Accessibility Services

 ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Manual

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination and may be entitled to reasonable accommodations. To establish that an individual is covered under the law, documentation must indicate that a disability exists and that the disability substantially limits one or more major life activities. A diagnosis of disorder in and of itself does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations; documentation must also support the request for accommodations and academic adjustments. To determine eligibility for accommodations through Trocaire, any student seeking services are required to provide Accessibility Services with the appropriate medical, psychological, and/or educational documentation of their disability or mental health impairment from a licensed professional. 

Guidelines for submitting documentation

The following information is provided for evaluators, physicians, medical professionals, and students to guide the process of submitting documentation to Accessibility Services.

•  Individualized Education Program (IEP), and/or a 504 Plan (alone) are not considered adequate documentation.
• Evaluators, physicians, medical professionals, etc. are encouraged to submit any prior assessments and/or evaluative reports together with the current documentation to establish disability diagnosis.
• State the impact of the disability on affected major life activities.
• Documentation must be printed on official letterhead, signed and dated by the credentialed professional.
• Documentation must be submitted by a qualified practitioner who is not a family member of the student.
• Reasonable accommodations are determined based on the nature and resulting impairment(s) due to the disability.
• While the law requires that priority consideration be given to the specific methods requested by a student, it does not imply that a particular accommodation must be granted if it is deemed not reasonable or other suitable techniques are available.
• Missing disability documentation information may result in a delay in reviewing a student’s request for accommodation.

It is the student’s responsibility to determine whether or not a disability is present.

• If you have not been diagnosed with a disabling condition and suspect you have one, you may want to be tested.
• The law does not require post-secondary institutions to identify and evaluate students who may have disabilities, nor to compensate students for money spent on testing for the presence of a disability.

Testing for a Disability

Testing for the presence of a disability varies with each disability or medical condition. Here are a few suggestions:

• Visit your primary care physician and alert them to your suspicions. Your doctor may have a list of resources that would be available to you for testing.
• Contact your local vocational rehabilitation office. For New York State residents, the Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) has offices throughout New York State. They may be able to refer you to other community resources.
• You can learn more about federal resources at USA.gov Disability Services.
• Psychological Services Center, University of Buffalo https://www.211wny.org/provider/11238/.
• You also can contact Accessibility Services. There may be suggestions and strategies that can help you in your studies until you are able to obtain a diagnosis.

Please Note: While students can initiate the accommodation process at any time throughout the semester, it is recommended that a student make contact as early as possible. Accommodations begin at the time that a student is found eligible, and instructors are notified.  Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively. 

Accommodations strive to remove barriers of a student’s postsecondary program that help to compensate for the student’s impairment(s) and provide equal access to students with disabilities. Here are the basics:

• Any student with a documented disability may be eligible to receive reasonable academic accommodations from Accessibility Services.
• The purpose of accommodations is to reduce or eliminate any disadvantages that may exist because of an individual’s disability.
• Accommodations are not a guarantee for success, but rather seek to promote non-discrimination and equal access opportunities.
• Accommodations are not student preferences; they are determined through an established review process based on documentation received regarding the student’s disability.

In order to access accommodations, students must disclose their disability and/or medical condition to Accessibility Services.

Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis.  Academic Accommodations may include, but are not limited to: 

• Extended testing time
• Reduced distraction testing environment
• The use of assistive technology
• Textbooks in alternative formats

ACCES-VR
Accessible Academics
Effective College Planning For Students With Disabilities – MANUAL for Students, Parents and High School Personnel (CCDA)
Effective College Planning For Students With Disabilities – WORKBOOK for Students, Parents and High School Personnel (CCDA)
Planning and Time Management Tools and Advice for College Students
Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education (U.S. Dept of ED OCR)
Western New York Collegiate Consortium and Disability Advocates (CCDA) 

Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act prohibits federal agencies and their grantees and contractors from discriminating against people based on disability in employment, programs, and activities. 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA/504)
A federal statute that guarantees the rights of disabled people to equal opportunity in all programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.  It prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals solely on the basis of disability.  Section 504 regulations apply to state education agencies, elementary and secondary school systems, colleges and universities, libraries, vocational schools, and state vocational rehabilitation agencies. 

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The ADA was signed into law to protect individuals with disabilities against discrimination in employment, in programs operated by city, county, and state entities, public and private transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunication services.  The 2008 amendment act of ADA emphasizes that the definition of disability should be construed in favor of broad coverage of individuals to the maximum extent permitted by the terms of the ADA and generally shall not require extensive analysis. 

Our student’s privacy is important to us. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Students’ disability records are kept secured in the Office of Accessibility Services and are not released without the student’s permission. 

Click here for more information on FERPA