Skip to main content

Navigation

Quicklinks



Office of Accessibility

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.

Accommodations

The Accessibility Office provides accommodations for (but not limited to) the following:

  • Visual Impairments
  • Hearing Impairments
  • Physical Impairments
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Chronic Medical Conditions

Available Services and Equipment

Isothermal Community College provides services and equipment for students with disabilities such as (but not limited to):

  • Academic, career and disability counseling
  • Admissions assistance
  • Interpreters
  • Notetakers
  • Testing Accommodations
  • Adaptive Technology
  • Referral to community agencies

Student Accommodation Process

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.

In order to establish eligibility for accommodations, students must:

  • Complete an Isothermal Community College application and return it to the Office of Admissions
  • Provide an official copy of high school or High School Equivalency transcript to the Office of Admissions
  • Schedule an appointment to the take the placement assessment test. Students should contact the Accessibility Counselor at 828-395-1732 to arrange accommodations for testing if needed.
  • Notify the Accessibility Counselor of the need for services 30 days prior to registration.
  • Complete and return the accommodation request form and provide acceptable documentation to the Accessibility Counselor.

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.

Contact for information

The Patriot Hub
Student Center, Room 32
Office: 828-395-1436

Office hours

8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Subject to change depending on availability.