In accordance with the spirit of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University has developed the following policy and procedures regarding attendant-care services. While the responsibility for obtaining, training, supervising, payment and possible replacement of personal-care attendants belongs to the student needing care, Binghamton University’s Services for Students with Disabilities can provide guidance and advice regarding the process.
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Students with established needs for personal care must have appropriate arrangements for their care in place before they move into campus housing.
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Students who do not ordinarily require personal-care assistance but who might be expected to develop such needs, even on a temporary basis, are strongly advised to develop backup support systems to enable them to handle such eventualities. Such systems may involve friends, family, private-employed attendants and/or outside healthcare agencies.
Students who are unfamiliar with resources in the Binghamton area should consult with the University’s Services for Students with Disabilities or the United Way to obtain advice regarding community resources.
If students encounter unexpected situations requiring immediate attendant care, and their established backup systems fail, they may call Harpur’s Ferry for emergency assistance. The ambulance service will respond in accordance with its established procedures, which may include outside service if Harpur’s Ferry crews/equipment are not available. The crew is prepared to provide emergency medical care and hospital transport or to assist with a simple transfer from or to a wheelchair, but will not provide advanced attendant care such as bathing, routine dressing and undressing or changing of catheters. Residential students with ongoing short-term or long-term attendant care needs must have an operational plan to address these needs in order to remain in campus housing. Harpur’s Ferry services are meant for medically emergent situations and cannot offer attendant care services on an ongoing basis.
If students with mobility impairments become stranded on campus, away from their residence hall, due to a weather emergency and impassible pathways, wheelchair breakdown or dysfunctional prosthetic device, they may call Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) for assistance. OCCT provides eligible students with scheduled Lift Service on and off campus. Unscheduled/emergency response service will be provided when possible, but only within the constraints of driver availability. If OCCT is unable to respond, students may call the University Police, who will assess the situation and coordinate an appropriate response. Such a response may include the calling of a local wheelchair-lift-equipped taxi service to provide transportation back to the residence hall. Depending upon the services required, the student may incur monetary charges for transportation. Once in the residence hall, it is the student’s responsibility to make necessary arrangements for any equipment repair and temporary attendant care assistance, according to the backup plan he or she has already established.
Telephone numbers of listed resources:
Services for Students with Disabilities — 607-777-2686
Harpur’s Ferry/University Police — 911 (from on-campus phones) or 607-777-3333 (from
off-campus or cell phones)
Off Campus College Transport — 607-777-6989
United Way First Call for Help — 607-729-9100
