Accessibility Resources Office

The Accessibility Resources Office (ARO) works with all students on campus who identify as having a disability. We provide equal access for students to have equitable opportunities during their time at college. We support the tenants of diversity, inclusion, autonomy, and self-advocacy. It is our mission to ensure that students are provided with the opportunities to succeed in academics, career, and their personal life in and beyond college.

Accommodations

Examples of accommodations you may access through the Accessibility Resources Office may include:

Intake assessments
Advocacy
Accessibility audits
Approval of housing accommodations and emotional support animals (ESA)
Assistive technology (AT)
Extended test time (ETT)
Note-taking assistance
Alternate test/quiz location
Registration of emotional support/service animal
Alternative format textbooks
Preferred classroom seating

More about accommodation services at SUNY Plattsburgh

Housing Accommodations

Accessibility resources refers to the ADA and Fair Housing Act to comply with federal and state mandates to provide reasonable housing accommodations. Students will submit the required documentation to the director of the ARO. Once all forms have been received, the ARO will conduct an individualized review of the student’s requested accommodations and make a determination of eligibility. This recommendation will be shared with the Campus Housing and Community Living office who will contact the student with the final determination.
Assistive Technology
- Livescribe Echo II Pens
- Recording Devices
- C-Pen Reading Pens
- FM Listening Systems
National Voter Registration Act

Process to Register for Academic Accommodations

Contact the ARO to Register
Provide Documentation
Provide the ARO with support documentation. Documentation should provide proof of diagnosis that meets the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. Where applicable, documentation should also include information related to any prior accommodations that the student has received.

Examples of support documentation you may submit:
- IEP/504 Plan
- Psycho-educational or neuropsychological evaluation
- Letter from a healthcare provider, on office letterhead, that indicates the student’s diagnosis
- Patient diagnostic summary
Helpful Information

It is important, but not required, that the support documentation includes information that can assist us in determining the best accommodations and support services that you may need. Some helpful information includes:
- Information about the impact that disability may have on one or more major life activities
- The impact of the disability in the academic setting
- What accommodations that the provider recommends to best support the student in the academic setting
- Treatment that is currently being provided
If you do not have access to documentation, have never received accommodations, or you are seeking a referral for an evaluation, contact us at [email protected] for support and guidance.
Qualifying Diagnoses
Examples of qualifying diagnoses may include:
- Learning disabilities
- Mental health diagnoses
- ADHD/ADD
- Autism
- Chronic health conditions
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Deaf/hard of hearing
- Blind/low vision
- Mobility disability
- Temporary injuries (broken leg/arm, surgery recovery, concussion)

Student Responsibilities

It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Accessibility Resources Office (ARO) to register for academic accommodations.
The ARO will not reach out to a student until they have made a formal request for academic accommodations.
The registration process is a confidential and interactive process and once a student has registered with the ARO, they will remain enrolled until they are no longer enrolled as a SUNY Plattsburgh student.
Academic accommodations will not be provided until a student has registered with the ARO and accommodations cannot be provided retroactively.

SUNY Plattsburgh fully supports the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and works individually with each student to meet their specific accommodative needs.