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Services to Students with Disabilities
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable state and federal regulations that govern services and access for persons with disabilities, the College provides accommodations to qualified students with disabilities to support their educational goals. The College is fully committed to policies of equal opportunity, equal access, and non-discrimination, and pursues equality and diversity goals in all programs and activities. In compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vocational Amendments of 1976, and the American with Disabilities Act, College programs and activities are open to all qualified students without regard to race, age, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability.
Services and Accommodations
Services provided by the College to qualified students with disabilities provide equal access for students to admissions, registration, activities, and technical programs to enhance student potential and individual student development. Services are provided to qualified persons with disabling conditions including, but not limited to, cognitive, emotional, mobility-related, visual, or hearing impairments (as verified by required documentation). Because the College currently leases all facilities, architectural access, also required under the ADA, is the responsibility of the lessor. The Student Services Office provides advice and information regarding architectural access.
Services may be provided to a student following an evaluation of his/her Application for Student Accommodations, which requires supportive documentation. This evaluation determines the student's eligibility for ADA services.
It is each student's responsibility to seek appropriate assistance and to manage his/her educational program by making the appropriate contacts with the College ADA Coordinator. All students must adhere to College policies, including policies governing the use of technology on campus, student conduct, College standards for satisfactory progress, etc., as well as standards established to preserve the quality of the learning environment for the benefit of all students.
The VP of Student Services and Instruction ensures that staff and faculty are provided with training in ADA processes, regulations, confidentiality standards, disabilities, College policies, standards for satisfactory performance, specific methods for providing services, assistive technology use, and documentation of services to students with disabilities. Training updates are provided as needed.
Procedures for Providing of Accommodations
College students who would like to receive accommodations must apply for services by completing the Application for Accommodations Form. Students requesting information about these procedures shall be referred to Student Services where they can confer with the ADA Coordinator.
The VP of Student Services and Instruction serves as the coordinator for services to students with disabilities. The ADA Services Coordinator reviews all requests for student accommodations, determines service eligibility, and coordinates the day-to-day services provided by the ADA service providers.
The Application for Accommodations Form instructs the applicant to provide documentation regarding specific accommodation needs in a properly dated and signed statement that includes:
- Specific diagnoses of the student’s physical and/or mental health condition(s), per the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10) or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV)
- A detailed analysis identifying how and to what extent the student’s conditions affect major life activities as defined by the ADA, with supportive information, including test results
- A detailed explanation concerning the beneficial or detrimental effects of mitigating measures (medication, personal visual/hearing aids, etc.) on the student’s performance of identified major life activities
- Clearly stated recommendations for accommodations as appropriate to the student's targeted technical training program
- All documentation must be typed on professional letterhead and signed by the provider. Documentation of a student’s physical impairments must be provided by a licensed and board-certified physician or nurse practitioner.
Documentation of a student’s mental impairments must be provided by a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker. Visual impairments must be documented by a licensed ophthalmologist. Hearing impairments must be documented by a certified otologist or audiologist. Learning disabilities must be documented by a psychologist or neuropsychologist. It is the responsibility of the student to provide the required documentation and to pay for any professional evaluations necessary to obtain such documentation for the purpose of applying for ADA services.
After a student has provided complete documentation, the ADA Coordinator may require an estimated one to two week time period for appropriate evaluation and processing. At the conclusion of the evaluation process, the ADA Coordinator will meet with the student who is requesting accommodations and will inform him/her of the approval or denial of services. The ADA Coordinator will answer questions and will advise the student of the process to be followed in the implementation of approved accommodations. Accommodations are only provided to eligible students for and during their current period of enrollment.
When a request for accommodation has been approved, the ADA Coordinator will document the student's Accommodation Plan and provide the student with a Letter of Accommodation . The ADA Coordinator will provide copies of the Letters of Accommodation to their instructors and otherwise inform their instructors of ADA services approved by the ADA Coordinator.
Should an ADA-eligible student withdraw from the College, all ADA accommodations shall be terminated. If the student returns, a Request for Accommodation must be resubmitted. If the student returns to the College and re-enrolls in the same program he/she left at the date of withdrawal, and his/her return occurs within a reasonable time period, no additional documentation may be needed when the Request for Accommodations is re-submitted. If the student returns to the College after an extended period, an interview with the student and a review of the original Request for Accommodations may indicate that additional documentation is required.
Student documentation for ADA services that is more than three (3) years old must be replaced with updated and current documentation regarding the disability diagnosis, functional limitations and specific recommendations regarding reasonable accommodations, as outlined in this section, except in cases where the disability is permanent and updates are not determined to be necessary. The ADA Coordinator may require more frequent updates in documentation for disabilities whose conditions are likely to change during a three-year period.
The ADA Coordinator provides information to College faculty regarding disability services and assistive technologies that are used in support of a qualified student with a disability. The Student Services Office also provides guidance to faculty members regarding the availability of ADA services, the importance of student confidentiality, student due process and other areas of concern related to services to students with disabilities.
The ADA Coordinator maintains the College records for ADA Services in a locked file located in his advising office. Student requests for updates or additional accommodations shall be given to the ADA Coordinator who shall follow up with the student to determine what procedures are needed to address the additional requests. Additional time will be required to evaluate such requests and to arrange services, if appropriate. The student shall be given an estimate of the time that will be needed to evaluate each request and arrange appropriate services. All such requests shall be documented and a response shall be provided to the student in the form of an updated Accommodations Letter. This and all other monitoring information shall be documented and stored in the confidential ADA file maintained by the ADA Counselor Leader.
The ADA Coordinator will meet quarterly with the Vice President of Student Services to review changes and updates in the ADA and Accommodations process.
Termination of ADA Accommodations
A student may request that accommodations be terminated at any time. In this case, the student shall be expected to promptly provide the ADA Coordinator a written and signed request to terminate services. A letter confirming the discontinuation of ADA Services will be sent to the student, with a copy in the student's ADA record. Services will be terminated automatically when the student withdraws from the College. Other conditions that result in student withdrawal from the College include withdrawal due to non-payment of tuition or non-attendance for 10 consecutive scheduled days.
Withdrawal for the above reasons will result in the termination of ADA services. A request for reinstatement of ADA services must be submitted by the student in the event that he/she elects to return to the College, as outlined in Section 3 of this document. Moreover, as noted above, to qualify for accommodations, the re-admitted student may be required to update his or her disability documentation if it is more than 3 years old.
Grievances and Appeals of ADA Decisions
College students who wish to appeal a decision regarding the provision or denial of reasonable accommodations, or who wish to file an informal or formal grievance regarding such decisions, may do so in accordance with the College policy on Student Grievances. A student may consult with the Student Advisor. If the student feels that his/her needs have not been met by the College, a complaint may be filed with the Office of Civil Rights at the address below.
Contact information for the Office of Civil Rights (OCR):
Customer Service Team
US Department of Education
Washington , D.C.
Phone: 1-800-421-3481
TDD: 1-877-521-2172
Email: ocr.ed.gov
Internet home page: http://www.ed.gov/ocr/
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