Student Disability Access Services

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Academic Accommodations

Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and are highly individualized, dependent on a student’s disability, current functional limitations, and environmental barriers. Common academic accommodations include, but are not limited to: alternative testing arrangements, alternative formats of course materials, assistive technology, and note-taking assistance. 

Please note that requesting an accommodation does not guarantee that it will be granted and the accommodation provided is not required to match the requested accommodation.

To request academic accommodations: 

1. Complete the Disability Registration Form (attach documentation to form).
2. Meet with Disability Access Services (DAS) to discuss potential accommodations and work to create an academic accommodation plan.
3. If an academic accommodation plan is agreed upon by you and DAS, DAS will share your accommodation plan with faculty you designate each semester via Accommodate. Please refer to this instructional video to walk you through the process.

*Generally, faculty must receive accommodation plans prior to implementing classroom accommodations. Advanced notice is recommended to ensure adequate time to plan and coordinate accommodations. 

*Please request accommodations in advance; some accommodations may take time to implement. 

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Accessible Course Materials

Some students with disabilities qualify for accessible or alternate formats of text (audiobooks, OCR PDFs, etc.). Disability Access Services (DAS) will coordinate accessible texts for students who qualify.

Learn more about Requesting Course Materials

Questions? For any questions regarding accessible course materials or assistive technology,
please contact [email protected].

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Exam Accommodations

Students requesting exam accommodations must:
1. Register with DAS.
2. Be approved to receive exam accommodations. 
3. Complete the Accommodation Letter Request form to send accommodation letters to faculty.
4. Discuss your exam accommodations with each of your instructors 5-7 days in advance of an exam.

Instructors may choose to arrange exam accommodations on their own, or they may request proctoring from Disability Access Services.

If an instructor is unable to proctor your exam, DAS assists with proctoring exams Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Faculty will send exam to DAS at [email protected] or drop-off at Olin 106

DAS will scan and email completed exams back to faculty, or faculty will pick-up at Olin 106


Other Exam Accommodation Information

You must discuss exam accommodations with your instructor 5-7 days in advance of an exam.
Exams must overlap with the date and time scheduled for the class unless an instructors grants you permission to take the exam at an alternative time.

Accommodation letters must be given to faculty prior to receiving academic accommodations.

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Housing Accommodations

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and all applicable federal, state and local disability laws, Bard College’s Disability Access Services (DAS) is committed to providing housing accommodations to students who have a qualifying disability in order to ensure they have equal access to the College’s housing, programs, activities and facilities. 

Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and are highly individualized, dependent on a student’s disability, current functional limitations, and environmental barriers. Please note that requesting an accommodation does not guarantee that it will be granted and the accommodation provided is not required to match the requested accommodation.

To request housing accommodations, all students must:

1. Complete the Disability Registration Form 
2. Provide disability documentation to [email protected] (See Documentation Guidelines above). 
3. If necessary, meet with Disability Access Services (DAS) to discuss potential accommodations and work to create a housing accommodation plan. 
4. Committee reviews requests 
5. If a housing accommodation is agreed upon by you and DAS, DAS will inform Residence Life of your accommodation needs.

First-Year Students:
You must submit your completed request (documentation included) by June 1 prior to your arrival; this deadline is important because once housing assignments are completed and announced, availability is restricted. For general housing information, please see Bard College’s Residence Life and Housing.

Returning Bard College Students:
You must submit your completed request (documentation included) by March 1 for the following academic year. 

Renewing Documentation Annually:
Generally, housing accommodations are approved on an annual basis. Rising students must submit updated, current documentation each year by March 1 to renew housing accommodations. 

Summer Housing:
If a student is staying on campus, they may request accommodations for summer housing, but space availability may be more limited on campus than during the regular academic year. Students approved to stay on campus for the summer may not have their academic year housing available and may be required to move. 

Important Housing Information:
Housing accommodations are always based on availability; housing is a finite resource, so at times, availability may be limited. Housing accommodations are approved for the regular academic year (August through May).

*Please request accommodations in advance; some accommodations may take time to implement.

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Dining Accommodations

Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and are highly individualized, dependent on a student’s disability, current functional limitations, and environmental barriers. Please note that requesting an accommodation does not guarantee that it will be granted and the accommodation provided is not required to match the requested accommodation. 

To request dining accommodations, all students must: 

1. Complete the Disability Registration Form 
2. Provide disability documentation to [email protected] (See Documentation Guidelines above)
3. In some situations, in the absence of documentation or if clarification is needed, students may be asked to meet with Disability Access Services (DAS) to clarify the dining accommodations being requested and/or be referred to meet with a Bard nutritionist, and/or Parkhurst dietician to discuss dining access needs.
4. DAS works with Dining to consider possible accommodations
5. DAS staff, Dining staff, and student meet to discuss implementation of available accommodations

*Please request accommodations in advance; some accommodations may take time to implement. 

Other Important Dining Accommodations Information: 

• Students are only expected to share medical and/or disability-specific information with the Disability Access Services office, not Dining staff.
• Disability Access Services does not share medical and/or disability-specific information with Dining staff.

Information about Bard Dining:

• Students are always welcome to speak to Dining staff about their dietary needs, preferences, and dining possibilities without speaking to Disability Access Services. 
• Students are encouraged to ask Dining staff for help at any location; they want to be available and supportive to students. 
• Dining offers a Clean Plate specialty station at Kline Commons, accessible to all students with or without dining accommodations. The station is an independent kitchen that provides meals devoid of the top 9 most common allergens for those with food allergies. 
• For more information about Bard Dining, please see Bard Dining.

Meal Plan Waivers 
A Meal Plan Waiver is a type of dining accommodation in which a student will be exempted from the College’s requirement that resident students must be on a meal plan. A Meal Plan Waiver will only be granted when other available accommodations cannot meet a student’s demonstrated medical needs.

To request meal plan waiver accommodations, all students must: 

1. Complete the Disability Registration Form 
2. Provide disability documentation to [email protected] (See Documentation Guidelines above)
3. Committee reviews requests
4. In some situations, in the absence of documentation or if clarification is needed, students may be asked to meet with Disability Access Services (DAS) to clarify the dining accommodations being requested and/or be referred to meet with a Bard nutritionist, and/or Parkhurst dietitian to discuss dining access needs.
5. When appropriate, DAS works with Dining to consider whether other available accommodations can meet a student’s demonstrated medical needs
6. If other available accommodations cannot meet a student’s demonstrated medical needs, DAS updates relevant parties of Meal Plan Waiver 

Meal Plan Waiver Request Deadlines:
You must submit your completed request (documentation included) by June 1 for the fall academic semester and by November 1st for the spring academic semester; these deadlines are important because meal plans are a part of the room and board cost of billing, and after a certain point, reimbursement is not possible during a semester. For general dining information, please see information about Bard College Dining.

Meal Plan Waiver Documentation:
Disability documentation should be written in English, typed on official letterhead, signed and dated, by an appropriate licensed professional, and: outline student medical and dietary restrictions, current functional limitations/ symptomatology related to dining and how dining is impacted, and outline accommodations recommended by the licensed professional. Documentation should also indicate, if possible, why existing Dining options cannot meet the student’s medical restrictions and what food plan is appropriate and recommended to meet the student’s medical needs.

Helpful information to include in Meal Plan Waiver Documentation: 

• What is the medical condition/diagnosis?
• How and when was the condition assessed?
• What is the history of the condition? How long will it continue?
• How does the condition impact current functioning?
• What food items need to be avoided for health reasons? 
• What food plan is appropriate and recommended for health reasons?

** The licensed professional cannot be related to or have a personal relationship with the student. 

Other Important Meal Plan Waiver Information: 

• Due to equity concerns, Disability Access Services utilizes a confidential committee structure to review all meal plan waiver requests to ensure equitable outcomes; we review if someone has a disability-related need, their history of such a need or impairment, their current functioning related to dining, and professional recommendations for accommodations.
• The institution wants to provide equitable access to dining whenever possible and Disability Access Services always works with Dining to see if any accommodations, short of a Meal Plan Waiver, are possible and can meet the student’s medical needs.
• Meal Plan Waivers are reviewed throughout the year, but if a request is made after the start of the semester, students may have to wait until the following academic semester for the meal plan waiver to take effect (and they will still be billed). If approved prior to the start of the semester, students may be refunded based on prorated time.
• Based on the documented disability and/or medical need, as outlined in the documentation, a meal plan waiver may be approved on a one semester, one academic year, or permanent basis. If approved on a provisional basis (one semester or one academic year), a student will need to submit updated documentation before the above-listed deadlines.
• Meal plan waivers are always decided on an individualized, case-by-case basis, as are all disability-related accommodations, so determination is not based solely on diagnosis. Meal plan waivers are based on disability or medical needs where restrictions are such that Dining cannot appropriately accommodate.

*Please request accommodations in advance; some accommodations may take time to implement.

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Assistance Animals

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and all applicable federal, state and local disability laws, Bard College will accommodate students with disabilities who require an assistance animal. All requests for assistance animals must be processed by Disability Access Services (“DAS”).

Assistance animals are animals that work, perform tasks, assist, and/or provide therapeutic emotional support for individuals with disabilities. This policy addresses two types of assistance animals: 
Service Animals 
Per the ADA and 28 CFR 35.136(i), Service Animals are any dog or miniature horse “that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of” an individual with a disability. Moreover, “the work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.” Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals are not considered Service Animals.

Unlike Support Animals, Service Animals are generally permitted in all campus spaces with their handler. A Service Animal does not need approval to access the Bard College campus as long as it is readily apparent that it is a Service Animal, meaning that the dog or miniature horse is trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. If it is readily apparent that the animal is a Service Animal, Bard College may not make inquiries about the Service Animal. However, if it is not obvious that the animal is a Service Animal, Bard College may ask the following questions:

1. Is the dog or miniature horse required due to a disability?
2. What work or task(s) has the dog or miniature horse been trained to perform?

Bard College cannot require documentation that the Service Animal has been trained, certified, or licensed as a service animal. 

Students who plan to bring their Service Animal to campus are encouraged to contact DAS prior to doing so. This way, DAS can assist the student in providing notice to faculty or other Bard College employees of the presence of the animal and help coordinate any other accommodations or auxiliary services needed. 

Emotional Support Animals
An Emotional Support Animal (“ESA”) is an animal that provides therapeutic emotional support for an individual with a disability and is not trained to work or perform specific tasks. ESAs must stay in the student’s assigned room in the residence hall and are not permitted  to attend class, enter kitchens or dining areas, or the rooms of other residents. If the ESA is to be transported outside of the student’s room, it should be properly restrained by a leash or in an animal carrier.

DAS, in conjunction with Residence Life, will only approve an ESA if:

1. The animal is necessary for the student with a disability to have equal access to housing;
2. There is an identified relationship between the symptoms of the disability and the assistance the animal provides; and
3. The accommodation is reasonable.

An accommodation is unreasonable if it presents an undue financial or administrative burden to Bard College, poses a substantial and direct threat to personal or public safety, or constitutes a fundamental alteration of the nature of the housing provider’s operations. 

Factors which may determine whether the presence of an ESA is reasonable include whether:

• The size of the ESA is appropriate for available housing;
• The ESA’s presence forces another individual from housing;
• The ESA violates an individual’s right to peace and quiet enjoyment;
• The ESA is housebroken and able to reasonably live with and among others;
• The ESA’s vaccinations are up-to-date during the animal’s entire stay on campus;
• The ESA poses, or has posed, a direct threat to others (e.g. aggressive behavior or injury); or
• The ESA causes, or has caused, excessive damage beyond reasonable wear and tear.

Dangerous, poisonous, and/or illegal animals are not permitted under any circumstances. Residence Life will make reasonable efforts to notify the members of the residential community of the presence of an ESA. Conflicting conditions, including allergies, will be considered by DAS and Residence Life.  

To request an ESA as an accommodation, all students must:

1. Complete the Disability Registration Form. 
2. Provide disability documentation to [email protected] (See Documentation Guidelines above).
3. If necessary, meet with Disability Access Services (DAS) to discuss potential accommodations and work to create an ESA accommodation plan.
4. If an ESA accommodation plan is agreed upon by you and DAS, DAS will inform Residence Life of your accommodation needs.
5. If a student’s request for an ESA is approved, the student must then:

• Provide appropriate veterinary records, if applicable
• Complete Animal Registration Form on My Annandale portal

*Please request accommodations in advance; some accommodations may take time to implement.

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Parking and Transportation Information

Parking: Students may register their vehicles for on-campus parking. Please see vehicle regulations for more information about student parking. 

Transportation: The Bard Shuttle provides accessible transportation on campus and in two neighboring towns (Tivoli and Red Hook).

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Reporting an Access Barrier

If you or someone you know encounters a physical barrier that is preventing equal access to a building or area, please report it to us.
Report a Barrier

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Filing a Complaint

Students who have a disagreement about their accommodation and/or the way a disability is being handled can contact Erin Braselmann ([email protected]), Director of Disability Access Services, to discuss potential mitigation of barriers and solutions. Students who believe that they have been discriminated against on the basis of a disability can contact Lauren Gretina ([email protected]), the College’s Civil Rights Coordinator, in the Office of Title IX and Nondiscrimination (OTN) to discuss their options and how to move forward with either an informal resolution or the formal complaint process. Students can also speak to Hannah Zipple ([email protected]), Dean of Students, regarding these complaints. Students who file a complaint are protected against retaliation in any form. If a student suspects that such retaliation has occurred, the student should contact OTN.

Externally Filing a Grievance
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education is a law enforcement agency charged with enforcing federal civil rights laws to ensure that educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance do not engage in discriminatory conduct. For more information, visit the Office of Civil Rights webpage.

To file a complaint, use the Office of Civil Rights Discrimination Complaint form.