Accessibility and Disability Services

Disability and Accessibility Services serves students with documented disabilities significantly affecting major life functions. Students registered with our office have disabilities including, but not limited to: ADD/ADHD, autism, Asperger’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision, diabetes, seizure disorders, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and chronic medical conditions.

Maybe. The decision to provide accommodations is based on the specific activity and whether the disability creates any barriers to doing it. For example, a student who is paralyzed from the waist down has a disability and needs a physically accessible environment. However, this same student would not be eligible for note-taking services or books on tape because the disability doesn’t interfere with writing or reading.

Our support services are available to students for as long as they are at Edgewood College and as often as they need them. Students must remember to stay in contact with Disability and Accessibility Services so that we can work together to ensure your success.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) governs special education services in public schools K-12. The focus of these programs is to identify an area of need and plan for annual goals that improve the student’s skills in that area. For example, a student with a low reading level due to a disability may receive extra instruction to raise their reading ability. At the college level, IDEA no longer applies and special education services for students no longer exist. The law is transitioned to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and becomes more of a civil rights concern, protecting the student from discrimination by providing reasonable accommodations as well as ensuring access to all educational programs and services for those with a qualified disability. For example, the same student may be allowed extra time to process reading tasks on tests and larger assignments, but would not have annual reading goals or be provided extra instruction to improve their reading level.

No. Check with Edgewood Central to inquire about federal aid, scholarships, and other funding options. Also search the internet for “Disability Scholarships.” Some agencies that may provide support are:

• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Workers Compensation
• Department of Veterans Affairs

Your first responsibility is to self-identify. If you do not identify as a student with a disability, Disability and Accessibility Services cannot provide you with accommodations. After you have self-identified, you should provide the Advisor with documentation. Each semester you will need to request a letter be sent to the professor of each class in which you plan to use accommodations. You should respond promptly to emails requesting updates from you, including which instructors should receive a copy of your Support Plan. You are responsible for checking your plan each semester and requesting any needed changes.

To receive accommodations for the semester, students must review their Accommodation Granted letter and submit emails using the Faculty Notification Form. Disability and Accessibility Services will then email a copy of your Support Plan to your professors at the beginning of the semester. You are responsible for discussing with your professors how the accommodations will be carried out in the class. The Disability and Accessibility Services Advisor can be included in those conversations as students or professors request.

You do not need to do an intake every semester, but will need to inform Disability and Accessibility Services each semester which instructors your Support Plan should be provided to.