The following is a list of frequently asked questions.
1. How are accommodations determined?
Accommodations are based interactive process between the SAS specialist, student, and environments at IC that considers documentation from outside evaluators, case law, consultation, and best practice.
Documentation and/or established history of disability is required for a student to receive accommodations.
2. Are services ever denied?
Yes. Students who fail to establish that they have a disability that impacts one or more major life activities or do not provide adequate documentation may be denied services. Some request are denied if they are not appropriate at the postsecondary level, e.g. modified curriculum.
3. Sometimes we aren't notified about a student’s accommodations until mid-semester or later. Why is that?
Faculty are notified as soon as a student advocates for accommodations and completes the SAS intake process.
4. Do I have to accommodate the student retroactively?
Accommodations plans are not retroactive, however, we do encourage faculty to engage in an interactive process to evaluate the request/nature of concern on a case-by-case basis. Faculty are invited to call us SAS with any concerns about late implementation of accommodations.
5. Who is responsible for providing testing accommodations?
This is a shared responsibility. Students may advocate to take receive their accommodations within your class. If you are not able to provide the accommodation as specified the student can request to take the test in our testing center.
7. While we provide a variety of accommodations individualized for each student, we get frequent questions about Modifications in Attendance Policies.
What is the reason for this and how many ‘extra’ absences do I need to allow?
This accommodation is given when the nature of a student’s disability includes symptoms which could exacerbate unexpectedly causing them to miss class. It is not intended to serve as an attendance waiver. It is, however, considered an excused absence without prejudice. Faculty should provide students with a reasonable opportunity to make up any work requirement that the student may have missed.
If a faculty member thinks a modification in attendance would be a fundamental alteration of the course and therefore cannot be implemented, needs further clarification or support or has any questions- please contact SAS at (607)-274-1005.
We're here to support you, too, so please don't hesitate to contact the student's Accessibility Specialist regarding questions, concerns or for other assistance. We are always happy to attend individual or departmental staff meetings. The office phone number is 607-274-1005 and we are located in the Garden Level of PRW.