Accessibility Services

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its subsequent amendments along with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are the basis for Disability Services. Section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states in part:

• The ADA of 1990 is a broad affirmation of Section 504. However, its application is not limited to agencies receiving federal funding. Both laws are federal anti-discrimination statutes that seek to provide equal access opportunities. Neither guarantees equal results, establishes quotas, nor requires preferences favoring individuals with disabilities over those without disabilities.
  
  
• A qualified individual is a student who, with or without accommodation(s), meets the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) college and program qualifications and essential technical, academic, and institutional standards.

A person with a disability is defined by law as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The definition further indicates that you are a person with a disability and entitled to protection from discrimination if you have a disability, if you have a history of disability, or if you are regarded as having a disability. Major life activities may include, but are not necessarily limited to, caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, breathing, learning, and working. Disabilities that could substantially limit a major life activity may include, but are not limited to, spinal cord injuries, cancer, psychiatric disorders, brain injuries, learning disabilities, speech impairments, visual impairments, deafness, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, loss of limbs, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and severe orthopedic injuries.

SKYCTC is committed to achieving equal educational opportunities and full participation for persons with disabilities. The mission of Disability Services is to provide and coordinate accessibility-related resources and support services to all students, departments, and programs of the college. The goals are to:

• Provide access to educational opportunity with services, technology, and advocacy which integrate the students with disabilities into the college at large.
  
  
• Verify individual disabilities for students of the college and maintain confidentiality for such students.
  
  
• Determine and provide reasonable accommodations and services based on review and evaluation of documentation of disability presented by students.
  
  
• Empower students toward self-advocacy.
  help create a diverse student body by assisting in the recruitment of students with disabilities.
  
  
• Create partnerships with students, faculty, staff, and administration to foster access to academic programs.
  
  
• Educate students, faculty, staff, and administration on issues affecting persons with disabilities.
  
  
• Support college departments and offices in their efforts to achieve equal access and participation.

Accessibility Services helps ensure that students with disabilities receive academic adjustments and auxiliary aids, which are usually called accommodations. You are encouraged to contact Accessibility Services and present documentation of your disability even if you do not want to use accommodations. Accessibility Services can be reached at (270) 901-1088.

If you would like to receive accessibility services, you must request those services separately from admission to SKYCTC. The simplified Accessibility Services intake process is:

• Complete admission to SKYCTC
  
  
• Register for classes
  
  
• Provide documentation of the disability to Accessibility Services
  
  
• Schedule a meeting with Accessibility Services to discuss accommodations based on the functional limitations that were described in the documentation
  
  You do not need to complete this process in order, but discussion of specific accommodations is often based on the courses that you are taking. You are encouraged to contact Accessibility Services as soon as you are aware that you will need accommodations to access courses or activities at SKYCTC. Accessibility Services is the college department assigned to receive documentation of your disabilities, to review that documentation in light of your accommodation requests, and recommend accommodations. Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and are based on the functional limitations described in the disability documentation. You should not request accommodations directly from your instructor without first having made the request through Accessibility Services. Accommodations begin when the instructor receives notification from Accessibility Services. Accommodations are not retroactive to before the notification is delivered. Students must meet with Accessibility Services each semester and request accommodations each semester.
  
  Documentation of a disability is made by a practitioner qualified to make the diagnosis and should include:

1. Diagnosis a statement of the medical, physical, cognitive, or mental health impairment by a recognizable diagnosis, preferably from the most recent edition of the DSM or ICD;
   
   
2. Date first diagnosed establish an initial date when a diagnosis was made or when the certifying practitioner accepted a previous diagnosis and began treatment or services;
   
   
3. Names of relevant tests and results establish how the practitioner arrived at the diagnosis and include test results and discussion if applicable; this is especially important when the disability is a cognitive or learning disability or a type of Attention Deficit Disorder;
   
   
4. Severity of disability discuss the extent to which the disability substantially limits a major life activity; it is especially important to discuss the functional limitations as they relate to learning and participation in class and educational activities; discuss also the expected progression or stability of the limitations;
   
   
5. Method(s) of current treatment discuss the current treatment protocol and desired outcome; include prescribed medication and side effects;
   
   
6. Recommendations include observations on the student and recommendations for academic adjustments and auxiliary aids.
   
   Individual Education Plans/Programs or 504 Plans from secondary education are usually insufficient to support requests for accommodations. Disability information written on a prescription pad or that is only one page in length are usually insufficient to support requests for accommodations. The college is not obligated to provide accommodations that are recommended by a practitioner or a counselor from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
   
   Students with disabilities who need assistance to evacuate the college during an emergency should notify Accessibility Services prior to the beginning of each semester even if they are not requesting accommodations.