Notice

Registering with SAS

Important Notes

  • If you are new to SAS, this information should help to make your first contact with SAS simple.
  • If you are a returning student, you can find information regarding re-activating accommodations by visiting the accommodations page relevant to your program or degree.

Key Steps

The information and documents contained here are intended to make registering with SAS as easy as possible. There are 4 steps laid out below, as well as some important information organized by section headers.

  1. Contact Us to book an Intake Appointment with a Program Coordinator from SAS.
  2. Print and complete the Intake Package and bring them to your Intake Appointment with your Program Coordinator.
  3. If you do not already have a medical form in support of academic accommodations the SAS Medical Documentation Form can be printed and taken to your health care provider to complete for submission to SAS at your Intake Appointment.
  4. What to bring to your first appointment:
    • The 3 above documents filled out (Confidentiality Agreement, Consent Form, and Self Assessment)
    • Current documentation or the SAS Medical Documentation Form

Quick Links

  1. When To Book an Appointment
  2. Prepare for Your First Appointment
  3. Documentation
    • Documentation Requirements
  4. Meeting with a Program Coordinator
  5. Mohawk-McMaster Nursing Student Accommodation Procedure

When To Book An Appointment

  • Book an appointment well in advance of the need for academic accommodations. In order to process your accommodation requests as timely as possible, it is important that you book an Intake Appointment prior to, or early in the school year.
  • If interpreters, CART (captioning), Braille texts, attendants, or other personalized support are required, incoming students are strongly encouraged to make contact with SAS prior to registration for classes. This is extremely important as it can take time to ensure all arrangements are in place for the beginning of classes in the fall.

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Prepare for Your First Appointment

  • Fill out our Intake Package.
  • If applicable, apply to OSAP as a first step for eligibility for the Bursary for Students With Disabilities (BSWD).
  • Familiarize yourself with our Transition Program.

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Documentation

  • You are not required to disclose your diagnosis in order to register for services; however, this information can be helpful in completing a thorough assessment for accommodation and support needs.
  • Temporary (short-term significant or short-term chronic) and permanent disabilities may be accommodated.

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Documentation Requirements:

  • Bring documentation you may have explaining the nature of your disability, and how that impacts your academic functioning. See the information below for more detailed documentation information.
  • If you do not currently possess documentation related to your disability please print and take the SAS Medical Documentation Form to your health care provider to complete.
  • Please complete the SAS Student Self-Assessment Form and bring it with you to your first appointment.
  • Your medical documentation should be provided by a registered health care professional who is an independent, impartial individual.
  • Your health care provider should clearly indicate that you have already been diagnosed with, or are undergoing a medical assessment for, a disability diagnosis.
  • As noted above, disclosure of the diagnosis to SAS is at your discretion, but can be helpful in determining the most appropriate academic accommodation plan.
  • Documentation should clearly outline functional limitations to daily activities as they relate to academic performance.
  • You may, from time to time, be asked to provide updated or more thorough documentation from your health care provider to ensure existing academic accommodations continue to meet your needs.
  • Where necessary, SAS may seek your permission to consult directly with your health care provider for clarification of any academic accommodation needs.
DisabilityType of
Documentation		ValidationHealth Care Provider
Learning DisabilityFull Psycho-educational AssessmentWithin Last Five Years^– Psychiatrist
– Psychologist
– Psychological Associate
Autism Spectrum DisordersFull Psycho-educational AssessmentWithin Last Five Years^– Psychiatrist
– Psychologist
– Psychological Associate
ADD/ADHDPsycho-educational AssessmentMedical Report*Within Last Five Years^– Psychiatrist
– Psychologist
– Psychological Associate
– Family Physician
Mental Health
Disability		– SAS In-House Form
– Mental Health Assessment
– Doctor’s Letter		Within Last Five Years^– Psychiatrist
– Psychologist
– Family Physician
– Or other as appropriate
Acquired Brain
Injury		Neuro-psychological AssessmentWithin Last Five Years^– Neurologist
– Neuropsychologist
Blind/Visually
Impaired		– CNIB Registration Number**
– Doctor’s Letter		CNIB Registration Date or Within Last Five Years^– CNIB
– Ophthalmologist
– Optometrist
– Family Physician
Deaf/Hard
of Hearing		– Full Audiology Report
– Doctor’s Letter		Within Last Five Years^– Audiologist
– Family Physician
Central Auditory
Processing Disorder		Audiology ReportWithin Last Five Years^– Audiologist
– Family Physician
Chronic Medical
Condition		– SAS In-House Form
– Medical Assessment
– Doctor’s Letter		Within Last Five Years^– Family Physician
– Specialist Physician
Physical Disability– SAS In-House Form
– Medical Assessment
– Doctor’s Letter		Within Last Five Years^– Family Physician
– Specialist Physician

^ – Documentation normally within the last five years, but will be evaluated case by case

* – Should outline history, areas of weakness, strengths, and difficulties

** – If legally blind

Meeting with a Program Coordinator

  • You and your Coordinator will work out an accommodation plan together. Specific supports will be offered and, if required, academic accommodations put in place.
  • In most instances, academic accommodations should be able to be determined at your intake appointment. However, it may be necessary in some instances for more than one appointment to finalize an intake.
  • It may be possible to determine temporary accommodations in absence of medical documentation. However, long-term accommodations must be supported with medical documentation, and may be withheld where no medical documentation is provided.

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Mohawk-McMaster Nursing Student Accommodation Procedure

Important Note

  • The following process is intended for Mohawk-McMaster Nursing students only, and should be followed to initiate accommodations or to follow-up each term. 
  1. You first must register with Mohawk Disability Services (Accessible Learning Services) through the IAHS.
  2. You must provide your documentation to Mohawk and develop your academic accommodation plan (Confidential Academic Accommodation Plan—CAAP) with them directly. 
  3. Your CAAP will be sent to McMaster Student Accessibility Services (SAS). 
  4. You then must make an appointment with SAS to review your Mohawk CAAP and to ensure accommodations are in place for McMaster courses. 
  5. Each term, you will be required to follow the Mohawk process for notification of accommodations for Mohawk courses. 
  6. Each term, you will need to follow the McMaster process for notification of accommodations to instructors for McMaster courses.  
  7. If you are unsure about which courses are Mohawk and which are McMaster, contact Mohawk ALS for clarification.
  8. Test and exam accommodations for Mohawk courses, must be booked with Mohawk ALS directly. 
  9. Test and exam accommodations for McMaster courses must be arranged according to McMaster test and exam accommodation procedures. For reference, please visit both of the following links: Booking Tests and Final Exams.

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Last Updated: August 9 2019