Equal Access for All Qualified Individuals
Paul Smith’s College recognizes its responsibility to provide equal access to opportunity for students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (as amended). The College will provide reasonable adjustments and/or accommodations to assure that students will have equal opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed during their time at Paul Smith’s College. The entire college community (faculty, staff, and students) has the broad responsibility to adhere to this philosophy of equal access to opportunity.
Paul Smith’s College has charged the Accessibility Office with providing leadership for our efforts to assure equal access for our students. The College will support the authority of the Accessibility Office in these efforts. The current best practices and compliance for disability support services are represented on the Accessibility Office webpage. The office is located in Pickett Hall, Room 101A.
To initiate recognition and consideration as a student with a disability, students should:
- Self-disclose their disability by contacting the ADA/504 Compliance & Accessibility Manager.
- Request accommodations.
- Submit appropriate documentation to verify eligibility. Eligibility is determined on an individualized basis and is based upon documentation of a disability that currently substantially limits some major life activity.
All services are completely voluntary, and it is the student’s responsibility to request them. Students are encouraged to identify themselves early to ensure timely accommodations. The first step is to submit a Disability Disclosure/Application for Accommodations & Services to the Accessibility Office.
Our Philosophy
You’re an expert on your own disability. While the college challenges students with disabilities to accept the freedom and responsibility of directing their own lives, we also believe that all students deserve the opportunity to succeed to the best of their abilities. Academic coaches help people with disabilities exercise more control over their own education, increase their independence and self-determination and complete degree requirements.
The Accessibility Office offers alternatives and options that allow students to fully participate in academic pursuits at Paul Smith’s. It is up to students to make their own decisions and to initiate actions that ultimately lead to success and enable them to contribute to, as well as share responsibility in, the Paul Smith’s College community.
Services will not be initiated until students request them. Students have the right at any time to discontinue services. They may refer themselves to the Academic Support Center for extra help in any subject. Professors may refer students, as well. The academic support coordinator obtains information from students about how they are doing in their courses before assigning a student tutor.
Resources
If a student disagrees with the accommodation decision reached by the MAP (Medical, Academic and Psychiatric) Advisory Board (i.e., the request is denied or alternative accommodation(s) is offered), they may appeal this decision. Students who are appealing should follow the steps below.
Appeals of decisions regarding the determination or provision of academic/housing adjustments must be submitted in writing within 10 college business days.
The student shall send a statement from the student’s Paul Smith’s College email address to the Dean of Student Life, Christine Brennan, at cbrennan@paulsmiths.edu and cc’ing the MAP Advisory Board at MAPadvisoryboard@paulsmiths.edu. If the Dean is not available for an extended period, a substitute representative will be identified by the President.
1. The student’s written statement must include:
- a clear statement of the request or concern;
- the grounds on which the student bases their appeal;
- a summary of the action(s) the student has taken to resolve the matter informally; and
- a statement of the student’s desired outcome.
2. The student should copy and paste the following statement into the email:
- I, (insert student name), give permission to the Dean of Student Life and MAP Advisory Board members to access my current accommodation request and accompanying documentation as part of my appeal consideration.
3. Upon receipt of the above information, the Dean may request any additional documents or information they believe are relevant to the request/decision.
4. Within fifteen (15) College business days after the written appeal is received, the Dean shall email the student a summary of the outcome and explanation.
5. The formal appeal file and the final decision shall be confidential, but the final decision shall be provided simultaneously to the student and the MAP Advisory Board which included representatives from the Accessibility Office, Health Services, and Counseling Services.
6. The decision of the Dean shall be final.
If the student considers the response unsatisfactory, they may consider pursuing their concerns via external agencies by contacting the U.S Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) or the NYS Division of Human Rights:
U.S. Department of Education
Washington, DC 20202-1100
Tel: 800-421-3481 TDD: 877-521-2172
Email: ocr@ed.gov
New York State Division of Human Rights
NYS Division of Human Rights Agency
Building 1, 2nd Floor Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12220
Tel. 518-474-2705 or 518-474-2707
Email: infoalbany@dhr.ny.gov
To ensure the provision of academic adjustments for students with disabilities at Paul Smith’s College, a qualified professional (see Qualifications of Evaluator in Disability Documentation Guidelines) must provide current and comprehensive documentation of the student’s disability. Paul Smith’s College documentation guidelines are based on those developed by the Association on Higher Education and Disabilities. Please refer to these for more comprehensive information.
Documentation must be sent in written form to the Accessibility Office (PO Box 265, Paul Smiths, NY 12970 or email to access@paulsmiths.edu). To release documentation of a disability to the Accessibility Office, you must request that your school or other agency forward current testing results and recommendations to the Accessibility Office. This must be done in writing, and a Release of Confidential Information must accompany documentation for it to be accessible to us.
A post-secondary student with no previous documentation may wish to determine whether a learning disability does or does not exist. At Paul Smith’s College, the process begins with an interview with a licensed counselor to evaluate the student’s situation and rule out symptoms that masquerade as learning disabilities. If necessary, a referral will be made to the Accessibility Office where the individual meets with the ADA/504 Compliance & Accessibility Manager to share information about their academic past and to set up accommodations on a pre-referral basis. After certain measures have been tried and the student wishes to continue with the evaluation process, the student will be referred to a qualified professional to complete the required testing.
Contact Us
Accessibility Office