In January 2025, CUNY implemented a new student disability management system, CUNY Accommodate. This system simplifies the accommodation request process for all students. Please see instructions below:
As a new student at CUNY, or a student new to the process of receiving accommodations please CLICK HERE and complete the CUNY Accommodate Intake application. This will connect you to the Student Disability Services (SDS) Office at Lehman College. On this application you will be asked to upload documentation of your disability. Although not required, we encourage you to have documentation ready to upload as it will be needed in order to approve your accommodations.
If you are a CUNY student who received accommodations at another campus and are transferring to Lehman College, you will already have an active Accommodate account. Please CLICK HERE to complete the Semester Request Form. The SDS Office will be notified of this request and reach out to you to inform you of the specific supports and services that Lehman’s SDS Office offers.
Please click here: Student Resources to access CUNY’s informational webpage for Instructional Videos and Documentation Guides. These are self-paced, explain aspects of the system in detail, and provide instructions for accessing and using CUNY Accommodate.
If you need any assistance with any part of this process please feel free to reach out to the SDS Office at: disability.services@lehman.cuny.edu
Compliance
Lehman College maintains compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which states:
“No otherwise qualified individual with disability in the United States... shall solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
About Section 504
Under Section 504, an individual with a disability is defined as a person who:
- has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity
- has a record of such an impairment; or
- is regarded as having such an impairment. Major life activities include such functions as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.”
Reasonable accommodations defined
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 requires an institution of higher education to provide reasonable accommodations to a qualified individual with a documented disability, provided that accommodation does not create an undue hardship.
An undue hardship refers to any accommodation that would be unduly costly, expensive, substantially disruptive, or that would fundamentally alter the nature of the program.
Unlike high school, where students are automatically provided with testing, accommodations and services and do not have to provide documentation in order to receive accommodations, in the college environment, documentation from a physician or other appropriate licensed professional must be provided to the designated office.
This documentation must consist of a current report or evaluation prepared by the appropriate professional, along with the completed application form.
Clinical documentation should:
- Specify the diagnosis, including when the diagnosis was made and the likely duration of the condition if not ongoing.
- Describe in detail the student's functional limitations created by the diagnosis; and
- Indicate accommodations that are recommended for the student, along with explanations as to why these accommodations would be useful.
- Individual Education Programs (IEPs) can be provided in addition to any appropriate psychological/educational report or medical documentation.
Students are encouraged to include appropriate medical reports, relevant medical history, and any other medical or educational records or data that would be useful in determining and providing appropriate reasonable accommodations and services.
In some cases, the office of disability services may ask you or your physician/evaluator to submit additional information.
*All information about a student's disability is considered confidential and will remain within the Office of Student Disability Services.
