Access & Equity Access & Equity Overview
TC3 is committed to providing equal access for all qualified individuals to each aspect of their learning experience.
The Access & Equity office uses self-reporting as our primary source of information – which means students are eligible for accommodations if they have a lot of documentation or none at all. At TC3, we believe all ability levels should have fair and equal access to education!
Students will work with our office on an “Access Plan” that is confidential and only available to the student or other parties a student designates. Modifications can include testing or classroom modifications, adjustments to policies and practices in academic and student activities, and the use of auxiliary aids or services.
Schedule an Appointment with the Coordinator
For more information, contact Karen Rachetta, Coordinator of Accommodation Services | 607.844.8222 x4420 | kr072@tc3.edu
How to Identify your Disability
Students may self-identify at any point in their academic journey. All student requests for accommodations must be routed through this process.
Once you have submitted the form, the Access & Equity Office will work with you to develop an access plan, if appropriate. Each semester, following a meeting with an appropriate BCL staff member, students will be given copies of an Access Plan Memorandum identifying recommended modifications and/or auxiliary aids and services. Students are responsible for providing a copy of the memo to the instructor of each course in which he or she plans to use any part of the access plan.
Decision Appeal Process
An appeals process is available if a student wishes to appeal a decision regarding their Access Plan. Please contact Carolyn Boone, Chief Policy & Compliance Officer, at clb@tompkinscortland.edu with all of the documentation you submitted, a copy of your access plan, and a description of your appeal request.
Your Rights & Responsibilities
Students with disabilities have a right to:
- full and equal access to and the opportunity to participate in all programs, services, and activities of the College
- be evaluated based on ability, not disability
- academic adjustments and reasonable accommodations
- appropriate auxiliary aids and services
- privacy: no confidential information will be released without consent except as permitted or required by law
- information and course materials readily available in accessible formats.
Students with disabilities have a responsibility to:
- identify their disability in a timely manner to the Baker Center for Learning and, when an academic adjustment is desired, seek information, counsel, and assistance as needed
- provide the Baker Center for Learning, with current, relevant, and appropriate documentation in a timely manner
- follow published procedures for obtaining academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services, or reasonable accommodations (for student employment)
- meet college, course, and program qualifications and maintain essential institutional standards for academic standing, courses, programs, services, employment, and activities
- abide by the Student Code of Conduct
Transitioning from High School to College
The Office of Access & Equity staff is here to help you with your transition from high school to college. We will meet with you to review the supports you had in the past and discuss options for supports in college.
Accommodations in college are a shared responsibility between students, college staff, and faculty.
Accessibility for Wounded Warriors
The Office of Access and Equity Services is ready, willing, and able to assist wounded warriors transitioning to Tompkins Cortland. While getting documentation of your disability from the military can sometimes be a difficult process, we can assist you with that process as well as put temporary measures in place to assure that you are provided appropriate modifications to fit your individual needs. Recent changes with the military’s stance on diagnosing PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) will provide many former active duty and current reserve service members with the opportunity to be provided with a reduced distraction (reduced stress) testing environment, among other possible modifications and/or auxiliary aids and services. Other diagnoses may also receive academic adjustments including, but not limited to: Traumatic Brain Injury, orthopedic injuries, pain management, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders.
Academic adjustments may include, but are not limited to:
- Test-taking modifications
- Special classroom seating (including padded chairs with or without arms)
- Note-taking assistance
- Being able to use a recorder to record the class
- Print materials in alternative formats
- Calculators, word processors, specialized computer software or hardware
Assistance with financial aid is available through a Financial Aid Counselor and Veteran’s Coordinator. Scholarship information as well as information and links to the paperwork required by the military is available on that site.
Please allow us to assist you in meeting your postsecondary educational goals. Contact Baker Center for Learning, x4420, bcl@tompkinscortland.edu, Coordinator of Access and Equity Services or Scott Bennett, x4416, smb066@tompkinscortland.edu, Coordinator of Tutoring and Accommodation Services.
Academic Adjustments
Students with documented disabilities are entitled by law to have necessary academic adjustments (modifications and/or auxiliary aids and services) provided by the college. Academic adjustments may not lower academic standards, substantially alter a program or a course's essential requirements, pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, or place undue financial hardship on the institution. It is important to understand that academic adjustments do not guarantee academic success, nor do they provide an advantage to a student. They serve to "level the playing field" and provide equal access to the College's programs, services, and activities. There is no general access plan that is appropriate for all students or for a particular disability. Students may require different academic adjustments in different courses. The most appropriate plan provides equal access coupled with consideration of the disability and documentation, student preferences, program, faculty, and institutional requirements for a particular course, and applicable laws.
Academic adjustments may include, but are not limited to:
- Test-taking modifications
- Print materials in alternative formats
- Auxiliary aids, such as calculators, word processors, specialized computer software or hardware
- Special classroom seating
- Note-taking assistance
- Auxiliary services, such as sign language interpreters
Voting Information
The Office of Access and Equity Services is a National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) voter registration site. View our Voter Registration page.