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The Accessibility Services Office is committed to supporting students with documented disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations.

Students requesting services from the Accessibility Services Office (ASO) must self-identify and provide appropriate documentation (i.e. IEP, 504 plan, medical documents, etc.) of disability. Reasonable environmental and academic adjustments will be provided according to the student’s documented need. The mission of these reasonable accommodations is to ensure access to education at 51³Ô¹Ï.

The Accessibility Services Office works collaboratively with Academic Departments and Student Services Offices to engage and support the intellectual and social development of students with disabilities. A student with a disability who is qualified for admission will have the same access to programs, services, and activities as all other students.

Accommodations

Academic accommodations are changes or adjustments to the learning environment, testing procedures, or coursework that give students with disabilities equal access to education. Students who require accommodations to pursue their higher education goals need to make an appointment with the Accessibility Services Office. It is the student’s responsibility to provide current and comprehensive documentation, which would warrant such accommodation. The need to provide documentation applies to both academic and facility accommodations.

• Students should discuss their learning style with their instructor.
• Accommodations that would fundamentally alter curriculum cannot be honored.

Please note: Requests for sign language interpreting services should be made six weeks before the start of each semester to ensure that services will be available at the beginning of the semester. Late requests may result in a delay in the provision of these services until staffing can be scheduled.

Application for Accessibility Services

• An application can be obtained by visiting the Student Success Center, Room B210, in the Administration Building or emailing the Accessibility Services Office from your Sussex student email address.
• Once the application is submitted and the necessary documentation is in place, accommodations can be granted in the form of a letter, which needs to be provided to instructors by the student.
• Students will need to request accommodation letters each semester to submit to their instructors.
• Adjustments can only be made by instructors if the accommodation letter is delivered to them by the student. 
  • It is the student’s responsibility to pick up accommodation letters and deliver them to their instructors (this can all be done electronically).

Required Documentation

• Recent Psychological Evaluation, Educational Evaluation, Neuropsychological, Social Evaluation, etc.
• Recent IEP, 504 Plan, or LOA (transfer).
• Letter from a relevant professional specifying diagnosis, date of onset, prognosis, and recommended accommodations.
• Further details can be provided by requesting full documentation guidelines from the Accessibility Services Office.

Essential Elements of Disability Documentation

• The credentials of the evaluator(s).
• A diagnostic statement identifying the disability.
• A description of:
  • the diagnostic methodology used;
  • the current functional limitations;
  • the expected progression or stability of the disability;
  • current and past accommodations, services and/or medications.
• Recommendations for accommodations, adaptive devices, assistive services, compensatory strategies, and/or collateral support services.

Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)

Confidentiality

Information about an individual’s disabilities are considered strictly confidential. For that reason, students interested in seeking accommodations must be aware that it is their responsibility to inform their faculty of their personal needs regarding either academic or facilities arrangements. The role of the Accessibility Services Office is to coordinate and mediate, when necessary, between the faculty or staff member and the student only after disclosure of a disability has been made by the student to that faculty or staff member.