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What is the Office of Disability Services?

Capital Community College is a higher education institution that provides learning opportunities to every student including students with disabilities. We are committed to providing and promoting equal opportunities in all programs and services.

The Office of Disability Services at Capital Community College provides accommodations (academic adjustments) to qualified students with disabilities. Students can seek ongoing services, support, and advising throughout the academic year.

You are encouraged to contact us to make an appointment for services.

“@ Capital, we believe in the abilities.”

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Every student with a documented disability has the right to:

  1. Equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities available through the college.
  2. Reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis.
  3. Appropriate confidentiality of all information pertaining to his/her disability with the choice of whom to disclose his/her disability to except as required by law.
  4. Information reasonably available in accessible formats.

Every student with a disability has the responsibility to:

  1. Meet the college’s qualifications as well as academic and institutional standards.
  2. Disclose their disability in a timely manner to the Office of Disability Services when seeking accommodations to avoid any delay in services. Please note that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until a Letter of Accommodation from the Office of Disability Services has been received by faculty and are not retroactive.
  3. Provide documentation from an appropriate professional source that verifies the nature of the student’s disability, functional limitations, and the need for specific accommodations.
  4. Follow procedures for obtaining appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments and/or [extra href=”#aids” title=”Auxilary Aids” info=”popover” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”Auxiliary aids are services or devices that enable persons with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, programs or activities (adaptive equipment, alternate formatted books)”]auxiliary aids[/extra].
  5. Communicate any accommodations concerns or needed adjustments in a timely manner with the Office of Disability Services including but not limited to service cancellations.
  6. Follow up with their instructors about the accommodations outlined in their “Letters of Accommodation”.

Defining Reasonable Accommodations (Academic Adjustments)

A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, job activity, or facility that ensures an equal opportunity for qualified students with disabilities to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, a service, program, or activity. Aids, benefits, or services need not produce equal results, but must afford an equal opportunity to achieve equal results. When necessary, the Office of Disability Services will consult with faculty regarding whether an accommodation would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program or activity or whether an academic requirement is essential to the instruction being pursued or to any directly related licensing requirement. In doing so, the Office of Disability Services will examine the following:

  • Barriers between individuals with disabilities and the campus environment in accessing courses, programs, services, jobs, activities or facilities without accommodations;
  • Requested modifications, accommodations, and auxiliary aids;
  • Whether the proposed accommodations would fundamentally alter the nature of the course, program, service, job, activity, or facility;

Whether an academic requirement is essential to the instruction or to any directly related licensing requirement;

  • Whether effective alternatives exist that would allow the individual with a disability to participate without lowering essential requirements or fundamentally altering the nature of the program.
    When the college determines that a modification related to facilities or communication would result in a fundamental alteration or undue burden, the Office of Disability Services shall acquire the written opinion of the proper authority, i.e. department chair of impacted discipline, providing the reasoning supporting the decision.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Receiving Reasonable Accommodations (Academic Adjustments)

Each accommodation plan may be unique based on each student’s current needs as well as the supporting documentation. For the best experience, planning and open communication between the College’s Office of Disability Services and the student is necessary every semester accommodations are requested. Letters of Accommodation are not created automatically, and accommodations are not provided retroactively.

For First-Time Accommodation Requests

  1. The student discloses their disability or disabilities to the Office of Disability Services and submits a request with appropriate documentation through ACCOMMODATE public page.
  2. Once a request is received, the student is contacted by the Office of Disability Services to schedule an intake appointment.
  3. Appropriate accommodations are determined through a collaboration between student and staff at the intake or follow-up appointment.
  4. Letters of Accommodation are generated and provided to students and faculty.
  5. The student communicates their accommodations with faculty to set them up for the semester and participates fully in each course to achieve their fullest potential for success in each course.
  6. During the semester, students are responsible for accessing the accommodations provided to them as well as other resources available on campus while maintaining open communication with the Office of Disability Services to promote student success.

For Renewal Accommodation Requests

Students approved for accommodations though the Office of Disability Services must request renewal accommodations each semester.

  1. Student completes the “semester request” in the ACCOMMODATE system
  2. Requests are reviewed and approved by Office of Disability Services
  3. Letters of Accommodation with approved accommodations sent to faculty as requested by student
  4. Discuss approved accommodation with each faculty member
  5. During the semester, students are responsible for accessing the accommodations provided to them as well as other resources available on campus while maintaining open communication with the Office of Disability Services to promote student success.

Instructions for Renewing Accommodations

Sample of Accommodations (Academic Adjustments)

TESTING ACCOMMODATION EXAMPLES
  • Extended time for testing
  • Proctored testing in a quiet location
  • Enlarged print
CLASSROOM ACCOMMODATIONS EXAMPLES
  • Sign language interpreter
  • Note taker or access to instructor’s notes
  • Enlarged type or alternative format of classroom materials
  • Assistive technology
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY EXAMPLES
  • Google Read & Write
  • ZoomText – enlarges computer screen while reading out documents, webpages, and emails
NOT PROVIDED BY THE COLLEGE
  • Learning disability evaluation
  • Classroom aids or personal care assistants

The law after high school (FERPA)

The College abides by the American Disabilities Act as Amended (ADAAA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which provides a right to reasonable accommodations for qualified persons with disabilities, so that courses, examinations and activities will be accessible.

In high school, it was the school’s responsibility to identify a student and provide assessment of a disability. In college, it is the student’s responsibility to disclose their disability, request specific accommodations or academic adjustment and supply supporting documentation.

Although many students from the high school had their parents advocating on their behalf, the College requires that students advocate for themselves. The College must abide by the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) which protects a student’s record from being disclosed or discussed without written permission from the student.

Unlike high school, academic adjustments are not provided automatically. A student must request academic adjustments at least 30 days prior to each semester.

Unlike high school, it is the college student’s responsibility (not the counselor’s) to share the academic adjustment letters with professors.

Appropriate Documentation for Services

  1. Documentation must come from an authorized agency, individual or medical source. It must be written on letterhead and include the names, titles and professional credentials of the evaluators.
  2. The diagnosis of the disability should be clearly indicated. The documentation must describe the disability and explain how this condition may affect a student in an academic setting.
    1. Psychological /Educational evaluations, Neurological evaluation or Certificate of Blindness should be shared with the Disabilities Services Coordinator if available.
  3. The documentation may also suggest reasonable adjustments that may be necessary to assist the student in an academic setting.
  4. The documentation must be current (usually defined as within the past three years). Students without documentation can bring the Request from Provider Form to be completed by their provider to receive reasonable accommodations. Students without documentation can bring the appropriate documentation guidelines handout to be completed by their provider to receive reasonable accommodations.

Contact Us

For appointments or questions about accommodations email us at CA-Disabilities@ccc.commnet.edu.

Helena Carrasquillo, M.S.
Interim Disability Services Coordinator

Mark Lukas, M.S., CRC
Disabilities Specialist

Student Links / Resources/ Tips for Success

Faculty Link

Service Animal

Service animals, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, are dogs that have been trained to perform a specific task, and are able to go wherever their owner goes, with very few exceptions. They are different from Emotional Support Animals (ESAs), which do not perform a specific task. ESAs are not permitted on campus.

Service animals perform many functions, like guiding someone who is blind, helping a person with physical limitations to walk or press automatic door openers, or helping an owner to short-circuit psychiatric symptoms associated with PTSD or Panic Disorder.

There are only 2 questions that can be asked of the owner of a service animal to determine its legitimacy:

1) Do you have the animal because of a disability?
2) What is the animal trained to do?

If it is readily apparent that the dog is providing a service, as in the case of helping to guide a blind person, these questions are considered inappropriate and should not be asked.

There is no requirement that service animals be “certified”, “registered” or wear a vest. Owners will sometimes use these devices to alert or educate the public, but there is no legal expectation for their use.

The owner of a service animal is responsible for cleaning up after it. A service animal can be banned if it is not housebroken or if the animal is disruptive.

A service animal cannot be excluded from a class merely because another student has a dog allergy. Our staff would work with an instructor to make sure the service animal and the student with a dog allergy keep a safe distance in the classroom.

With the owner’s permission, others may interact with a service animal.

For those interested in learning more about service animals, the following Department of Justice publications are available: one with the final regulations about service animals, and the other to a frequently-asked-questions page.

Final Regulations on Service Animals

Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA

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