POTSDAM -- Clarkson University formed a new regional consortium to assist regional high school students with disabilities in the transition to higher education.

The New York State Disabilities Service Council (NYSDSC), formed in April, includes directors and assistant directors of accommodative services from colleges in the North Country region, along with representatives from St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Educational Services (BOCES) and New York State Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR).

Loren Nowak, interim director of the Office of Accommodative Services at Clarkson, spearheaded the initiative.

“Nowak’s vision is for Clarkson to assist in the development of this structure to share best practices, resources and to collaboration among disabilities services professionals as they work to serve academic needs from Watertown to Plattsburgh as well as throughout the Adirondack region,” a statement from Clarkson said. “Although campuses in northern New York vary in size and include both public and private institutions, they all share common interests and concerns in the provision of accommodations to students with disabilities to ensure they receive equal access to university resources and programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

Higher education disabilities services providers must each remain current on requirements and changes to accommodative practices as they continue to be redefined by case law and settlement determinations released from both the federal Department of Justice and the Office of Civil Rights, according to the school.