Student Life & Services
Disability Services
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, all students, with or without disabilities, are entitled to equal access to the programs and activities of LIM College. If you believe that you have a disabling condition that may interfere with your ability to access and/or participate in the activities, coursework, testing and assessment, or other requirements of a course, you may be entitled to non-retroactive accommodations.
Disability Services within the Office of Counseling & Wellness Services offers academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Some examples of academic accommodations include, but are not limited to: extended time on tests, testing in an alternate location, copies of class notes, access to specialized computer software, and books in alternate formats. Students will not be able to receive accommodations for a disability at LIM College unless they choose to disclose this information to the Disability Services Specialist and formally register for services.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Disability Services Specialist as soon as they enroll at LIM College. Students seeking accommodations must:
• Meet with the Disability Services Specialist to discuss their disability needs
• Provide requested documentation regarding the disability/condition (see below for further documentation information)
• Sign a consent form allowing the Disability Services Specialist (or other designee) to inform professors and administration of the student’s needs, to obtain further medical and/or mental health records, and to discuss student's medical and/or mental health history with medical/mental health providers as needed
Required Documentation
The more detailed the information provided to Disability Services, the better we will be able to understand a student's needs and assist them. Depending on the documentation provided, we may require further and/or more recent or different evaluative documents. Formal documentation must be from a licensed medical/mental health provider and/or a qualified evaluator who is currently treating or has assessed the student with a disability. 504 Plans and IEPs are acceptable but should also include other professional reports such as psychological evaluations, educational evaluations, neuropsychological exams, and/or physician reports and letters whenever possible. Documentation should include the following:
• Signed consent for release of medical and/or mental health records and information
• Disability verification form completed by a licensed and qualified medical/mental health provider
• Psychoeducational Assessment, IEP and/or 504 plan, and/or a medical report from a provider regarding learning disabilities
• Documentation should be current (no more than 3 years old)
• The specific diagnosis or diagnoses constituting the disability(s)
• The medical and/or educational history related to the disability(s)
• The level of severity of the condition is disabling and possible changes to the condition, including functional limitations and anticipated duration of the condition, etc., if applicable
• The date of the initial disability diagnosis and any changes in the condition since initial diagnosis
• Any current medications and treatment
• Recommended academic and/or non-academic accommodations
Accommodation Plans
The Disability Services Specialist will meet with individual students with disabilities to review their documentation and mutually agree upon a reasonable accommodation plan to be put into place for the duration of their time at LIM College. Because students are encouraged to be their own advocate, Disability Services does not send students’ disability accommodation plans directly to their professors. Instead, students are required to fill out an Accommodation Request Form each semester in order to receive accommodation letters. These letters are then to be delivered by the student directly to each of their professors. Accommodations are not retro-active. Professors are only required to comply with requested accommodations moving forward from the time they receive a student's accommodation letters, not before.
It is the policy of the Office of Counseling & Wellness Services that all shared information related to a disability remains strictly confidential unless appropriate release of information forms are signed. For a detailed description of LIM College’s philosophies, policies, and procedures relative to Disability Services please refer to our Disability Services Handbook. Please note that Disability Services does not offer disability evaluation or testing, personal expenses, or attendants. Referrals for testing sites and medical/mental health doctors can be provided upon request. If you have any questions about disability services, accommodations, or accessibility, or if you would like to make an appointment to speak confidentially to the Disability Services Specialist, please contact the Office of Counseling & Wellness Services.
Making Appointments
If you have any questions about disability services, accommodations, or accessibility, or if you would like to make an appointment to speak confidentially to the Disability Services Specialist, please contact the Counseling & Wellness Services Assistant, at counseling&wellness@limcollege.edu or at 212.752-1530, ext 315 to make an appointment to meet with the Disability Services Specialist. The Office of Counseling & Wellness Services is located in Maxwell Hall on the 14th Floor.
