Resources for Current Students
[[Why students might need to request accomodations?]]
Students may request academic accommodations, housing accommodations, or temporary accommodations.
In This Section:
How to Request Classroom Accommodations
Requesting accommodations at Baker College is done in three easy steps:
Schedule an Intake Appointment
You’ll need to schedule an intake with Baker College’s Disability Specialist. [[Reason? i.e. This will help us get you into the system…]]
Submit the Disability Services Request Form
After your intake meeting, you will need to fill out and submit the Disability Services Request Form. This will give us some additional information about your disability, and the accommodations you are requesting. This is your official request for accommodations. If you have a copy of a previous IEP or 504 plan, or any medical documents or psychological evaluations that pertain to your diagnosis- please attach here. All your information is kept completely confidential, and will help us know how to best support you in your academic career.
Submit a verification form filled out by your healthcare provider
Lastly, we’ll need a Disability Services Verification Form filled out by a healthcare provider. This form will need to be filled out by a medical professional: a doctor, social worker, therapist, or specialized physician. This is our standardized form, but if you have something else- for example, a comprehensive psychological evaluation, that may suffice in its place. Please review our Documentation Guidelines if submitting alternative documents in place of our standardized forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any student with a diagnosed disability may request accommodations. Any student with a mental, physical, emotional, cognitive, or neurological limitation is entitled to reasonable accommodations in higher education. This includes permanent disabilities, and temporary disabilities. If you break a bone, get a concussion, become pregnant, or experience any other temporarily disabling conditions, you are entitled to reasonable accommodations for those as well.
Accommodations granted to students are completely student-specific and are based on the student’s needs, and disability-related barriers they face in the classroom, or testing environments. Accommodations will be decided based on forms submitted, doctors recommendations, and a conversation between the student and Baker College’s Disability Specialist.
We understand that disclosing a disability can be a deeply personal decision, and we want to assure you that your information is treated with the utmost confidentiality and respect. We recognize that you have the right to control the disclosure of your disability, and we will always seek your consent before discussing your situation with anyone else, including faculty, staff, or parents and support persons. At the Office of Disability Services, our goal is to empower you to thrive academically and personally. We are here to collaborate with you to identify and implement the accommodations and resources that best meet your individual needs. If working collaboratively with your parents, support people, or medical professional is the best course of action to help you succeed- we need a FERPA form on file, access that form here. What is a FERPA form?
No. The requirements for documentation in colleges and universities are different from the requirements in high school. High schools provide accommodations based on an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan. Colleges and universities require that you prove eligibility for accommodations based on psychoeducational, psychiatric, or medical documentation from a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical provider. In some cases, the screening instruments used for developing a “504” plan are insufficient as documentation for college accommodations. When transitioning from highschool to college, a student goes from an environment that is structured to “ensure student success” to one that is designed to “allow equal access.” Feel free to consult with the Disability Specialist for further discussion.
Students can begin the process of registering with the Disability Center and requesting accommodations at any point in the semester. However, there is no guaranteed timeline and accommodations cannot be retroactive. This means class accommodations are only in effect after the point of approval, and a Letter of Accommodation is delivered to the student. We suggest students start this process as early as possible, to give time to get to the doctor and receive documentation, as well as give staff time to implement these accommodations. Once proper documentation is received, we can work pretty quickly and it will only take about a week to roll out the accommodations completely. If a request form is received within 2 weeks of finals, we cannot guarantee testing accommodations for those finals- and our discussion will consist of plans for the following semester.
On-Campus Housing Accommodations
Our accommodated housing process, in partnership with the Residence Housing Coordinators and Director of Student Affairs, is designed to provide an inclusive residential community for students with disabilities. Whether a physical adaptation to your assigned residence hall room is needed, or another access need, we’re here to ensure your housing experience is accessible and accommodating.
Other Types of Accommodations
Housing
Temporary
Tips for Success
Tips for success: navigating college as a neurodivergent student
Questions? We’re Here to Help
Contact the Coordinator of Disability Services with any questions at disability_specialist@baker.edu.