Our goal is to encourage Wagner students to become independent learners, to take advantage of campus services and to engage in all phases of campus life. We are committed to providing support and reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure that they can develop to their full potential. In our effort to provide timely support to our students, these webpages are continually updated.
Wagner College in compliance with Federal guidelines is committed to providing accommodations and services to students with disabilities in order to ensure a comprehensively accessible learning experience where individuals with disabilities have the same access to programs, opportunities and activities as all others. We engage in an interactive process with each student and review requests for accommodations on a case-by-case basis. In determining reasonable accommodations, we consider each student’s condition(s), history, experience, and request.
This site is helpful for students, their families, and faculty to gain a comprehensive understanding of various disabilities and useful resources to assist academic needs of disabled students. You can find this information by clicking here!
In addition, here is some useful information for faculty members working with students in their academic pursuits!
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. 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 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.
The Office of Advising and Accessibility is located on the 3rd floor of Union. To schedule an appointment with a staff member in the Office of Advising and Accessibility click here.
Office of Advising and Accessibility
Location: Union, 3rd Floor Phone: 718-390-3416
Eligibility for Services: 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 can be found here: Disability Verification Form.
General Information
Guidelines
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. You can find the Disability Verification Form here.
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:
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 Advising and Accessibility at cace@wagner.edu.
Depending on Documentation the following services are provided, but not limited to:
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.
Accessibility Services provides the following assistive technology for students with sensory, memory, or learning challenges:
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
Livescribe Smart Pen
JAWS – Available in the Horrmann Library and the Spiro Computer Center.
To make an appointment for training in Kurzweil or Dragon Naturally Speaking, please contact cace@wagner.edu.
Forms should be submitted as far in advance as possible. Room assignments are done 24 hours before the exam. If you do not hear back, please contact us via email at cace@wagner.edu.
Wagner College recognizes that residence hall living is integral to a college experience. Accordingly, we recognize that students with disabilities may require a specific type of housing to fully participate in the residential component of the college experience. For students with documented disabilities, Wagner College will make every effort to provide reasonable disability housing accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended (ADAAA). A disability is defined under the ADAAA as any mental or physical impairment that substantially limits the individual in a major life activity compared to the average person. Wagner College has established the following procedures to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to residential housing.
To complete a medical housing accommodation request, there is a two-part application process.
Part 1: Medical Housing Accommodation Request Form
Students should complete a Medical Housing Accommodation Request Form. This form can be found on a student’s housing portal (housing.wagner.edu) under ‘Forms’ – ‘Medical Housing Accommodation Request Form’.
Requests for the Fall semester are due by March 15 for returning students and July 1 for new students. Requests for the Spring semester are due October 1 for returning students and January 1 for new students.
Part 2: Medical Housing Accommodation Documentation Form
This documentation form should be completed by a licensed medical professional who is not (a) a relative of the student and/or (b) an employee of the Wagner College Center for Health & Wellness, Nursing Program, or any other affiliated office.
Requests should be submitted before the published deadlines so that accommodations can be taken into account during the fall and spring room assignment processes. The Medical Housing Committee, composed of representatives from the Center for Health and Wellness, Accessibility Services, and Residential Education, will meet to review requests. Students will be notified via campus email of the committee’s recommendation. Should medical concerns arise during the course of the semester, the committee will convene to review these requests as necessary.
Please note that incomplete requests cannot be considered. Only applications that represent a qualifying disability will be considered for medical accommodation.
A note on Medical Singles: Please note that the availability of single rooms is extremely limited. Medical singles are only granted in cases where the student would be unable to participate in Campus Housing if they did not receive approval for a single room. There is no additional cost to students approved for Medical Singles; students will be charged the double-room occupancy rate for that academic year.
Documentation Guidelines: The College requires documentation from a licensed healthcare provider that describes the student’s disability and supports the request for Medical Housing Accommodation. The healthcare provider should not be related to the student. Staff from the Wagner College Center for Health and Wellness should also not complete the documentation form, as they sit on the Medical Housing Accommodation Committee.
Documentation must be:
The following documents are not considered acceptable forms of documentation:
Factors considered when evaluating requests: The submitted request and supporting documentation are reviewed carefully on a case-by-case basis using the following criteria:
A follow-up conversation with the treating professional by a member of the Center for Health and Wellness staff may be necessary.
The Housing Accommodation Request Form can be found on a student’s housing portal. Please visit housing.wagner.edu and complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form.
Please have your documentation submitted by a licensed medical professional.
Service Animal Policy
At Wagner College, we are committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access to our programs and services. Accordingly, it is essential for us to recognize the importance of service animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments (ADAAA) which are trained to help disabled persons do work or carry out certain tasks that benefit the individual and develop a policy that allows us to better serve students who need help to utilize the services of such animals. This policy will ensure the rights of persons with disabilities who require the use of a service animal on campus to facilitate their full participation and equal access to the college’s programs and services. The foundation of this policy is to promote equal access in a non-discriminatory manner and to support the principle that individuals with disabilities be provided equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from support and services at Wagner College
Service animals
“Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service dogs are permitted in all areas of a place of public accommodation. This includes any private residence space assigned to the student. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.” (ADA,Title II and Title III Revised Requirements)
Service animals include guide dogs, signal dogs, or other animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Such activities may include, but are not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items. Besides being permitted to bring their service dogs to their assigned residence spaces, students with service dogs should be permitted to bring their service dog to all areas of a place of public accommodation.
It should be noted that the college is permitted limited inquiries regarding service animals. The permitted questions are:
Service animals are welcome in most parts of the College. Owners (including faculty/employees or family members) planning to bring Service Animals to reside in college housing are asked to notify Accessibility Services and The Office of Residential Education to allow the College to properly accommodate their animals and appropriately consider the needs of other residents who may suffer from allergies or otherwise need to limit contact with animals.
Support Animals
Support animals are animals that provide emotional support , therapeutic benefits , comfort or promote emotional well-being.
According to the Fair Housing Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students with disabilities may request to keep support animals in their residence as a reasonable accommodation as long as there is compelling evidence to support that the animal is necessary to give the individual an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their dwelling or participate in the housing program. There must be a relationship or a nexus between the disability and the support that the animal provides to the individual. Some support animals are professionally trained, others may be trained by their owners, while some are not trained at all. The essential function of the animal must be that it provides the needed benefit for its owner. Since a support animal, unlike a service animal, does not assist a person with a disability with his or her daily physical activities, the animal does not accompany a person with a disability at all times. Support animals are not allowed in classrooms, administrative offices, dining halls, athletic facilities or any other non-residential facilities.
Besides serving the functions outlined above, (1) all animals must be licensed in accordance with city regulations and, if appropriate, must wear a valid vaccination tag. (2) They must have an annual clean bill of health from a licensed veterinarian. (3) The owner of the support animal, must be in full control of the animal at all times. (4) The animal owner is responsible for the appropriate management of his or her animal in all college facilities, including appropriate waste clean-up. (5) Certain aggressive/ disruptive behavior on the part of the animal may result in the owner being asked to remove the animal from the college.
Each request will be considered on a case by case basis collaboratively by members of the College community. These commonly include, but are subject to change, the the Dean of Campus Life, Accessibility Specialist, the Director of Health and Wellness and/or the Director of Residential Education or their designee(s).
The college reserves the right to limit approval of proposed ESAs to animals that do not pose health or safety concerns, or would significantly disrupt the residence hall living environment for others. This may include, but is not limited to animals that have previously posed a direct threat to the safety of health of an individual, aggressive behavior toward any person(a), or possess the potential transmission of zoonotic diseases. The College has determined that the residence hall setting, in most cases, is not an appropriate environment in which to raise a puppy or kitten. Therefore, dogs and cats must be at least 10 months of age, be spayed or neutered, and have received their first rabies vaccination before they can live in-residence in College housing.
Upon approval of the request, the Director of Residential Education will make a housing assignment in a suitable residence in a hall designated as “animal compatible.”
By developing a policy that aims to benefit students who need the assistance of service or support animals, we are making a good faith effort to not only benefit our students but be in compliance with the relevant mandates of disability laws (i.e. ADA, ADAAA, FHA and Section 504).
Students have the right to appeal the decision of the Committee by contacting the Senior Academic Affairs Officer, who is commonly the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Pet
A pet, an animal kept for ordinary use and companionship, is not considered a Service Animal or an Assistance Animal.
Forms that need to be submitted for Approval of Support Animals in Wagner College Housing
Documentation of the need for a Support Animal should follow the Medical Housing Documentation Guidelines and should generally include the following information:
No extra deposit will be collected for residents approved to have a service or support animal on campus, however the residents must follow the following :
III. Animal Health and Well-being
Removal of Approved Animal
The College may exclude/remove an approved animal when:
Areas Off Limits to Service Animals
The College reserves the right to prohibit the use of service animals in certain locations on campus because of health and safety restrictions, where the animals may be in danger, or where their use may affect academic programs. Exceptions to restricted areas may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
Service Dog in Training
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assures people with disabilities who are accompanied by service animals that they will not be excluded from public places or activities, nor charged any additional fees, because they are accompanied by their service dog. However, the ADA does not provide the same protection to service animals in training. The ADA assures access for the handler/partner only if the dog is fully trained to give some disability related service.
In Accordance to New York State Law a Service Dog is such that one who is being trained by a “formal training program” or “certified trainer” which is defined as a institution, group, or individual who has documentation and community recognition as a provider of service animals shall have the same rights and privileges set forth for person with a disability.
Because there is no mention of animals in training under the ADA and because New York State does not clarify further its use of the term “in training” Wagner College has established policy, based on accepted practices suggested by Assistance Dogs International (ADI). A service-dog-in-training is a dog, accompanied by its trainer, that is undergoing individual training to provide specific disability-related work or service for an individual with a disability. This does not include obedience training or socialization of puppies who may later become service animals (generally 15-18 months). Thus, adult dogs are recognized as being “in training” to provide disability- specific assistance only after they have completed an earlier period of socialization (obedience training, being house broken, getting acclimated to public places and everyday activities as pets.)
As service animals in training in New York are only given access when they are in the company of a certified trainer, they cannot be in residence in campus housing, nor be present in other areas of campus such as classrooms, with the exception of those places that are open to the public and only when accompanied by a certified trainer.
If you are training an animal to aid and guide persons with disabilities, you must register your dog with the Accessibility Services and comply with the requirements set forth in this policy.
Please print this form and give it to your health care provider. They should return the completed form to Accessibility Services at Wagner College.