Register with SAS in 4 steps:
- Student completes the Self-Identification Form and submits any supporting documentation to SAS. Documentation can be emailed to sas@nipissingu.ca.
- An Accessibility Consultant will review the documentation and will contact the student with next steps and/or to schedule an Intake Appointment.
- An Accessibility Consultant meets with the student to discuss their accommodation needs. Appointments are available via audio/video conferencing, telephone or in person on campus** (SAS is not currently offering in-person appointments due to the provincial lockdown).
- Together, the student and Accessibility Consultant create an Individual Accommodation plan.
Disability Documentation - COVID-19 Updates
Disability documentation remains an important requirement for students with disabilities registering with SAS. Current and proper documentation verifies that the student is a person with a disability. More importantly, it contains information about a student's functional limitations that SAS needs to create an effective accommodation and support plan. Students seeking academic accommodation should review the SAS Documentation Requirements below. Where possible, students should submit the required documentation as listed.
SAS recognizes that some students may have difficulty obtaining disability documentation during the COVID pandemic. Non-essential health care services have been reduced and some assessments, like psychoeducational assessments, cannot be administered remotely. That said, many healthcare providers are now offering virtual appointments. We encourage students to contact their healthcare provider to request a virtual appointment, if possible.
While physical distancing requirements remain in effect, SAS may consider accepting minimal documentation. This documentation may be current or out of date and can temporarily replace the required documentation for students unable to obtain updated documentation due to COVID-19. In these cases, at the discretion of SAS, the following documentation may be accepted on an interim basis.
- OSAP Disability Verification Form
- Disability documentation in other formats (e.g., Physician letters)
- Out-of-date psychoeducational or neuropsychological assessments
- Individual Educational Plans (IEPs)
Please submit the documentation for review and further discussion.
NOTE: The documentation listed above will be accepted in good faith and may be sufficient to support interim accommodation planning. However, it may not be sufficient to confirm that the student is a person with a disability for other purposes, including eligibility for bursaries and other programs. SAS will assess each request for confirmed disability status on a case-by-case basis.
Students are encouraged to contact sas@nipissingu.ca with questions about registration or disability documentation.
Documentation Requirements
Students requesting academic accommodation are required to provide Student Accessibility Services with current documentation from a regulated health care professional who is licensed to diagnose your disability or health condition. Specific documentation requirements will depend on the nature of a student’s disability. The following outlines specific documentation requirements.
Learning Disability **
A psycho-educational assessment completed by a registered psychologist or psychological associate is required. The assessment must have been completed when the student was at least 18 years or within the last 4 years and must contain a clear and conclusive diagnostic statement of a learning disability.
ADHD **
A psycho-educational assessment completed by a registered psychologist OR the completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Mental Health and ADHD by a qualified healthcare professional with experience in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD is required.
Deaf, Deafened, Hard of Hearing *
Completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Physical, Sensory, and Medical Disabilities is strongly encouraged.
Low vision, Blind *
Completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Physical, Sensory, and Medical Disabilities is strongly encouraged.
Medical or Physical Condition *
Completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Physical, Sensory, and Medical Disabilities strongly encouraged.
Acquired Brain Injury *
Completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Physical, Sensory, and Medical Disabilities is strongly encouraged.
Mental Health
Completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Mental Health and ADHD is required.
Autism Spectrum Disorders *
A recent psycho-educational assessment*or formal letter from a family physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist* is preferred. If the former is not available, the completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Physical, Sensory, and Medical Disabilities is required.
Temporary
Completion of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Physical, Sensory, and Medical Disabilities is strongly encouraged.
Notes
* If you have a comprehensive assessment report completed by a regulated health care professional who is licensed to diagnose your disability or health condition that confirms your disability and details the functional limitations of your disability, it can be used in place of the SAS Medical Documentation form for Physical, Sensory, and Medical Disabilities.
** An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and/or Identification, Placement and Review Committee Report (IPRC) are educational documents, and although they may be helpful to us as they provide insight into the Special Education support you may have had in elementary and secondary school, the IEP and the IPRC Report are not diagnostic healthcare documents and, therefore, they cannot be accepted as valid documentation of a disability.
If you do have an IEP but no formal documentation of your disability, please attach/forward your IEP and we will contact you for further information.
Interim Accommodations
SAS recognizes that appropriate documentation from a health care professional occasionally takes time to obtain; therefore, in some cases, SAS can arrange interim accommodations while an assessment is pending or when waiting for documentation. Students who require interim accommodations are asked to complete the Self-Identification Form and an Accessibility Consultant will be happy to meet with you to begin the accommodation planning process.
Rights and Responsibilities
As a student with a disability, you have the Right to:
- Equal treatment as a student attending Nipissing University, including equal access to programs, classes and facilities.
- Appropriate accommodation.
- Be treated courteously and to expect that faculty, staff, and other students will use appropriate language, free of discriminatory or derogatory remarks regarding disabilities.
- Confidentiality.
Your registration and involvement with SAS and the fact that you receive academic accommodation will not be identified on your official university records, test results, academic transcript or graduation documentation.
With these Rights you have the Responsibility to:
- Make your needs known in order for SAS to review and, where possible, implement the requested supports and accommodations.
- Provide appropriate and relevant documentation of your disability and will be required to submit updated documentation from the appropriate medical professional when requested.
- Participate in discussions regarding possible accommodation solutions, to the best of your ability.
- Review your accommodations on an annual basis and/or periodically as required.
- Identify yourself as an individual with a disability when an accommodation is needed.
- Seek information and academic and/or personal supports and services as necessary.
- Use your right to accommodation responsibly and your accommodations and supports should never be used for academic advantage over other students nor should your accommodations and supports interfere with the learning of other students in your class.
- Inform yourself of and adhere to SAS and university established procedures and deadlines.