Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Implementation of CUNY Accommodate disability management system
0:44:00
ยท
169 sec
Council Member Dinowitz inquires about the implementation of CUNY Accommodate, a new student disability management system.
- CUNY Accommodate has been fully implemented and is currently accessible to students
- The system was rolled out in Spring 2025 (likely a transcription error, probably meant Spring 2023)
- Feedback from students and faculty has been overwhelmingly positive
- The system centralizes all communication and streamlines the process for obtaining accommodations
- Currently, CUNY Accommodate does not interface directly with the NYC Department of Education system
Eric Dinowitz
0:44:00
Okay.
0:44:01
I'm sure your numbers team's working on it, and we'll we'll get we'll get that.
0:44:06
I have one more set of questions, and then I'm gonna turn it over to a colleague.
0:44:15
You mentioned that CUNY is implementing CUNY Accommodate.
0:44:19
It should be no surprise that this is something I'm very excited about, something close to my heart given my previous career as a special education teacher.
0:44:28
It is the student disability management system.
0:44:32
Can you talk more about that?
0:44:33
For instance, who's the contractor for that system?
0:44:39
Has it been released or when is the projected release date?
Alicia Alvero
0:44:44
Release of the contract?
0:44:45
It's been fully implemented.
0:44:47
It is implemented.
0:44:47
It is it's an outside vendor.
0:44:48
Implemented spring twenty twenty five.
Eric Dinowitz
0:44:50
So a student graduate so it is onboard now, so students can access it now?
Alicia Alvero
0:44:55
Absolutely.
0:44:56
Right now.
Eric Dinowitz
0:45:01
Can you talk about, please, the relationship this has with the Department of Education, the new k twelve public school system, if you're interfaced with them?
Alicia Alvero
0:45:11
It does not interface, to my knowledge, with the city department, EOE, but I will say that the feedback from the students, it just rolled out this semester, from students and faculty has been overwhelmingly positive.
0:45:28
What it does do is it interconnects with all of the systems and all of the offices versus having a student have to go from one office to get paperwork, to get accommodations, everything is in one app streamlined so all communication is now centralized.
0:45:45
If a student transfers, all of that information would transfer with them as well.
Eric Dinowitz
0:45:51
I'll tell you how incredibly important this is and how relieved I am to hear that because when we had a hearing in 2022 on students with disabilities at CUNY, we had students testify that they couldn't find the office.
0:46:07
And students were able to find out how to testify at a city council hearing, but couldn't find the office of students with disabilities.
0:46:13
We had two council members testify that the only way they knew they were able to get accommodations and the only way they found it was because their friends told them.
0:46:22
So it is extremely heartening to hear that this program is underway.
0:46:29
In 2023, local law 18 was implemented.
0:46:33
This was one of my bills that simply said the Department of Education, New York City Department of Education, has to provide parents and students who are transitioning from high school to college the opportunity to share IEP and assessment data with the colleges of their choice.