Disability Services

Reasonable Academic Accommodations may include:

• Facilitating note-taking in your class
• Sign language interpreters
• Extended time to hand in assignments
• Prioritizing readings
• Reasonable modifications to assignments
• Assistive devices

In addition, you will be involved in ongoing consultation with the Coordinator of Disability Services throughout your time at the College.

The College provides reasonable accommodations that maintain the content focus, skills development, goals, and general integrity of each course, field experience, and related assignments. For example, although the College may be required to provide extended time to submit assignments, it is not required to change the substantive content of the assignments. In addition, the College does not have to make modifications that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program, or activity that would result in undue financial or administrative burdens.

College Requirements for Accommodations:

The College may be required to remove any barriers impeding the student—architectural or communication- or transportation-related—or to provide reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices. The College may provide aids or services such as interpreters, note-takers, adaptive equipment, relocation of classes to accessible environments, audio recordings, computer programs, allowance of service animals, alteration of materials, or substitution of certain courses in programs. The College is not required to meet personal needs such as glasses, hearing aids, etc. Tutoring may be considered a personal need and is available to all students, contingent on the resources and schedule availability of the program.

Review a letter that describes the process here (pdf)

Step 1:

Set up a meeting with Kim McLeveighn, Director of Student Learning Support by emailing her at kmcleveighn@bankstreet.edu or at dso@bankstreet.edu. This meeting does not obligate you to register with the office; it simply enables you to learn more or ask questions.

Step 2:

If the Coordinator of the Disability Services Office determines that you may be eligible to register, you will need to bring in documentation of your disability and the way it affects your learning. This documentation will be kept confidential. Please see further details about the nature of this documentation in the FAQ tab.

Step 3:

The Coordinator of the Disability Services Office will review your documentation. If a determination of eligibility is made, you will meet to talk about what kinds of reasonable accommodations and/or services will best support your learning. Please see the accommodations tab for more information. You will receive a letter outlining the accommodations you are entitled to;  you can then choose to share this with faculty. The Coordinator of the Disability Services Office remains a resource to you during your entire time at Bank Street.

Section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990) govern the accommodations that the College provides students with disabilities. The law states: “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the U.S. shall, solely by reason of handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Some of the specific academic implications of this law include:

• No student can be excluded from any course, major, or program solely on the basis of a disability.
• Certain accommodations are mandated, such as the provision of alternate testing and evaluation methods for measuring student mastery.
• Modifications, substitutions, or waivers of a course, major, or degree requirement may be necessary to meet the needs of some students.
• It is discriminatory to restrict the range of career options for students with disabilities as compared to non-disabled students with similar interests and abilities, unless such advice is based on strict licensing or certification requirements that may constitute an obstacle.

What constitutes a “disability?”
The law protects anyone who has a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” This covers physical, sensory and health-related disabilities, psychological disorders or attention disorders, and some learning disabilities–anything that might prevent the student from participating fully in the life of the campus community.

Who is “otherwise qualified?”
Any individual with a disability who has the ability, skills, and education to perform the essential functions of a job either with or without reasonable accommodations is considered “otherwise qualified.”

What constitutes an “accommodation?”
Any change or adjustment in a work or school site, program, or job that makes it possible for an otherwise qualified employee or student with a disability to perform the duties or tasks required.

What are “reasonable accommodations?”
When a requested accommodation causes undue hardship to an institution, said accommodation may be deemed to be unreasonable. Factors considered in determining undue hardship include the overall financial resources of the organization, the nature and cost of the accommodation, and the impact of providing the accommodation on the particular site or operation of the institution.

As you begin to understand the factors that affect your learning in Graduate School, it is important to advocate for yourself. When working with your instructors and advisor, you are encouraged to be proactive, take some risks, and assume responsibility by identifying the approaches that support your learning needs.