Applying for Services

The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) is dedicated to ensuring access and equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities. We collaborate with students, faculty, and staff to facilitate appropriate academic accommodations.

Eligibility Requirements

Students are eligible for disability services if they:

• Produce the required documentation of their disability
• Self-identify their need for accommodations

An eligible person with a disability:

• Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
• Can meet the essential requirements for participation in a program with or without accommodations

How to Request Accommodations:

1. Apply for services:

   • Complete an application in Accommodate using the Application for Accessiblity Services.

   • Once you have submitted the Application for Accessibility Services, OAS will contact you via your SUNY Orange email with information about next steps.

   • If you need assistance completing the form, please reach out to the OAS office.

2. Submit documentation of disability:

   • Provide appropriate disability documentation. Documentation should describe a student's current functioning. See the Documentation Guidelines webpage for more information.

   • Students should try to submit documentation prior to the intake meeting.

3. Have a remote intake appointment:

   • Schedule your remote intake appointment in Accommodate. You will not be able to log in to Accommodate to schedule your appointment until you have completed the Application for Accessibility Services

   • During the intake meeting, the student and the Director will discuss appropriate accommodations. 

You must complete these steps and be deemed eligible before you can receive academic accommodations. Please note that while you can submit requests at any time, accommodations are not retroactive.

Next Steps

Once the above steps are completed and accommodations have been approved, your approved accommodations will automatically renew and accommodation letters will be sent to your instructors each semester.

If you prefer not to use the automatic renewal process, you may opt out and request accommodation letters through Accommodate on a semester by semester basis. To opt out of automatic semester renewals, you must notify the Office of Accessibility Services by email at least 10 business days before the start of the semester.

Please Note: Although your accommodation letters will be sent automatically, you are still encouraged to connect with your instructors each semester to discuss how your approved accommodations will be implemented in each of your courses.