|
Resources
 Recruitment,
Admissions and Registration
Qualified persons may not, on the basis of disability, be denied admission to,
enrollment in, or participation in college programs or activities. The number or
proportion of persons admitted will not be limited on the basis of disability.
Financial Aid
The college shall not provide less financial assistance to any student based on
his or her disabilities, limit his or her eligibility for assistance, or
otherwise discriminate against him or her. Based on requests and supporting
information provided by students to financial aid programs, financial aid awards
will recognize the particular needs of students with disabilities, including the
possible need for reducing credit loads. Accommodations will be made within the
limits prescribed by state and federal regulations.
Students should discuss their requests to reduce course loads with the Center
for Disability Services office.
Advising, Counseling
and Placement Services
Academic and career advising and placement services shall
be available in accessible settings without discrimination on the basis of
disability. Students have access to CDS counselors (L150) or the general
education counselors (Counseling and Career Development Center in the College
Center). Qualified students with disabilities shall not be counseled or advised
toward more restrictive career objectives than nondisabled students with similar
interests and abilities. This does not preclude providing factual information
about licensing and certification requirements which may present obstacles to
persons with disabilities in their pursuit of particular careers.
Student Employment
Postsecondary programs which employ students may not discriminate on the basis
of disability.
Confidentiality
The Center for Disability Services maintains strict confidentiality of student
records and information. Students' instructors will be informed of students'
needs for accommodations only after students have signed a release of
information form. Students' academic programs will be discussed with no one
outside of the center without written permission. Information regarding
disability will be safeguarded in other college areas (i.e., Admissions Office,
Financial Aid Office) under the same strict guidelines.
Academic Adjustments
Academic requirements will be modified, as necessary, to ensure that they do not
discriminate against qualified applicants or currently enrolled students with
disabilities. At student's request, the CDS staff may recommend academic
adjustments in compliance with state and federal mandates. Academic requirements
that are essential to programs of instruction are not considered discriminatory.
These modifications shall not affect the
substance of the educational program or compromise educational standards.
Modifications may include substitution of specific courses required for the
completion of degrees, or the adaptation of the manner in which specific courses
are conducted.
These steps will be followed
in requesting a course substitution:
-
Contact the CDS office as to the needed
substitution.
-
The CDS will contact the academic department
affected to determine whether or not the class is essential to the program
and whether a substitution or modification can be made.
Loan of
Adaptive Equipment
The CDS office lends or has available for use adaptive equipment and devices to
qualified students free of charge. Equipment is loaned out on a daily, weekly,
or semester basis depending on need and demand for equipment by other students.
Students are held responsible for equipment they borrow.
Students must initially request to borrow
equipment through a CDS staff person, who confirms the reasonableness of the
request based on student's disabilities. Students must sign an equipment release
agreement. Students will be instructed in the use and care of the equipment by a
staff person.
If students fail to return equipment by the end
of the semester, they may not be allowed to register for the next semester.
Full-Time Student Status
In some cases, students’ disabilities may prevent them from carrying a
12-credit course load. Decisions on full-time student status are made on a
case-by-case basis by the CDS director and staff.
Questioning an Accommodation
or Auxiliary Aid
Faculty members should be cognizant of the rights of students with disabilities
under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
Faculty members questioning the appropriateness
of an accommodation or auxiliary aid should direct their inquiry to the CDS
director. The CDS staff will work with faculty members and students to reach an
appropriate accommodation that gives students equal access to the program and
satisfies the concerns of faculty members.
Grievance Procedures
Students have the right to express concern if they believe they have been
discriminated against because of their disability. The college has a student
complaint and hearing process in place for discrimination grievances (See the
Moraine Valley Community College catalog).
Students should first express their concerns to
their instructor. If this does not resolve the concern, students should then see
the director of the Center for Disability Services. The director will
investigate the concern and communicate a decision to the student within 40
college days. If students are not satisfied with the director’s decision, they
may continue their appeal as is outlined in the college catalog.
Increasing Disability
Awareness
The CDS office provides current information to faculty, staff and students
regarding disabilities and the available programs and services relating to them.
Carl Perkins Services
Students enrolled in career programs at Moraine Valley may be eligible for
additional educational support services provided by the Carl D. Perkins
Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act. Students in other career or
technical programs may also be eligible for services.
Under the act, opportunities are provided for
students to overcome barriers (i.e., academic disadvantages, economic
disadvantages, being a non-traditional student, limited English, disabilities)
and successfully integrate their strengths within society. Support services that
students may be entitled to are: tutoring, interpreters,
adapted equipment, note-takers,
and educational and career counseling.
Assistance with special needs includes help to
enter a vocational education program; assessment of special needs; supplementary
services including curriculum and equipment modification, supportive personnel
and instructional devices; counseling and career development; and services
designed to facilitate transition from school to postsecondary employment and
career opportunities.
Notification of Return
Students with disabilities who have not registered for classes for a semester or
more need to contact the Center for Disability Services upon their return to
Moraine Valley because they will have been removed from active status and their
instructors will not be notified of services.
Records
Student records are kept on file in the CDS office for a maximum of five years.
After five years student records are destroyed. Students who have not been
registered for five years will need to go through the admission process again.
Learning/Teaching
Strategies—Suggestions for Instructors
| 
