Disability Support Services

The Cooper Union is an equal opportunity institution that admits students without regard to their disabilities. We are committed to creating and sustaining a successful community of inclusive excellence as we prepare students to live, learn, and work among people who experience the world in fundamentally different ways. Within this framework, the College is committed to providing a supportive environment for students with disabilities as well as to complying with all applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The Cooper Union makes reasonable accommodations and modifications to policies, practices and procedures to meet the needs of students with disabilities on campus. Students with disabilities seeking any accommodations regarding any aspect of the full Cooper Union experience—including anything pertaining uniquely to one of the Cooper Union’s distinct schools— are expected to contact the Office of Student Care and Support to formally register their accommodations requests, demonstrate self-advocacy, and responsibly engage in their learning. Questions about disability and medical support should be sent to disability@cooper.edu. The Director of Student Care and Support oversees the student disability and medical accommodation and support processes. 

Faculty and staff are encouraged to read through their section on this website, attend professional development sessions related to disability/access/equity and apply universal design learning concepts in their own area or class.

Other constituencies of the College (e.g., employees, visitors, alumni, community members) that have disabilities are served by other offices.

Student Disability Policy and Procedure

Temporary Impairments – Short Term Disabilities

Accommodation Process Overview

Student Responsibilities

Cooper Union Responsibilities

Emotional Support Animals (ESA) for Students

Service Animals for Students

Personal Care Attendants for Students

Information for Faculty and Staff

Syllabus Language Examples for Faculty  

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.