We at Isothermal Community College are committed to providing access to facilities and reasonable accommodations in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Our goal is to integrate students with disabilities into the College and to help them participate and benefit from programs and activities enjoyed by all students.
The Accessibility Office provides accommodations for (but not limited to) the following:
Isothermal Community College provides services and equipment for students with disabilities such as (but not limited to):
Students with disabilities are expected to meet qualifications and maintain essential institutional standards for courses, programs, activities, and facilities. The Office of Accessibility promotes self-advocacy. Students are encouraged to be independent thinkers who know their learning strengths and weaknesses and subsequently develop appropriate coping strategies for academic success, including approaching instructors and discussing any disability services they may be receiving. This philosophy promotes independence and develops the skills students will need to function successfully in the world of work.
An individual with a disability, as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, is one who has a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment. Federal law requires that no "otherwise qualified" person with a disability shall be excluded from participation, denied a benefit, or be discriminated against solely on the basis of disability.
Documentation must be provided from an appropriately licensed/certified professional and must be complete enough to establish the student's status as a person with a disability as well as establishing the need for any requested accommodations, including those associated with placement testing. In most cases, the documentation should be no older than three years. An Individualized Education Plan is not considered acceptable documentation.
Once the accommodation request form and documentation of the disability is received, the student and the Accessibility Counselor will meet to discuss the necessary accommodations.
The Accessibility Counselor will prepare instructor notification letters for the student's faculty member(s) each semester outlining the accommodations to which the student is entitled
The student must pick up instructor notification letters from the Accessibility Counselor and deliver to instructors.
It is important to note that while the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act protects the rights of qualified students with disabilities, it also affirms their right to refuse any accommodation. Thus, students are not required to register with the Office of Accessibility, identify themselves to instructors, staff or others as having a disability, or accept accommodations they do not want or need.
Note: the following links are for external web sites that are not connected with Isothermal Community College. Including them on this page does not indicate any endorsement by Isothermal and Isothermal is not responsible for the accuracy of their content.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex – including pregnancy and parental status – in educational programs and activities. Although pregnancy is not a disability covered under the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, the Title IX regulations specifically prohibit discrimination against a student based on pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these conditions. Title IX regulations also prohibit the college from excluding a pregnant student from participating in any part of an educational program. If a pregnant student desires accommodations to assist with their participation in the educational process, the student may submit a Title IX Request for Academic Accommodations for Pregnancy form to the Accessibility Counselor. For more information, contact the Advising and Success Center.
Isothermal Community College, in the execution of its responsibilities to students, must maintain accurate and confidential student records. The Advising and Success Center as the responsibility for maintaining these records in accordance with existing state laws, college policy, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended. Students are notified annually of their rights.