For students with a disability, faculty and the Office of Disability Support Services at Lansing Community College.
Who Benefits
Student Rights &
Responsibilities
Faculty Rights &
Responsibilities
ODSS Rights & Responsibilities
Definition of Terms
Educational access is the provision of classroom accommodations, auxiliary aids and services to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students regardless of disability. Creating equal educational opportunities is a collaborative effort between the student, the faculty member and the Office of Disability Support Services (ODSS).
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 protect students with disabilities from discrimination that may occur as a result of misconceptions, altitudinal barriers and/or failure of the institution to provide appropriate accommodations, auxiliary aids or services. Examples of accommodations and auxiliary aids include, but are not limited to: qualified interpreters, note takers, extra time for exams ad educational materials in alternate formats (ie: Braille, audiotape, electronic format or enlarged print).
- Students with disabilities. A
disability includes any physical or mental impairment that
substantially limits a major life activity.
- All faculty. Instructors are
assisted in their responsibility to teach all students in
their classes and to provide equal access to education.
- The Office of Disability Support
Services. This office provides a system for service
coordination in order to better meet student needs.
- Lansing Community College. By providing educational access for all students, the college meets its mandated responsibilities and enhances campus diversity.
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Student Rights and Responsibilities:
Students have the right to:
- Confidentiality: Expect all
disability-related information to be treated confidentially.
- Accommodations:
Receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner from faculty or ODSS.
Students should have the opportunity to meet privately with faculty to discuss needed accommodations and address any other concerns.
Please keep in mind that ODSS is the only office designated to review disability documentation and determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
- Appeal decisions regarding accommodations and auxiliary aids.
Students have the responsibility for the following:
- Documentation: Provide ODSS with
appropriate documentation of the disability.
- Confidentiality: Attend the
instructor's office hours or make an appointment with the
instructor to facilitate privacy in discussing classroom
accommodations.
- Accommodations:
1. Initiate requests to ODSS for specific accommodations as outlined in ODSS Guidelines.
2. Follow procedures with ODSS and faculty to arrange the appropriate accommodations.
3. Inform ODSS of the materials needed in alternate format according to ODSS Guidelines.
4. Notify faculty/ODSS immediately when accommodations are not provided.
5. Notify faculty/ODSS immediately when a decision has been made not to not use e-text. a
6. Provide for their own personal independent living needs or other personal disability-related needs.
- Communication: Act as their own advocate. Work with ODSS counselors on developing advocacy skills and communicating specific needs and accommodations to faculty.
Faculty Rights and Responsibilities:
Faculty have the right to:
- Instructor Memos: Students must communicate their accommodation needs to each instructor by providing an Instructor Memo form.
- This form must be obtained from the
Office of Disability Support Services each semester.
Faculty have responsibility for the following:
- Accommodations:
1. Identify and establish essential functions, abilities, skills and knowledge of their courses and evaluate students on this basis. Students with disabilities should meet the same course expectations as their peers.
2. Act immediately upon receiving a student's request for accommodations by providing the service or by meeting with students individually to discuss accommodation needs.
4. Work to ensure that all audio-visual materials used in class are accessible
(ie: the videos shown are captioned for students with hearing impairments and that the VCR equipment used has captioning capabilities; that videos shown will be made with auditory description in some way or that transcripts will be provided, etc).
- Confidentiality: Treat and protect
all disability-related information as confidential
information.
. - Communication: Consult with the student with a disability and ODSS in providing appropriate accommodations. PLEASE NOTE - Faculty do NOT have the right to ask students if they have a disability. For those students with documented disabilities, faculty do NOT have the right to ask about the nature of the disability. However, if students choose to disclose their disability, this information should be treated confidentially.
ODSS Rights and Responsibilities:
ODSS has the following rights:
- Documentation: Receive the
appropriate documentation from the student prior to
initiation of accommodations.
- Accommodations:
1. Expect students and faculty to work cooperatively with ODSS to facilitate academic accommodations.
2. Deny unreasonable academic accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary services. Accommodations cannot impose undue hardship to or fundamentally alter a program or activity of the college.
3. Deny academic accommodations/services if appropriate documentation has not been provided.
ODSS has the following responsibilities:
- Documentation: Collect, evaluate,
and determine eligibility for services and securely house
disability documentation for students.
- Confidentiality:
1. Treat and protect all disability-related information as confidential information.
2. Meet with students privately in an accessible location to discuss disability related needs.
- Accommodations:
1. Provide appropriate accommodations in collaboration with the student and the instructor.
2. Provide printed materials in an accessible format once the student submits needed documentation and of a print related disability and submit required paperwork to Reader Services.
- Communication: Communicate
procedures clearly to the student and the faculty.
- Advocacy: Assist students with
disabilities in understanding their strengths and functional
limitations. Provide them with the skills to become
self-advocates.
- Alternative
Text -- Print material that has been converted to a
format that enables a print-impaired person to read the
materials. This includes, but is not limed to: taped
materials, Braille, electronic text and enlarged print.
- Auxiliary aids -- Services,
equipment and procedures that allow students with
disabilities access to learning and activities in and out of
the classroom. They include, but are not limited to: sign
language interpreters, real time captioning, adaptive
technology, alternative media, exam accommodations, etc.
- Exam accommodations --
Legally-mandated services that allow students with
disabilities to exhibit their knowledge on exams by using
auxiliary aids which include, but are not limited to
extended time on tests, a reader/scribe, computers, large
print, adaptive software, quiet room, etc.
- Instructor Memo -- The form is provided to students with disabilities in an effort to facilitate communication between students and faculty regarding academic accommodation needs.
Adapted from "Fast Facts for Faculty -- Rights
and Responsibilities",
The Ohio State University partnership Grant.
