Objective

To assess the extent of implementation of the four recommendations included in our initial audit report, Oversight of Disability Services (Report 2021-S-42).

About the Program

The State University of New York (SUNY) is the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the nation, comprising 64 institutions (14 of which are University Centers and Doctoral Degree Granting Institutions), including research universities, academic medical centers, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, colleges of technology, and an online learning network. In the fall 2023 semester, SUNY served approximately 367,500 students. During the 2023-24 academic year, 39,740 students self-reported a disability at the campuses.

SUNY’s System Administration (SUNY Administration) provides support to the Campus Coordinators of Disability Services (Coordinators) on all campuses. The Coordinators meet with students who experience disability-related barriers with regard to any aspect of college life (e.g., physical environment, housing, parking, communication, dietary needs, academic requirements). Students with disabilities meet with their Coordinator to identify needs, provide appropriate disability documentation, and arrange for reasonable accommodations. Accommodations may include but are not limited to test-taking modifications, note-taking assistance, print materials in an alternative format, auxiliary aids, assistive technologies, and auxiliary services. Campuses must report all students (undergraduate and graduate) who self-identify as experiencing one or more disabilities and are enrolled in at least one credit-carrying course to the State Education Department, for them to be included in the Higher Education Data System (HEDS), which is used to collect and distribute information annually on the status of higher education in New York State.

Each fiscal year, SUNY Administration develops a Master Capital Plan that identifies construction and rehabilitation projects with the goal to protect, maintain, preserve, and modify its physical plant to comply with health and safety codes, including the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Standards for Accessible Design. Additionally, campuses have their own Facility Master Plan that evaluates existing space inventories, usage, and condition to accommodate need. Both the Master Capital Plan and campuses’ Facility Master Plans incorporate projects to address accessibility.

The objective of our initial audit, issued in August 2023, was to determine whether SUNY adequately provided access to campuses, programs, and services to students with disabilities. The audit covered the period from July 2018 through June 2021 and our observations of accessibility through October 2022.

The audit found that the six campuses reviewed (Binghamton University, Maritime College, Stony Brook University, SUNY Morrisville, SUNY Cobleskill, and SUNY Oneonta) provided academic accommodations, outreach, and training to students and staff about their services and received no complaints regarding discrimination based on a student’s disability. However, the audit also found that SUNY Morrisville failed to adequately document that some students didn’t complete the disability self-reporting process and there were inconsistencies in how campuses reported students with disabilities within HEDS. Additionally, while the six campuses were ADA-compliant, we identified 170 areas where accessibility could be improved. Many of these areas were related to the height of certain amenities or fixtures such as bathroom sinks, mirrors, and soap dispensers.

Key Finding

SUNY officials have made significant progress in addressing the problems we identified in the initial audit report. Of the report’s four audit recommendations, all four have been implemented.