SUNY Delhi to Enhance Support for Students with Disabilities

SUNY Delhi is expanding its services to students with disabilities, thanks to new annual funding from New York State. With an investment by Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature in SUNY’s operating budget, SUNY is investing nearly $10 million per year to support its state-operated campuses in increasing student support in this area.

SUNY Delhi will use the funding to:

• Hire extra staff to address barriers to access and ensure equitable opportunities;
• Purchase new software and equipment to maintain access to various physical and virtual environments on campus;
• Build a serenity room to provide a quiet, sensory-friendly space for neurodivergent students;
• Implement an immersive arts-based wellness program to enhance resilience, reduce stigma, and foster community and belonging; and
• Provide professional development to faculty and staff to foster student success through best practices of universal design and inclusive pedagogy.

At SUNY Delhi, services to students with disabilities are coordinated through the Office of Access and Equity Services. The office works individually with students who have reported a disability to determine how it can support them through assistive technologies, academic adjustments, and other resources. Students with disabilities can also access a transition program to help them transition from high school to the demands of college, a peer mentor program during the first year, a social networking group for neurodiverse students, and the Delta Alpha Pi International (DAPI) Honor Society for Students with Disabilities which recognizes high-achieving students and creates leadership opportunities for students with disabilities.  

Access and Equity Services at SUNY Delhi

Did you know? Over 30,000 SUNY students report having a disability. These may physical, learning, psychological, medical, or other disabilities. Yet according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), only 37% of students who had a disability reported it while in college. NCES found students who reported a disability were more likely to be placed in remedial courses and to utilize academic services.