Office of Accessibility Services

The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) coordinates and provides appropriate and reasonable accommodations and support services to students with disabilities, as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Nine accessibility icons, dark blue on white that include an image indicating blind or low vision and ASL interpretation, for example.

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. The Office of Accessibility Services 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.

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

How to register with the Office of Accessibility Services

There are two ways to start the process of registering with the Office of Accessibility Services. 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.
  • Submit the registration form
    To access the registration form, log into SharePoint using your SPH login (sph\_______) credentials.
    If you need assistance with SharePoint, reach out to the HelpDesk@sph.cuny.edu or fill out the
    PDF version of the form and email it and the letter from your provider and any other applicable documentation to  accessibility@sph.cuny.edu.

– OR –

Before the start of every semester

After you have registered with the Office of Accessibility Services and before the start of every semester that you wish to have your granted accommodation(s) implemented, you will need to email the Office of Accessibility Services the:

CUNY-wide, most accommodations are implemented by instructors. Students and instructors are encouraged to work together to discuss the accommodations as early as possible in the semester.

Appeals

Students may submit appeals regarding accommodation determinations, academic adjustments, or implementation by sending a written complaint via email to 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, instructors or staff will be informed of the accommodation only.

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 are registered with OAS, you must inform OAS of the courses you wish the accommodation to be implemented in. Implementation of most accommodations is student-driven and in many cases requires communication and an agreement between student and instructor.

Students may submit appeals regarding accommodation determinations, academic adjustments, or implementation by sending a written complaint via email to 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. A student who is registered with the Office of Accessibility Services may both be receiving accommodations and may request an incomplete from their 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 your instructors. For instructor-implemented accommodations, you may need to maintain communication with your instructor(s) and in some cases, reach an agreement with your instructor(s) about how to implement your granted reasonable accommodation(s).
  • 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 instructors

Tips for instructors

  • 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.”
  • 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.

Instructors may not ask about an assumed disability, disabling medical condition, or pregnancy and may not request nor receive/open letters from a student’s provider.

Office of Accessibility Services Contacts

Sara Ingram
Student Disability Services Coordinator
sara.ingram@sph.cuny.edu
Office hours:  Monday – Thursday, 12pm – 3pm

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

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