Disability Support Services overview students faculty campus support forms Disability Support Services provides and arranges accommodations for students with special needs due to: physical, learning, emotional, and temporary or permanent diagnostic referrals. Disability Support Services also provides: review of previously administered diagnostic tests, informal academic advising, presentation of self-advocacy skills for students, and liaison and advocacy measures with faculty and staff. Select any title below to learn more Accomodations Available to Le Moyne Students Note Taker Services ETexts/Digital texts Time extensions for quizzes , tests, and exams Alternate testing locations Alternative exam formats Preferential seating Adaptive furniture Access to adaptive technology Adaptive technology Available: CCTV Co:Writer Dragon Naturally Speaking Duxbury Braille Translation Exclipse Reader Insiration Jaws Kurzweil 1000 Kurzweil 3000 OmniPage Word Processing Adaptive Technology is available to students whenever the library is open. For assistance in learning to use programs, make an appointment with DSS staff during office hours. PLEASE NOTE: Students failing to identify their disability or arrange for special accommodations in the first few weeks of class assume responsibility for regular classroom procedures. If students self-identify later in the semester, they must assume responsibility for the grade(s) achieved in class without accommodations prior to that time. ALSO: “Institutions are not required to provide an academic adjustment that would alter or waive essential academic requirements.15 They also do not have to provide an academic adjustment that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program or activity or result in undue financial or administrative burdens considering the institution’s resources as a whole.16 For example, an appropriate academic adjustment may be to extend the time a student with a disability is allotted to take tests, but an institution is not required to change the substantive content of the tests. In addition, an institution is not required to make modifications that would result in undue financial or administrative burdens. - http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html Am I Required to Disclose My Disability? It is highly recommended that you do disclose your disability so that you can receive services; however, no Le Moyne College student is required to disclose his or her disability. “A student has no obligation to inform an institution of postsecondary education that he or she has a disability; however, if the student wants an institution to provide an academic adjustment or assign the student to accessible housing or other facilities, or if a student wants other disability-related services, the student must identify himself or herself as having a disability. The disclosure of a disability is always voluntary. For example, a student who has a disability that does not require services may choose not to disclose his or her disability.” “Although students may request academic adjustments at any time, students needing services should be advised to notify the institution as early as possible to ensure that the institution has enough time to review their request and provide an appropriate academic adjustment. Some academic adjustments, such as interpreters, may take time to arrange. In addition, students should not wait until after completing a course or activity or receiving a poor grade to request services and then expect the grade to be changed or to be able to retake the course.” - http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html What is the Difference Between High School and College Disability Services? While efforts will be made to provide appropriate support needed to accommodate disabilities, the same accommodations offered to students in high school will not necessarily be offered at Le Moyne. The chart below provides legal information on the differences in service between high school and college Question High School College What is the law? Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 (Subpart E) What is the intent of the law? IDEA: To provide a free, appropriate public Education in the least restrictive environment. 504: To ensure that no otherwise qualified person with a disability is denied access or is subjected to discrimination in any program or activity provided by any public school or entity. To ensure that no otherwise qualified person with a disability is denied access or is subjected to discrimination in any program or activity provided by any public school or entity. Who is covered under the law? All children 0-21 (or until graduation from high school), that require special education services. All qualified individuals with disabilities who meet the admissions requirements or entry criteria for a particular program and can document the existence of a disability as defined by the ADA. Who is responsible for identifying and documenting the disability? School districts are responsible for identifying students with disabilities and providing special instruction, individualized education plans, and/or accommodations. Colleges do not have to assess the student. Students are expected to provide proof of a disability within the institutional guidelines. What about course waivers? Some courses may have been waived for a student before graduation, if they were specifically related to the student’s disability. Substitutions for specific graduation requirements may be requested by following a rigorous petition process, including “waivers” for requirements. Substitutions may be considered only after the student has provided adequate verification to the Disability Resource Center of their disability and unsuccessfully attempted the course in question with the appropriate accommodations. This chart is based on one that can be found at: http://www.transitiononestop.org/Documents/hightocommunity/KySignalMaterials/Access%20to%20Postsecondary%20Education%20Final%20Draft%20101706%20_2_.pdf What Documentation is Required to Receive Disability Services? All accomodations are determined on a case by case basis. See detailed information on what documentation is required How Do I Implement Accomodations? At the beginning of each semester: Present an accommodations form to ALL your professors that outlines your requested modifications. Here is an example of the form you will take to each of your professors: Professor Contact Form Have ALL of your professors SIGN off on your accommodations. RETURN the signed form to Disability Support Services. Speaking with each of your professors concerning your needs is one of the most important responsibilities you will have. Be assured that the information you share with your professor concerning your disability is deemed strictly confidential and you should expect that what you say would not be shared with anyone else at the college. Timing is a very important factor in terms of communicating with your professors. Do it early in the semester, and in collaboration with the Academic Support Center, to ensure your academic success from the first day of classes. PLEASE NOTE: Students failing to identify their disability or arrange for special accommodations in the first few weeks of class assume responsibility for regular classroom procedures. If they self-identify later in the semester, they must assume responsibility for the grade(s) achieved in class without accommodations prior to that time. Does Le Moyne Provide Diagnostic Testing Services? Le Moyne College does not provide diagnostic testing services. It is the student’s responsibility to seek out and pay for independent testing. Disability Student Services can provide a list of area professionals available to conduct private testing services. “If a student with a disability is eligible for services through the state VR Services program, he or she may qualify for an evaluation at no cost.” - http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html More Information Transitioning to College: Going to College: Transitioning to college (Developed by Virginia Commonwealth University) Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights: Rights and Responsibilities Transition to College: Post-Secondary Disability Consortium of Central New York. Financial Aid: WWW.FinAid.Org Information on applying for financial aid for students with disabilities. Graduate School: Graduate School: Basic information about applying to graduate school.