. If a line of it helped, or if a line of it did not work and you found something
better, email info@adamatters.com and I will improve the
template.
The whole point of documenting a bad year is that the next person spends less of theirs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an ADA accommodation request?
Send it as its own email, describe the process rather than the outcome, number each accommodation so it can be decided separately, and ask for a written determination, a date, a named contact and where they are published, the published grievance procedure, and what happens if an accommodation fails.
What should I ask the institution to send back?
A written determination on each numbered item, the date it will issue, the name and public listing of the person coordinating disability access, the published grievance procedure for disability complaints, and the procedure if a granted accommodation stops working.
Can I reuse this template?
Yes. Copy it freely. No credit, permission or notification needed. If a line did not work and you found something better, email info@adamatters.com and the template will be improved.
Should I file elsewhere at the same time?
Yes. The state ADA coordinator route and the U.S. Department of Justice route are free, run in parallel, and do not require the institution to finish first.