Prospective Students
The Admission Process
Submitting Documentation
Documentation Requirements
Accommodations and Services
Other Campus Resources
Personal Aids or Assistance
Differences between High School and College for Students with Disabilities
The Admission Process
The admission process and criteria are the same for all students applying to Clarkson. Disability status will not be a consideration in admission decisions.
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Submitting Documentation
Documentation should be submitted to the Office of Accommodative Services only after you have been admitted to the University.
Students are encouraged to self-disclose on the front page of the Acceptance Packet Form sent by Clarkson’s Office of Admission. The Office of Admission will notify Accommodative Services and you will receive a letter requesting documentation along with a Documentation Information Release Form. This form and disability documentation should be submitted to the Office of Accommodative Services by May 15th for first-year students and July 10th for transfer and graduate students to ensure that accommodations will be in place at the beginning of the school year.
The Office of Accommodative Services will send a confirmation letter upon receipt of documentation and indicate whether or not it has satisfied our requirements. Students must meet with the Director to discuss individual needs and accommodation procedures before accommodations will be provided.
Acceptance of submitted documentation does not signify that all services and accommodations in the documentation will be provided.
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Documentation Requirements
Documentation must be current and comprehensive. There are established guidelines for documenting disabling conditions. Please refer to Documentation Guidelines or call 315-268-7643 for more information about documentation guidelines.
Please note that eligibility guidelines and accommodations may differ from your high school. An Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan alone is not sufficient documentation.
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Accommodations and Services
A diagnosis alone does not qualify you for accommodations. You must document the existence of an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, the current impact of your impairment and how it affects your ability to function in an academic setting, and a rationale and objective basis for the requested accommodations.
Clarkson University is required to provide appropriate academic adjustments necessary to ensure it does not discriminate on the basis of a disability. These accommodations may differ from those provided previously. Accommodations frequently used by students with disabilities are extended time for test taking, a quiet location for test taking, print materials in alternate formats, housing accommodations, and assistive listening devices. Appropriate reasonable accommodations are determined on an individual basis using current and comprehensive disability documentation.
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Other Campus Resources
There are many resources available to support students with disabilities. The services listed below are free of charge to all Clarkson University students. There are, however, some services and accommodations which may be needed by students with disabilities that are not provided by the Clarkson. Students are responsible for aids or assistance of a personal nature such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, computers to be used at home or attendants for services of a personal nature including assistance with bathing or dressing or life coaching. Transportation is not provided.
Student Support Services
Writing Center
Counseling Center
Wellness Outreach
Harriet Call Burnap Memorial Library
Student Support Services
Student Support Services (SSS) offers academic support for qualifying students. Some of the available services include weekly small group tutoring, practice exams and workshops. Individual academic counseling is available for students seeking assistance in such areas as development and strengthening of study techniques, improving motivation, informal academic advising, dealing with test taking stress and time management skills.
Writing Center
The Writing Center offers one-on-one help with academic and personal projects, like essays, reports, labs, résumés and presentations. The Writing Center also offers information about citing sources and common writing errors. The Writing Center is a site with assistive technology for students with disabilities.
Counseling Center
A Clarkson University education is more than what you learn in class. It is also a time to grow, become more self confident, and prepare for the ups and downs of life. Clarkson University Counseling Services assists students in reaching their full potential for social and emotional development.
Wellness
Wellness at Clarkson University is a long-term commitment to becoming aware of choices and making decisions toward a balanced and satisfying life across both the personal and professional dimensions.
CU Wellness integrates four elements of health into the patterns and habits of one’s daily life:
1. Your physical health (your body)
2. Your emotional health (your feelings)
3. Your intellectual health (your brain)
4. Your social health (your relationships)
Library
The Harriet Call Burnap Memorial Library is a site where students with disabilities may access assistive technology.
Personal Aids or Assistance
Students are responsible for aids or assistance of a personal nature such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, computers to be used at home or attendants for services of a personal nature including assistance with bathing or dressing or life coaching. Please contact the Office of Accommodative Services if you would like information about local agencies.
Transportation assistance is not provided; however, Campus Safety & Security will issue handicapped parking permits, free of charge.
Differences between High School and College for Students with Disabilities (PDF)
Applicable Laws
High School
- I.D.E.A. (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
- Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- I.D.E.A is about success
- A.D.A (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title 11)
- Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- A.D.A is about Access
Required Documentation
High School
- I.E.P (Individual Education Plan) and/or 504 Plan
- School provides evaluation at no cost
- Documentation focuses on determining whether the student is eligible for services based on specific disability categories in I.D.E.A.
- High School I.E.P and 504 are not sufficient. Documentation guidelines specify information needed for each category of disability
- Student must get evaluation at own expense
- Documentation must provide information on specific functional limitations, and demonstrate the need for specific accommodations
Self-Advocacy
High School
- Student is identified by the school and is supported by parents and teachers
- Primary responsibility for arranging accommodations belongs to the school
- Teachers approach you if they believe you need assistance
- Student must self-identify to the Office of Accommodative Services
- Primary responsibility for self-advocacy and arranging accommodations belongs to the student
- Professors are usually open and helpful, but most expect you to initiate contact if you need assistance
Parental Role
High School
- Parent has access to student records and can participate in the accommodation process
- Parent advocates for student
- Parent does not have access to student records without student’s written consent
- Student advocates for self
Instruction
High School
- Teachers may modify curriculum and/or alter curriculum pace of assignments
- You are expected to read short assignments that are then discussed and often re-taught in class
- You seldom need to read anything more than once, sometimes listening in class is enough
- Professors are not required to modify design or alter assignment deadlines
- You are assigned substantial amounts of reading and writing which may not be directly addressed in class
- You need to review class notes, text and other material regularly
Grades and Tests
High School
- IEP and 504 plan may include modification to test format and/or grading
- Testing is frequent and covers small amounts of material
- Makeup tests are often available
- Teachers often take time to remind you of assignments and due dates
- Grading and test format changes (i.e. multiple choice vs. essay) are generally not available. Accommodations to HOW tests are given (extended time, test proctors) are available when supported by disability documentation
- Testing is usually infrequent and may be cumulative, covering large amounts of material
- Makeup tests are seldom an option; if they are, you need to request them
- Professors expect you to read, save, and consult the course syllabus (outline); the syllabus spells out exactly what is expected of you, when it is due, and how you will be graded
Study Responsibilities
High School
- Tutoring and study support may be a service provided as part of an IEP or 504 plan
- Your times and assignments are structured by others
- You may study outside class as little as 0 to 2 hours a week, and this may be mostly last-minute test-preparation
- Tutoring DOES NOT fall under Disability Services. Students with disabilities must seek out tutoring resources as they are available to all Clarkson students
- You manage your own time and complete assignments independently
- You need to study at least 2 to 3 hours outside of class for each hour in class