Welcome to the Office of Disability Services
The Office of Disability Services provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Accommodations are determined on an individual basis and according to specific documentation needs.
Location and Contact Information
Isabelle
Vecchio, Coordinator
D’Youville College
320 Porter Ave., KAB 408
Buffalo, NY 14201
Phone: 716-829-7728
Fax: 716-829-7790
Disability Services
- Who is Eligible for Services?
- Prospective Students
- Documentation of a Disability
- Academic Accommodations
- Non-Academic Accommodations
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for Services?
Legal Definition of a Disability
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an individual with a disability is defined as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act states that
No otherwise qualified person in the United... shall, solely by reason of...disability,
be denied the benefits of be excluded from participation in, or be subjected to
the discrimination under any program or activity that either receives federal
financial assistance.
A person with a disability is:
"any person who (I) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially
limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a history of such an impairment,
or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment."
Prospective Students
D’ Youville College does not discriminate against students with disabilities. Students with disabilities do not need to disclose their disability on any admission documents. to have access to academic programs and services
Admissions Standards for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities must meet the same admission standards as students without disabilities. SAT scores taken under special conditions are not identified to the admissions office.
Where to Send Documentation
To ensure that accommodations are provided at the time the student attends college, students are encouraged to inform the Disability Services for Students office as soon as possible after admission. Documentation of a disability should not be sent to the admissions office. All documentation should be submitted to the Office for Disability Services after notification of admission to the college. Documentation should be sent to:
Office of Disability Services
D’Youville College
320 Porter Ave. KAB 411
Buffalo, NY 14201
Documentation of a Disability
Documentation of a Disability: Documentation of a disability which enables a student to receive accommodations for academic programs and services must include the following information.
- Must document the presence of a disability that substantially impairs the ability of the student to perform a major life activity necessary for the academic program.
- Must be recent and sufficient to document the current status of the impairment and its impact on the student's ability to perform major life activities necessary for the academic program.
- Must include a diagnosis, test scores and a description of the assessment procedures used.
- Must include the credentials of the evaluator indicating that the person is appropriately licensed or certified to make the diagnostic statement for the disability.
- Must include recommendations for accommodations and academic adjustments that may be appropriate to permit the student to have access to the programs and services of the college.
Individual Education Plans which are used in Elementary and High School are not appropriate forms of documentation at the college level. Assessments by a licensed school psychologist along with a transition plan are possible appropriate forms of documentation. It is important for students to contact the disability services office as soon as possible after admittance, so that proper documentation can be submitted, prior to the start of classes.
Accommodations
It is important to meet with the Coordinator of Disability Services each semester to determine of your accommodations are appropriate for the current semester. Accommodations may include—but are not limited to—the following examples:
Academic Accommodations
General
- Extended deadlines to complete class assignments.
- Alternative methods to demonstrate mastery of course objectives.
- The opportunity to substitute alternative coursework for certain degree requirements.
Registration
- A reduced course load.
- Priority in registration.
- Information to your advisor regarding your learning needs with respect to times, types of courses, number of courses, and course formats.
Testing
- Extended time to complete tests.
- Proctored exams in a special location.
- A reader to read your test questions to you.
- A scribe who will write down your dictated answers.
- Oral responses to essay questions.
- A proctor to explain auxiliary vocabulary used in the test questions.
- Alternative answer sheets and scrap paper.
In order to be eligible for testing accommodations, you must have documentation of a disability on file with the Disability Services Office, and you also must have submitted a yellow testing accommodations form to your instructor for his/her signature, and returned the form to the Disability Services Office.
Alternate Format Textbooks
If your documentation includes the indicates that you are eligible to obtain textbooks in alternate format, and you would like to obtain textbooks in alternate format, the following guidelines must be followed:
- Requests for Alternate Format Textbooks should be made 4 weeks in advance of the start of a class.
- If you are having difficulty obtaining a text, you should contact the Coordinator of Disability Services.
- Students must enrolled in a class for which the textbook is being requested
- Students must present proof of purchase of textbooks or other materials that are requested before the material is ordered in alternate format by the Disability Services Coordinator.
- Download and complete an Alternate Text Required request form, or pick up a form in the Disability Services Office.
- Students are advised to obtain membership to Recordings for The Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD) and should contact RFBD to order books in cassette or CD format if they are available. Information on RFBD is available at: http://www.rfbd.org/. Students are responsible for membership fees for RFBD.
Reading
- Provision of books on tape.
Writing
- Additional time to correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Exemption from loss of credit for misspellings.
- Use of computer to type essay exams.
Math
- Use of a calculator.
- Possible partial credit if part of the answer is correct.
Note taking
- Permission to tape record lectures.
- Provision of a copy of a note taker’s notes.
Non-Academic Accommodations
Again, these are only examples of typical accommodations. As with academic accommodations, non-academic accommodations are determined by the recommendations included in your documentation.
Dietary
- Assistance with menu planning
Campus Living
- Modified living arrangements
Student Activities
Contact the Student Activities Office, or the Office of Disability Services, if you have any questions about accommodations and accessibility for any campus activities or events.
Frequently Asked Questions
- If I know or suspect I have a disability, how do I receive services?
- Contact the Coordinator of Disability Services who will meet with you and tell you what kind of documentation you need to provide.
- If I suspect I have a disability, what do I do?
- Contact the Coordinator of Disability Services. The Coordinator will meet with you and provide you with referrals for appropriate evaluation. The evaluator to whom you are referred will determine if you have a disability.
- What types of services are available for students with disabilities?
- Services are determined individually based on the recommendations provided in your documentation.
- Regarding my disability, what will I need to do differently in college?
- In high school, it was your parents and your school officials’ responsibility
to determine your needs and to make sure you received the proper services and
accommodations. In college, it becomes YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to seek out services
since no one will approach you about your disability. It is up to you to contact
the Coordinator of Disability Services and not simply inform your instructors
of your disability. Steps to take:
1. Self-identify by informing the Coordinator of Disability Services.
2. Provide appropriate documentation as determined by the Coordinator of Disability Services.
3. Be proactive, self-advocate. Inform the Coordinator of Disability Services and your instructors if there is a problem with your accommodations. - How confidential is the information regarding my disability?
- Information regarding your disability is kept in a locked file in the Office of Coordinator of Disability Services. No one sees this information except the Coordinator of Disability Services. In order for anyone else to see this information, you must sign a “Release of Information” form.