Services for Students who Experience Disabilities

Who are these services for?

At Seneca, students are considered to be experiencing disabilities if they have been formally identified by a registered health care practitioner as having any of the following exceptionalities:

• visual impairment
• hearing impairment
• mobility impairment
• learning disabilities
• psychiatric disabilities
• other non-visible disabilities (e.g. chronic medical conditions)

How do I access disability services?

Disability Services are available in Counselling and Disability Services at each of our four main campuses.

Call to make an appointment: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday

Telephone: (416) 491-5050
TTY: (416) 491-0468

Newnham Campus ext. 2900
King Campus ext. 5157
Seneca@York Campus ext. 3150
Markham Campus ext. 7190

When should a student contact the Disability Services Office?

Students are encouraged to contact the Disability Services Office prior to beginning their program at Seneca. For some programs there are pre-admission orientation sessions that require some accommodations. Any student who may require a psycho-educational assessment, alternative format texts, sign language interpreter services or attendant services should contact the Disability Services Office as soon as possible once admitted to their program.

What additional forms of assistance are available by referral through the Disability Services Office?

Access to the following services is available:

• Counselling
• Personal, social, academic and career exploration
• Vocational assessments
• Peer tutoring
• Workshops on study skills
• Comprehensive health services
• Complete housing information and registry
• Employment information and job placement assistance
• Job-search techniques
• Psychoeducational and Psychovocational Assessment (i.e. learning and attentional problems; career and vocational assessment
• Seneca Summer Transition Program - offered in July for students with learning disabilities
• Student Mentoring in Life and Education (SMiLE)
• Success@Seneca

What kinds of accommodations are available:

• Extended test/exam time
• Recorders
• FM audio-enhancement devices
• Print enlargement
• Notetaker services coordination
• Interpreter coordination
• Extended time for completion of assignments
• Digital textbooks/books on disc
• Scribes
• Readers
• Print magnifiers
• Computers/word processors (with adaptive equipment, ie. voice access or text assistance)
• Alternative testing procedures and/or evaluation methods
• Scanners
• Screen Readers

How are accommodations arranged?

• Contact the Disability Services Office
• The student is an active and vital participant in determining appropriate assistance required.
• We operate on self-identification and self-advocacy

For further detailed information on Disability Services, please access our Online Guide and Requirements for Documentation of a Learning Disability (pdf).