Any student who has a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities is eligible to receive services. At Gateway, the life activities would most likely be those involved with learning.
There are many differences between obtaining and receiving services in high school and college. This chart illustrates some of the major differences.
Documentation is the paperwork that proves that a person has a disability. A person’s disability is diagnosed by a professional qualified to make the diagnosis. For example, a family physician is qualified to diagnose a person’s back injury, but most likely is not qualified to diagnose a learning disability. Documentation should be current for the disability. For example, if a person has bi-polar disorder, experiences frequent medication changes, and has been hospitalized in the last year, up-to-date documentation of the impact of his/her disability is probably needed. However, if a person has been deaf since birth, the college does not need for him/her to visit an audiologist to prove that he/she is still deaf.
A student’s high school Individual Education Program or Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan can be used as part of the disability documentation. This depends on the details in the paperwork. Look at the documentation guidelines.
The IEP or 504 Plan was designed to meet public school laws and regulations that require qualified students with disabilities to receive a free and appropriate public education. Laws that apply to postsecondary education state that colleges cannot discriminate on the basis of a disability. The IEP pr 504 Plan might state how a student received instruction, but might not give information on how to access a college course that is not specially designed for that student.
Accommodations(like these examples) refer to academic adjustments and auxiliary aids. Accommodations are the actions that the college takes or the equipment the college provides to give students with disabilities the ability to participate in courses or college activities. Deciding on accommodations is an interactive process. It involves a conversation between the student and Disability Services. We determine accommodations on a case-by-case basis. We build those accommodations on the functional limitations from the documentation and in our discussion. The discussion lets the student to tell us how his or her disability affects learning.
Follow the steps detailed here, and remember that you have certain responsibilities as part of the process.
No. You must self-identify as an individual with a disability to receive accommodations from the Disability Services Office. Each semester you must initiate contact with our office to complete your request for each class. You must then give the accommodation memo to the instructor in order to obtain those accommodations.
Most colleges have policies and procedures in place to provide services for students with disabilities. They also have an office or person who is in charge of approving services. This protects the rights of the students, faculty, and college. At Gateway, involving Disability Services in the process helps assure that the student truly does have a disability and the accommodations are needed for that student to gain access to college courses or activities. Also, these policies and procedures help ensure that the college is providing consistent services. They also create proof that accommodations were requested and approved or denied and the reason. Finally, they help ensure confidentiality of the student’s disability documentation.
No. All students must meet the essential academic and technical requirements (be otherwise qualified) to enter a program and maintain them to remain in that program. Students must display mastery of course material to earn college credit. Classroom behavioral standards must be met.
Contact Disability Services immediately!
Complying with anti-discrimination laws is a college-wide responsibility. All employees of the college are required to comply. Disability Services will talk with the professor. Perhaps the professor simply forgot about the accommodation. Also, if the professor believes an accommodation changes an essential requirement, talking with Disability Services and the student may reveal other accommodations that might work as well. Providing accommodations while maintaining the academic integrity of courses is a team effort.
Contact Disability Services immediately! It is up to the student to let Disability Services know when an accommodation is not working as planned. Remember, too, that accommodations do not guarantee success in a course, just access.
Unfortunately, Gateway does not have full-time interpreters or captioners for students who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or have a communication disability. If you stop by the college unannounced, an interpreter or captioner is not immediately available. You will need to communicate through writing. Contact Disability Services at 859-442-4120 through VRS or by email at colleen.kane@kctcs.edu to schedule an interpreter or captioner. This practice applies to scheduling an interpreter or captioner for information sessions, placement testing, Financial Aid appointments, advising appointments, or any college entrance activity.
No. Students are responsible for arranging and providing these services. This includes, but is not limited to, medical equipment, personal care attendants, specialized tutors, or educational aides. For example, if you need to be reminded to take medication, need assistance to get from place to place, etc., that is a personal service that you need in order to function on a daily basis, whether you are in college or not. Please note that there is no medical facility on campus. If you have a personal attendant that will need to accompany you to class, prior notification must be made before any non-student can attend a course. Faculty will be notified of the non-student's defined role.
Students who attend college are considered adults for making educational decisions. This applies even if the student is not 18 years old. Also, students with disabilities who attend college do not have to let anyone know that they have a disability.Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. However, parents are a wonderful source of support and information. Students are encouraged to have open communication with their parents or other significant family members.