Office of Specialized Services:

Admissions Information:

Both Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) are intended to prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities by ensuring equal access and opportunity. As applied to a post-secondary setting, these laws guarantee that individuals who are otherwise qualified for educational programs cannot be denied access to college programs and services simply because they have a disability. At the college level, by law it is the student’s responsibility to document eligibility for accommodations and/or academic adjustments to ensure equal access.

Upon admission to Ramapo College, a student wanting to establish eligibility for protection under the law as a person with a disability, and to substantiate the need for accommodations to ensure equal access must provide comprehensive documentation to the Office of Specialized Services (OSS). The student must also complete OSS affiliation procedures before requests for accommodations will be considered.

Affiliation Procedures
To affiliate with OSS in order to request accommodations and/or qualify for receiving support services through the US Department of Education Student Support Services (SSS) Project, a student must:

1. Complete and return the following forms.

• Eligibility Information for Disability Support Services
• Authorization to Release Information
• Authorization to Inform Professors
• Financial Statement (required by federal SSS Project)
• Academic Accommodations Request
  

2. Submit comprehensive documentation which:

• Establishes the presence of a disability(ies), and
• Supports the need for any requested accommodations.

3. Meet with OSS director or professional staff to review submitted materials, establish eligibility, and conduct initial needs assessment to determine accommodations for which the student is eligible. Additional documentation to establish eligibility or support specific accommodation needs may be requested by OSS at this time.

A student’s request for disability-related accommodations will not be considered until these three steps have been completed. Once a student has been found eligible for affiliation with OSS, s/he will receive a letter of confirmation. The student is then assigned to an OSS academic counselor.

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Accommodations Procedures
In order to ensure that any approved accommodations or academic adjustments are in place at the start of a semester, the student should be in contact with OSS as soon as s/he has accepted the College’s offer of admission.

1. The student completes procedures for affiliation with OSS. (see above)

2. The student meets with the assigned OSS counselor to review the initial Needs Assessment and to plan the implementation of approved accommodations. These accommodations are then listed on an Approved Accommodations Summary, which is signed by both the student and the OSS counselor. The student is given a copy of the Summary and the original remains on file in the OSS office. Photocopies of the Approved Accommodations summary can be made available to the student’s professors, if requested. An initial Academic Accommodations Plan for implementing approved accommodations is devised.

3. With the student’s written permission, at the beginning of each semester a letter is sent to the student’s professors indicating the student’s affiliation with OSS, and listing the accommodations for which the student is eligible. The nature of the student’s disability is NOT disclosed.

4. At the beginning of each semester, the student must review the Approved Accommodations Summary with his/her OSS academic counselor to ensure that the listed accommodations are still appropriate. This review must take place regardless of whether or not the student sees a need to revise his /her requests for accommodations.

5. If at any time a student wishes to revise his/her accommodations request, it is the student’s right and responsibility to do so by informing his/her OSS counselor immediately. Should the previously submitted documentation be insufficient to support the revised request, the student will be required to submit additional documentation from an appropriate professional. If any changes in accommodations are approved, the student will sign and receive a copy of the revised Approved Accommodations Summary form.

Accommodations: Student Responsibilities

• It is the student’s responsibility to make accommodation request(s), in writing, in a timely manner.
• It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation, obtained at his/her own expense, which provides objective, measurable evidence of the need for the provision of accommodations to equalize access.

Accommodations: College Responsibilities

• It is the college’s responsibility to have each accommodation(s) request reviewed, in a timely manner, by designated OSS professional staff to determine eligibility for and appropriateness of the requested accommodations.
• It is the college’s responsibility to facilitate the implementation of accommodations for which the student has been found eligible.