All students must meet the academic standards set for admission into Niagara University. Once admitted to Niagara, a student with a disability is responsible for disclosing and documenting the current substantial limitation(s) they are likely to have in the college setting — both inside and outside of the classroom — that support the student’s need for accommodation/ services. Current and comprehensive disability documentation must be provided to Accessibility Services from a qualified provider (unrelated to the student) who is treating, or has individually assessed, the specific disability for which accommodations are being requested. This documentation will assist Niagara’s Accessibility Services office in determining eligibility for disability-related accommodations/services needed at Niagara University on a case-by-case/course-by-course basis each semester.
Students with temporary impairments, such as a broken arm, broken leg or complications related to pregnancy can request accommodations by contacting Accessibility Services and providing documentation. On a temporary basis, depending on how the student is impacted and the impairment, we may help students with accommodations such as testing (e.g. more time, scribe, word processor), note-taking, etc.. Students with temporary mobility impairments can also be provided with assistance and resources navigating the campus.
Documentation Guidelines
The following guidelines are provided in the interest of ensuring that documentation is appropriate to support requests for reasonable accommodations, adjustments and auxiliary aids and services on the basis of that disability. Students are responsible for the costs associated with obtaining documentation.
Documentation of disability should be provided in writing, be comprehensive and include the following information:
- Clear and specific description of the functional limitations due to the disability and/or medical treatment that support the student’s need for accommodation/services.
- evidence that an individualized assessment of the student was completed by a qualified professional. Documentation should include the names, titles and professional credentials (e.g., licensed psychologist) of the evaluators as well as the dates(s) of the individualized assessment. The diagnostician must be impartial and not a family member.
- descriptions/suggestions of reasonable accommodations should be provided if it is known that they have been either used by the student in previous relevant academic settings or that might be appropriate for the student to use in the college environment. Explicit connections must be made between any recommended accommodations and services AND the individual’s functional limitation(s) related to the diagnosis and/or medical treatment of the condition including medication.
- recent and relevant documentation should be provided to Accessibility Services that supports the need for requests for accommodations and services that are appropriate for the college setting.
Learning Disabilities
Most recent testing results and scores and the clinical narrative. Minimally, domains that should be assessed should include (but are not be limited to):
- Aptitude. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale — Revised (WAIS-R), Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale are acceptable.
- Achievement. Assessment of current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics and written language are required. Tests may include the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery — Revised: Tests of Achievement, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK), and the Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA). Specific achievement tests such as the Test of Written Language — 2 (TOWL-2), Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests — Revised, the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test, and the Nelson-Denny Reading Test are also acceptable.
- Information Processing. Specific areas of information processing (e.g., short- and long-term memory; sequential memory; auditory and visual perception/processing; processing speed) should be assessed. Information from subtests on the WAIS-R or clusters on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability as well as other suitable instruments (e.g., Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-III) may be used to address these areas.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to restrict assessment in other pertinent and helpful areas such as vocational interests and aptitudes.