Office of Accessibility Services

Hello and welcome! Thanks for visiting the CUNY SPH Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) webpage. We’re so glad you’re here!

My name is Sara Ingram, and I’m the Director of the OAS.

A white woman with red brown hair and clear glasses and a black suit jacket in front of an ivy wall, smiles.”
Sara Ingram, Director, OAS


To receive accommodation(s):

1. Register with the Office of Accessibility Services.
2. Then before every semester, request that your accommodation(s) be implemented.

 

 


Register

There are two ways to start the process of registering. You may:

Obtain a letter from your provider that:

    • Is on letterhead and includes the provider’s license number;
    • Includes the disability and/or disabling medical condition; and
      This should include the functional limitations because of the disability or disabling medical condition.
    • Details the specific accommodation request related to the disability and/or disabling medical condition.
      Documentation must include explanations as to why the accommodation(s) will be useful. Individual Education Programs (IEPs); a psychological/educational report; or medical documentation can also be provided.
  • Send an email with your EMP ID and the letter from your provider to accessibility@sph.cuny.edu.

– OR –

Before the start of every semester

After you have created an account and before the start of every semester that you want to have your granted accommodation(s) implemented, email the Office of Accessibility Services the:

Appeals

Students may submit appeals regarding accommodation determinations, academic adjustments or implementation by emailing Sahana Gupta CUNY SPH Chief Diversity Officer, Title IX Coordinator, and ADA-504 Coordinator sahana.gupta@sph.cuny.edu. For more on the accommodation process, see the CUNY SPH Policy Implementation Workflow.

If you have issues with a course unrelated to accommodations that you feel cannot be resolved directly with your instructor, contact the Chair of the department of the course.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Correspondence with the Office of Accessibility Services is confidential. When needed to implement an accommodation, faculty or staff will be informed of the accommodation only and not the disability or disabling condition.

No. Reasonable accommodations, once granted through OAS, are only applicable to the date granted and onward or if temporary, are noted as such.
A reminder that once you have created an account with OAS, you must inform OAS of the course(s) you want the accommodation(s) to be implemented in. Implementation of most accommodations is student-driven and in many cases requires communication and an agreement between students and faculty. You can reach out to your instructor, or they may contact you.

Because some accommodations are not necessary in every course and because a student may not want their approved accommodations implemented in a particular course. Related, because students can request accommodation implementation at any point during the semester, faculty may receive accommodation implementation requests throughout the semester.If a faculty member wants snapshot of which students in their courses are receiving accommodations at any point during the semester, feel free to ask OAS.

First, learn what the purpose and learning outcomes of the group work are. If you or your instructor think that your accommodation(s) cannot be implemented because of the required group work, you should discuss possible ways to meet the same learning outcomes. For support with implementing your accommodation(s) in courses with group work contact OAS.

Because accommodations are unique to the individual and are suggestions made by students’ providers.

Students may submit appeals regarding accommodation determinations, academic adjustments or implementation by emailing Sahana Gupta CUNY SPH Chief Diversity Officer, Title IX Coordinator and ADA-504 Coordinator sahana.gupta@sph.cuny.edu.

Yes. Regardless of immigration status or location of the student, the Americans With Disabilities Act applies to all CUNY SPH students. Using the services provided by the Office of Accessibility Services will not impact any future immigration petition or your chances of getting your documents legalized or being granted a Permanent Residency.

No. Requesting to take an incomplete in a course is an agreement made between student and instructor.

For Students

Tips for students 

  • Before the start of every semester, inform the Office of Accessibility Services of the courses you are registered for with the course numbers you are registered for and corresponding instructor names to accessibility@sph.cuny.edu.
  • Your disability or disabling condition will not be shared with faculty. For faculty-implemented accommodations, you will likely need to maintain communication with them and in some cases, reach an agreement about how to implement your granted reasonable accommodation(s). It is suggested that you contact your instructor(s) right after they receive notice of your accommodation(s) for the current semester.
  • It is suggested that you be in touch with your academic advisor every semester and if you choose to, inform your advisor of your accommodation(s).
  • Throughout the semester, periodically review the academic calendar and your course syllabi.

For Faculty

Tips for faculty

  • CUNY-wide, most accommodations are implemented by faculty. Once you are informed of a student’s accommodation(s), you should feel free to contact the student. You will likely need to reach an agreement about how to implement granted reasonable accommodation(s). Feel free to contact OAS who can work with you on implementation matters.
  • Do not mention to other students, staff, or faculty that a student is receiving accommodations without approval from the student.
  • Do not ask what a student’s disability or disabling medical condition is.
    OAS will inform you what the accommodation is, but not the disability or disabling condition. Further, you may not request nor receive/open letters from a student’s provider.
  • If you think a student could benefit from an accommodation because they have self-disclosed a disability, disabling medical condition, or pregnancy to you, you may recommend that the student contact the Office of Accessibility Services at accessibility@sph.cuny.edu. Please do not add OAS to an email thread.
  • Use <this PowerPoint slide> for your first class.
  • Be sure to include in your syllabi: “To request an accommodation because of a disabling medical condition, disability, or pregnancy and recovery, confidentially register with the CUNY SPH Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). Before the start of every semester, email OAS with your course number(s) and corresponding instructor name(s) to accessibility@sph.cuny.edu. Once you are registered with OAS and have informed the office that you are taking my course, implementation of some accommodations requires communication and an agreement between you and I, including for example, for group assignments. Information about your disability status will not be shared with me nor are you obligated to disclose it to me, I will only know what the accommodation is.”

What is a Disability

A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities that is permanent or temporary. This includes disabling conditions because of pregnancy and pregnancy recovery and what are commonly referred to as ‘invisible disabilities,’ for example:

    • Learning disabilities
    • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or ADD
    • Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
    • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
    • Major Depressive Disorder/clinical depression (MDD)
    • Bipolar disorder
    • Physical conditions, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and chronic pain disorders

About the Office of Accessibility

The CUNY SPH Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) coordinates and provides reasonable accommodations and support services to students with disabilities.

The reasonable accommodation process is student-driven and self-advocacy focused. CUNY SPH Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) reviews student disability documentation for accuracy and specificity and works in collaboration with students, instructors, and CUNY SPH staff to ensure that students with disabilities are provided with equal access (a ‘level playing field’) to CUNY SPH’s academic and non-academic programs and activities.

 

All correspondence with the Office of Accessibility Services is confidential. For accommodation implementation, instructors and applicable CUNY SPH staff may be informed of the granted accommodation(s), but not the disability or disabling medical condition of students.

 

For more, see the CUNY Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments policy and the CUNY Procedures for Implementing Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments.

Office of Accessibility Services Contacts

Sara Ingram
Director
sara.ingram@sph.cuny.edu

Lynn Roberts
Associate Dean of Student Affairs & Alumni Relations
lynn.roberts@sph.cuny.edu
646-364-0253

scrollToTop