Center for Disability Services Student Handbook

Mission Statement
The mission of the Center for Disability Services (CDS) is to serve students with documented disabilities who require our services. Our purpose is to ensure equal access to students with disabilities to all college programs and to promote student independence and self-advocacy. To achieve this, we provide reasonable and appropriate services and accommodations to otherwise qualified students. We also provide support and education to all members of the college community, so as to develop an environment of awareness and mutual respect.

Legal Mandates
Post-secondary students with disabilities are guaranteed access to college programs and services by the following federal laws:

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
“No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States...shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
“Subject to the provisions of this title, no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, program, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by such an entity.”

Moraine Valley Community College is committed to the spirit and the letter of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. We acknowledge the responsibility of all staff, faculty, and students to adhere to the philosophy of equal access to opportunity.

Definition of Disability
The law defines a person with a disability 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 a disability, or if you are regarded as having a disability.

An “otherwise qualified” disabled individual is defined as one who with an auxiliary aid (e.g., tape recorder, text-on-tape, note-taker) or reasonable accommodation (e.g., test proctoring, extended time for testing, sign language interpreter) can meet the academic requirements that an institution can demonstrate essential to its education program.