Accessibility Services & Accommodations

Requests for Services:

To ensure that needs are met, students must register with Accessibility Services upon enrollment and at the start of each term for which they are requesting services. A student must make a specific request for services or accommodations and submit documentation to support the request. The Verification Form may be submitted by a licensed professional to the Office of Academic Advising and Accessibility.

Verification Form for Students with Disabilities (hyperlinked)

Based upon the documentation, the Accessibility Services will authorize the needed accommodations. The College will make determinations on an individual basis regarding its provision of services to ensure that students are not subject to discrimination on the basis of disability. Please understand that we need a reasonable amount of time to evaluate the documentation, review the request, and make a determination.

To ensure that needs are met, students must notify the Accessibility Services of their request for services. Since this process for services is interactive, students must meet with the Accessibility Specialist for that interactive meeting at least once for the initial intake, and again at least once more for the discussion of the accommodations that are being provided through the Faculty Letter. The Faculty Letter of a student’s accommodations cannot be disseminated to the faculty without the student’s verbal or written agreement for the Accessibility Specialist to do so.

Notification to Accessibility Services at aaa.success@wagner.edu and an interactive meeting with the Accessibility Specialist must also be made by the student at the start of each term for which they are requesting services.

Eligibility for Services
General Information
Guidelines

While students are a vital source of information, we also request information from other sources in order to establish a disability and the impact it has on living and/or learning in a postsecondary environment. The records kept in Accessibility Services at the Office of Advising and Accessibility are strictly confidential. Eligibility criteria for disability-related support services at Wagner College includes what is listed below. The following guidelines are provided to assist students, physicians or other medical professionals, in identifying the type of information and documentation that will inform the process of determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations. The Disability Verification Form to be completed by a licensed practitioner will be sent to a student via email when they make an appointment with the Accessibility Specialist. They can make an appointment here.

Students are encouraged to submit any prior assessments and/or evaluative reports conducted by evaluators, physicians, medical professionals, etc., which may assist in determining appropriate accommodations. Documentation should be current and relevant to the requested accommodations.
While a Summary of Performance (SOP), Individualized Education Program (IEP) and/or 504 Plan provide helpful information, these documents alone may not provide sufficient information to determine appropriate accommodations in the postsecondary environment.
Reasonable accommodations are determined on a case by case basis, considering the nature of the condition(s) and resulting impact in the postsecondary environment. A student’s program of study and the courses a student is enrolled will also inform the types of accommodations that are appropriate.
Prior receipt of accommodations (e.g., in high school or in another University setting) will inform the process of determining appropriate accommodations at Wagner College however, they do not guarantee receipt of the same accommodations.
While the law requires that priority consideration be given to the specific methods requested, it does not imply that a particular accommodation must be granted if it is deemed not reasonable or other suitable methods are available.
Professionals (e.g., physicians or other medical professionals) conducting assessment, rendering diagnoses of specific conditions and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so.

We engage in an interactive process with each student and review requests for accommodations on a case-by-case basis. While students are a vital source of information, in order to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations, we may request information from other sources in order to establish a disability and the impact it has on living and/or learning in a postsecondary environment. Documentation should include data that supports the request for any academic accommodations. In the event that a student requests an academic accommodation that is not supported by the data in the assessment or if the initial verification is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability, the student may be asked to obtain additional information to support the request. The primary goal of documentation, in addition to establishing qualified status, is to address how the impairment significantly limits the essential life functioning of learning, how the student can utilize his or her strengths, and what academic accommodations would be effective in equalizing each student’s opportunities at the postsecondary level. For students with psychological or attention disorders, documentation should include a diagnosis and information from which the diagnosis was made, a description of the student’s functional limitations in an educational setting, the severity and longevity of the condition, a description of the effectiveness of current treatment, and recommendations for additional treatment/assistance. The evaluation must be conducted by a qualified professional (i.e. psychiatrist for ADHD, psychologist or psychiatrist for other psychological disorders). For students with physical disabilities, documentation should include a diagnosis and a description of the student’s functional limitations in an educational setting and be provided by a qualified Medical professional. To ensure that needs are met, students must notify Accessibility Services of their request for services. A student must make a specific request for services or accommodations, and accommodations are not retroactive. Since this process for services is interactive, students must meet with the Accessibility Specialist for that interactive meeting at least once for the initial intake, and again at least once more for the discussion of the accommodations that are being provided through the Faculty Letter. The Faculty Letter of a student’s accommodations cannot be disseminated to the faculty without the student’s verbal or written agreement for the Accessibility Specialist to do so. Notification to Accessibility Services and an interactive meeting with the Accessibility Specialist must also be made by the student at the start of each term for which they are requesting services. A student must make a specific request for services or accommodations and are not retroactive. The Accessibility Specialist will authorize the needed accommodations. The College will make determinations on an individual, case-by-case basis regarding its provision of services to ensure that students are not subject to discrimination on the basis of disability. Please understand that this process is interactive and we need a reasonable amount of time (typically, 1-2 weeks) to evaluate the documentation, review the request, and make a determination. Based on eligibility, the following services are provided, but not limited to:

advocacy
testing accommodations: proctors, extended time in a separate, distraction-reduced room
specialized advising and skills instruction
priority registration and advising assistance
provision of information to professors
paid membership in Learning Ally, Bookshare
Assistive technology such as Kurzweill, CCTV, Smart Pen, JAWS
referrals

College personnel are available to discuss a range of disability management issues such as course load, learning strategies, academic accommodations, and referral to campus and community resources. The student has the right to file an appeal concerning any allegations of failure to comply with laws, regulations and policies set forth for students with disabilities at Wagner College. A student wishing to file a complaint may do so in writing to the Office of the Provost located in the Union Building. For additional information or questions regarding this policy, please contact the Office of Academic Advising and Accessibility at aaa.success@wagner.edu.

Services Available

Depending on Documentation the following services are provided, but not limited to:

Advocacy to college administration
Testing accommodations, including proctors and/or extended time in a separate, distraction-reduced room.
Learning disabilities-related advisement
Preferential registration and advisement
Provision of information to professors
Paid membership in Learning Ally (formerly RFB&D)
Assistive technology
Referrals

College personnel are available to discuss a range of disability management issues such as course load, learning strategies, academic accommodations, and referral to campus and community resources.

The student has the right to file an appeal concerning any allegations of failure to comply with laws, regulations and policies set forth for students with disabilities at Wagner College. A student wishing to file a complaint may do so in writing to the Office of the Provost located in Union.

Student Request Form for Testing Accomodation

Student Request Form for Testing Accommodations

Today's Date*
Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
Full Name*
Email*
Telephone #*
Exam Date*
Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
Course Title*
Professor's Name*
Exam Time*
Special Requests
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Assistive Technology

Zoom Text	Software that is helpful for those with low vision by allowing the user to magnify everything viewed on a computer, including icons, text, and web pages. It will also read the text it magnifies.
Kurzweil	Serves all patrons with any sensory or learning challenges. Kurzweil software can scan print materials and “read” scanned images, text files, or PDF documents aloud. This advanced software also allows users to save readings as MP3 files which can be downloaded to your iPod or other MP3 player for reading anywhere.
Dolphin Easy Reader	Will read audio books aloud. Any books (including textbooks) recorded by the national non-profit agency Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic can be played on the system.
Dragon Naturally Speaking	Useful for users with dysgraphia or mobility challenges. This advanced voice recognition software allows users to dictate to the computer and the system will type your dictation.
Hands Free Mouse	Assists users with mobility challenges in using computer software.
CCTV	Available in the Horrmann Library
JAWS	Available in the Horrmann Library and the Spiro Computer Center.
Livescribe Smart Pen