Office of
Accessibility Services
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Any student who believes that there has been a violation of the
regulations is encouraged to discuss the matter with the OAS Coordinator
first. If such discussion does not resolve the matter, the student may
then initiate a grievance.
An OAS student may appeal an Office of Accessibility Services decision
by doing the following:
- Submit a written grievance to the Director of Student Development no
more that 45 days (includes Saturdays and Sundays) from date of grieved
occurrence.
- The Director of Student Development will attempt to schedule an
appointment or contact the student by phone within 15 working days of
receiving the written grievance. The Director will include the decision
in a letter sent to the student by registered mail and forward a copy to
the OAS Office (within 5 working days after discussion with the
student). If an extension of time is needed in order to fully
investigate the complaint, the Director will notify the student in
writing (registered mail).
- The student can appeal this decision by submitting a written
grievance to the ADA Coordinator. This written appeal must be filed
within 15 days (includes Saturdays and Sundays) from the date of the
Director's letter. The ADA Coordinator will attempt to schedule an
appointment or contact the student by phone within 10 working days of
grievance receipt. The ADA Coordinator will forward a letter of finding
within 5 working days (registered mail) after contacting student. If an
extension is needed, the student will be notified in writing (registered
mail).
THE STUDENT HAS THE RIGHT TO APPEAL ANY DECISIONS TO THE OFFICE OF
CIVIL RIGHTS/DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AFTER THE ABOVE ATTEMPTS OF
RESOLUTION HAVE BEEN MET.
In all grievance cases, a copy of
the finding will be forwarded to the OAS Coordinator.
COURSE SUBSTITUTION
SCC will make reasonable modifications to its academic requirements, if
necessary, to comply with legal requirements, ensuring that such
requirements do not discriminate or have the effect of discriminating on
the basis of a student's known and adequately documented disability.
Requested modification should not alter essential elements of the program,
licensing requirements or result in undue financial or administrative
burdens.
The decision regarding whether the substitution is reasonable lies with
Academic Affairs. Academic Affairs and the departments involved will
determine if an appropriate modification or substitution is possible.
Students should complete the Petition for Academic Program Exceptions and
Waivers if interested in a substitution/waiver.
THE STUDENT MUST BE COGNIZANT OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE TRANSFER
INSTITUTION MAY NOT ACCEPT THE COURSE SUBSTITUTION.
OUT-OF-CLASS EXAMS - TEST PROCTORING
In some cases, out-of-class testing is an appropriate
accommodation. Students receiving this accommodation will receive a
sheet providing the step-by-step process for out-of-class testing. The
testing situation is treated the same as in-class testing regarding
academic dishonesty (refer to the Student Handbook). Students are informed
of this in writing prior to their first out-of-class exam each semester.
The signed form is incorporated into their OAS file.
OAS students are asked to schedule exams no less than one week (defined
as 7 days - includes weekends) in advance to ensure proctor coverage. The
OAS Office forwards written notification to the instructor. The form
indicates the day and time of the test and asks that any special test
instructions be included. If none are noted, the exam will be administered
as any other exam (notes or open book, etc., will not be
permitted). The instructor will have the test available on or before
the specified date and time of the scheduled exam. The OAS Office is not
responsible for locating the test or instructor. The exams may be
administered by the OAS Coordinator, OAS assistants, test proctor, or
someone approved by the OAS Office. Faculty can administer exams for
students, should they prefer to do so. When the test is completed, it will
be personally delivered by the test proctor to the instructor or his/her
secretary. A signature will be obtained to document that the test was
returned. If OAS is unable to secure a signature due to unavailability of
staff/faculty, locked office, etc., the test will be returned to the
locked test file in the OAS Office. Attempts will continue to be made
until delivery with signature verification can be secured.
If the exam is not taken on the scheduled date, the instructor is
notified in writing or by voice mail. The exam will be kept for two days.
It is the student's responsibility to reschedule the test per the
instructor's approval. The instructor must notify the OAS Office of this
approval.
OUT-OF-CLASS EXAMS - TESTING GUIDELINES
It is necessary for each student to complete a Faculty Notification
form through OAS for each class in which testing accommodations are
requested. It is important that students give the forms to their
instructors. Only then can students schedule out-of-class testing
with OAS.
Students must meet with the instructor to verify:
- Instructor's preference in test scheduling (same day, etc.).
- Permission to reschedule an exam. Instructors determine if they will
allow their student to reschedule an exam.
- Tests may not be administered at the same time as the student's
class meets due to OAS scheduling and need for extended time. OAS cannot
schedule exams based on work schedule, but will be flexible due to course
schedule.
Instructors are responsible for getting the exam to OAS. A minimum of
five days is requested to allow sufficient time to scan, braille, provide
tactile drawings, etc.
FULL TIME STATUS WITH REDUCED COURSELOAD
Requests for full time status with reduced course load should be
processed through the Office of Accessibility Services eight weeks prior
to the start of the semester.
The College will consider a reduced course load request submitted by a
student on a semester-by-semester basis. The College considers 12 hours to
be full-time status but recognizes that a student (due to a documented
disability) may need to take fewer than 12 hours. If a student wants to
take fewer than 12 hours but maintain full-time status, the request must
be submitted to the Office of Accessibility Services Coordinator.
Appropriate documentation must be on file with OAS.
The Coordinator will meet with the student and evaluate the impact
of the disability and demands of the class schedule. Impact and consequences
of a reduced course load will be explained to the student (financial
aid/scholarship coverage, etc.). The Reduced Course-Load Request Form
will be completed by the student and the OAS Coordinator. The form will
then be forwarded to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. That
office will notify the student and OAS office of the decision. The
Office of Academic and Student Affairs will also contact any other campus
offices of approval if necessary. The approved credit load will apply
for the requested semester. If the student drops below the minimum credit
load during the semester, the student will lose full-time status.
If approval is denied, the student may appeal the decision in writing
through the Grievance Procedure.
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