Accessibility Services

What we do

Niagara’s Office of Accessibility Services is committed to creating equal access for all Niagara students with disabilities. Our mission is to provide accommodations and support to students with documented disabilities who are registered with our office that will enable them to fully participate in programs and services that are available at Niagara University.

Reasonable accommodations, mandated by federal laws such as Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are provided to students with disabilities based on documentation of disability. Depending on the how the disability impacts the individual, reasonable accommodations may include extended time on tests taken in a separate location with appropriate assistance (i.e., use of a word processor, scribe), note takers or use of a tape recorder in class, interpreter, textbooks and course materials in alternative format, as well as other academic and non-academic accommodations.

Non-mandated services which are available for students to use voluntarily for ongoing support and adjustment to the college experience include the following:

• Progress Conferencing: These regular meetings with students give the Accessibility Services staff the opportunity to get to know the student and monitor his/her academic progress as well as to make recommendations for academic support or referrals to other offices on campus for assistance/information. Progress conferencing gives the student the opportunity to get to know the Accessibility Services staff, stay informed and, perhaps, be more willing to ask questions.
• The Accessibility Services staff also assist students with “pre” academic advisement – the student and the staff discuss course selection, professor teaching styles, course requirements, times of classes, impact of disability, etc. – before the student meets his/her departmental academic advisor for registration advisement.
• Students can also access various types of assistive technology available through Accessibility Services: voice readback, voice input, word prediction software, etc.