Rights responsibilities

The DRC is located in AC-115. Services will be based on the level of disability and the academic needs of each student. Students may be interested in improving job skills, getting a vocational certificate, pursuing personal enrichment, or planning to transfer to a four-year college. 

Instructors...

Have the responsibility to

Provide the accommodations documented in the DRC Academic Accommodation Plan.

Protect the student's confidentiality regarding any accommodations or disability.

Use instructional materials that comply with ADA, 504, and 508 requirements, regardless of the presence or absence of students with identified needs for accommodation in their classes. For example, under the applicable law, video materials must be closed-captioned if they are to be used for instruction, regardless of whether or not a hearing-impaired student is present.

Encourage students requesting accommodations to contact DRC to determine their eligibility. Faculty do not have the expertise to determine whether a student qualifies for accommodations and doing so without following due process may be considered preferential treatment.

Have the right to

Request to see their student's DRC Academic Accommodation Plan.

Expect ALL students, including those with disabilities, to comply with the college's Student Code of Conduct.

Hold students with disabilities to the same standards, attendance policies, and academic rigor as their typically abled classmates once all authorized accommodations have been implemented.

Challenge accommodations that would fundamentally alter the course.

Do NOT have the right to

Ask a student what disability s/he has (a student may choose to disclose, but the instructor cannot ask).

Discuss the student's disability (if disclosed) and/or accommodations with anyone other than the student or the DRC office staff without written permission from the student (this information is protected by FERPA and HIPPA regulations). Note, however, that an instructor could ask a colleague about her experience working with students who, for example, use wheelchairs or have acquired brain injury, as long as no specific student is identified during the conversation.

Share information about the student's grades or performance with the student's parents or legal guardians.

Students...

Have the responsibility to

Submit the appropriate documentation (for example, expert diagnostic assessments, medical records, Individualized Educational Programs [IEPs] from K-12 schools, or similar) to the DRC office in a timely fashion to support application for accommodations.

Provide the DRC Academic Accommodation Plan to their instructors in a timely fashion and discuss specific elements as needed in order to receive accommodations.

Submit an Academic Accommodation Request for test accommodations/equipment.

Adhere to the Student Code of Conduct.

Discuss, and advocate for, their own needs with their instructors.

Have the right to

Receive academic accommodations as documented in their DRC Academic Accommodation Plan after the plan has been shared with the instructor.

Receive instructional materials, including videos, in formats appropriate to their documented needs. Note that in some cases the student may need to submit an advance request to the instructor and/or the DRC office.

Appeal DRC decisions through the Vice President of Student Services.

Do NOT have the right to

Receive a passing grade simply because they have an accommodation plan or a disability.

Receive academic accommodations without verifying their eligibility through the DRC office.

Receive accommodations that fundamentally alter the nature of a program, course, or activity.

Receive accommodations that would pose an undue financial burden on the college.