Services for Students with Disabilities

Our Mission

The mission of the Disability Services Office is devoted to ensuring equal educational opportunities and a responsive campus environment. The office ensures that students with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations that allow them equal access to all Siena College programs and the opportunity to realize and develop self advocacy skills.

The Disability Services Office regards each student as a unique individual and empowers them to attain self understanding, integrity, and academic success. It works to enhance the mission of Siena College and acts as a facilitator of services for students with disabilities within the college community. The office will provide consultation regarding compliance with responsibilities entitled to under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 and current amendments. Accommodations will only be granted to students who have registered with and provided documentation of their disability to the Disability Services Office. All information disclosed is considered private and will not be released without the student’s written permission.
In order to apply for services you must register with the office. Students are encouraged to register with the office as soon as they are accepted to the college. Although a student may choose to register at any point, accommodations are not retroactive. The student must provide appropriate documentation which should be forwarded from the student’s high school, certified psychologist, licensed or otherwise properly credentialed professional, that provides information for both establishing a disability and identifying reasonable accommodations. In most cases the evaluation should have been completed within the past three years. In reviewing documentation of a psychological/psychiatric disorder the information generally should be within six months to one year. Flexibility in accepting documentation may be important under certain conditions if the previous assessment is applicable to the current or anticipated setting.
Provided Services

The following services are provided, when appropriate, to students with disabilities:

• Faculty Notification;
• Alternative testing arrangements, including extended time;
• Advocacy;
• Note Taking Services;
• Informal counseling;
• Information for obtaining taped, Braille or large print text;
• Other accommodations tailored to your specific needs.