Access and Accommodation Services for Students

Eligibility

To request accommodations or academic adjustments to provide equal access to your learning experience, we request students to follow the following process:

Step 1:

Services and reasonable accommodations begin with completing the Intake for Access & Accommodation Services.  This form opens your request with us and begins the process on our end. Once you complete the intake form, we will follow up with you, by email. If you are a GCC student with an active GCC email, please remember to check your GCC email for communication from us. Students who are not yet GCC students will be emailed at the email address on file with the college.

When completing the Intake Form, please provide as much information as possible when discussing how your disability impacts you in the learning environment. This is very helpful to us in determining reasonable accommodations.

Step 2:

Providing documentation of your disability is the next step in the process. We will address this in the follow up message we send you by email after completing your intake form.

We request documentation to assist us in determining eligibility for requested accommodations, as well as to determine reasonable accommodations based on your individual and unique situation. There are times when, based on the documentation we receive and your description of your situation that we may suggest accommodations that you have not considered. We may also have a different accommodation that is reasonable and will provide you equal access based on documentation received in conjunction with your description of your individual experience in the learning environment.

Appropriate documentation includes the following:

• The documentation is provided by a Qualified Health Professional (QHP).
  • What is a Qualified Health Professional? [PDF]
  • The documentation from a qualified health professional is someone with whom the student currently, or in the recent past, has a working relationship.
    • The qualified health professional cannot be a relative of the student.

• Documentation must be printed on professional letterhead or include a practice stamp, or otherwise be identified as originating from the qualified health provider.
• The credentials and signature of the Qualified Health Professional must be included.
• Documentation must include the minimum of a diagnosis and summary of current impact on the individual.
• Include any tests administered, with scores, and recommendations of areas where accommodations might be needed.
• A school plan such as a current individualized educational (IEP) plan or a 504 may not be sufficient documentation on its own. If you have an IEP or a 504 plan, we recommend sharing that information with us and we can determine if we need more information through our interactive process.

Genesee Community College’s evaluation of the appropriateness of the documentation provided to support the accommodation requested will be based on a case by case determination of the essential components/technical standards of the program, service and activity.

For students with a learning disability

Appropriate documentation may include:

• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-R) or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R) within three years. Include sub-test scores
• Current achievement test result
• Current psychological report within three years
• Most recent Triennial report

For students with other health impairments (physical or psychological disabilities)

Appropriate documentation may include some or all of the following:

• A doctor’s report describing the disability and how this condition will affect the student’s academic performance
• Diagnosis, prognosis, and medications
• DSM V-R Diagnosis/ICD 10 Diagnosis
• ACCES-VR report (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services)
• Current psychological assessment, treatment summary or discharge summary

Requests for services/accommodations can be made anytime during the year. To ensure that accommodations/services are in place at the beginning of the semester, however, it is strongly recommended that students complete Step 1 and Step 2 prior to the start of the semester. The college makes every effort to process requests for accommodations in a timely manner.

Step 3:

One of the most important parts of our process is the Interactive Process Meeting. The Office of Access & Accommodations engages in a session with the student to review their experience in the learning environment in order to understand how different accommodations may have helped or hindered students in their prior learning experience. The college will reach out to you via email (using an active GCC email or email on file if a GCC email is not active) to schedule this meeting.

We meet with students in person, by video (zoom or Microsoft Teams) or by phone.

If you have questions about our process, please email us at access@parkviewhousebb.com to begin a conversation. We can set up a time to talk by phone, or in person, or communicate through email if that is easier.

To provide us your documentation, you can do any of the following:

• Email (or have your QHP email) your documentation to access@parkviewhousebb.com
• Fax (or have your QHP fax) your documentation to 585.345.6806
• Mail (or have your QHP mail) your documentation to:

  The Office of Access & Accommodations
  Genesee Community College
  C219
  One College Road
  Batavia, New York 14020

If you are on campus, you may stop by our office, located in C219 of the Main Building on the Batavia Campus and we can accept your documentation there. If you are working with one of our Campus Centers in the GLOW region, you may also request staff assistance to provide your documentation to us by fax or email.

Voter Registration

College students are a vital voting constituency.  With so much to juggle while in college, perhaps you may not have thought about registering to vote. Students requiring assistance can visit the Access & Accommodation office and we will be glad to help you complete the voter registration form.

Continuation of Services

Once written documentation is on file and the academic adjustments are agreed upon, a general procedure is followed.  Students access their accommodations notifications via their banner self-service. To edit your services in any way, the student would need to meet with an Access Services staff member to discuss other accommodations and requested edits. Please email us at access@parkviewhousebb.com to request a time to meet.

Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education

According to the US Department of Education, “More and more high school students with disabilities are planning to continue their education in postsecondary schools, including vocational and career schools, two- and four- year colleges, and universities. As a student with a disability, you need to be well informed about your rights and responsibilities as well as the responsibilities postsecondary schools have toward you. Being well informed will help ensure you have a full opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the postsecondary education experience without confusion or delay.” For more information you can refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s Website.