How to Register
The process of registering with the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity involves three steps:
- Self-Disclose
- Provide Documentation
- Interview with the Director
Self-Disclose
Students can begin the registration process by either completing an application in our Student Portal (preferred) or by completing a self-disclosure form (linked below) and emailing it to aeo@vassar.edu. Students who express interest in accommodations through the online matriculation form, which is sent to incoming first-year students in the summer prior to their arrival, will also receive an email with additional information and a link to the student portal.
Provide Documentation
In general, documentation refers to a detailed letter from a physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist or a psychoeducational evaluation. Documentation of a disability must be provided by an appropriate, licensed professional who is not a family member. If documentation is considered incomplete or inadequate to support an accommodation request, additional documentation will be required. A prior history of accommodation without demonstration of a current need does not warrant the provision of accommodations.
See Documentation Guidelines to provide to your doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
Documentation can be uploaded in the Student Portal, or it can be sent to:
Email (preferred): aeo@vassar.edu
Hard copy by mail:
Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity
Vassar College, Box 164
124 Raymond Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604-0164
Students with disabilities are entitled to privacy and discretion in the handling of all disability-related information. Disability information will be used for the sole purpose of enabling Vassar to provide supportive, academic, and other services related to the individual’s disability. Disability-related information, including the comprehensive documentation that establishes the existence of a disability and the need for accommodations, is collected and maintained on separate forms from other academic and employment information and is kept in secure files with limited access. Disability information, documentation, or record of accommodation is not a part of a student’s permanent academic record. Information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.
Interview with the Director
Finally, students must participate in an interview/meet the director either the summer before they matriculate or as the need or wish to request accommodations arises. The interview helps create a more complete picture of the student rather than relying solely on testing documentation. This conversation allows AEO to understand the impact the diagnosis has on everyday activities and how the student has previously managed the accommodation process. Eligibility for other accommodations is also discussed. Under the recently amended ADA, the student’s personal narrative has become of primary importance in the reporting—and supporting—the need for accommodations on the basis of disability.
Confidentiality
Students with disabilities are entitled to privacy and discretion in the handling of all disability-related information. Disability information will be used for the sole purpose of enabling Vassar to provide supportive, academic, and other services related to the individual’s disability. Disability-related information, including the comprehensive documentation that establishes the existence of a disability and the need for accommodations, is collected and maintained on separate forms from other academic and employment information and is kept in secure files with limited access. Disability information, documentation, or record of accommodation is not a part of a student’s permanent academic record. Information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.