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Academic Accommodations
Any student with a documented disability is eligible to receive services from the Accessibility Services Office. The purpose of accommodations and modifications is to reduce or eliminate any disadvantages that may exist because of an individual’s disability. The law does not require college to waive specific courses or academic requirements considered essential to a particular program or degree. Rather, they are mandated to modify existing requirements on a case-by-case basis in order to ensure that individuals are not discriminated against on the basis of their disability.
Accessing Academic Accommodations
New students requesting accommodations should contact the Accessibility Services Office so that appropriate accommodations can be provided in a timely manner. Incoming first year students should be advised it is best to contact Accessibility Services over the summer before school begins.Students can at any time request accommodations, however, accommodations cannot be applied retroactively.
Steps to accessing Academic Accommodations
- Students requesting accommodations must submit an Academic Accommodations Request Form and are responsible for providing appropriate documentation to the Accessibility Services Office in order to verify their need for accommodations.
- Documentation must be submitted by a qualified licensed professional, this can be their family or personal medical provider, or a licensed professional on campus, who can be contacted by making an appointment with the Wellness Center.
- Once appropriate documentation has been received, Accessibility Services will review the documentation and then meet with the student to discuss appropriate accommodations. Reasonable accommodations depend upon the nature and degree of severity of the documented disability. With the Americans with The Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that priority consideration be given to the specific methods requested by the student, it may not guarantee that a particular accommodation will be given. The accommodation requested must be reasonable.
- After a student provides documentation and meets with Accessibility Services Accommodation Letters will be developed at this time. Accessibility Services will email each students’ accommodations letter to each faculty member. Accessibility Services will send the student’s accommodation letter each semester the student is enrolled at Russell Sage College. If for any reason the student wishes their accommodation letter to not be sent, they must notify Accessibility Services in writing.
- Open dialogue about accommodations with students and faculty members is encouraged and required for certain accommodations. It is best to do this review after class or to set up an appointment with each faculty member. Each student can decide whether to disclose his/her disability or any pertinent information he/she may wish to share with the professor. The student is not required to identify his/her disability, only what accommodations they will be using. Throughout the semester, the student should regularly meet with the professor as necessary to discuss his/her accommodation needs.
- Reminder for test taking accommodations: Test request forms should be submitted at least five (5) business days prior to the intended test date in order for Accessibility Services to notify faculty and make the appropriate arrangements for proctoring.
