I have a copy of the Accommodation Student Handbook
Contact Information:
Temple College
2600 South First Street Temple, Tx 76504
254-298-8335
1-800-460-4636 Ext:8335
Office of Student Accommodations Main Building-3rd Floor
Office #307
254-298-8335
Disability Laws in Postsecondary Education
Individuals with disabilities are entitled by law to equal access to postsecondary programs. There are two laws that protect persons with disabilities in postsecondary education: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
According to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990), a student with a disability is someone who has a physical or mental impairment; has a history of impairment; or is believed to have a disability that substantially limits a major life activity such as learning, speaking, seeing, hearing, breathing, walking, caring for one’s self, or performing manual tasks.
The Rehabilitation Act
Title V of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is generally regarded as the first civil rights legislation on the national level for people with disabilities. Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act is a program access statute. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability in any program or activity offered by an entity or institution receiving federal funds.
Section 504 states (as amended):
“No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States...shall, solely on the basis of disability, be denied access to,or the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity provided by any institution receiving federal financial assistance.”
Under Section 504, institutions are required to appoint and maintain at least one person to coordinate its efforts to comply with the requirements of Section 504 (Section 504 Coordinator).
This individual office has the ongoing responsibility of assuring that the institution/agency/organization practices nondiscrimination on the basis of disability and should be included in any grievance procedures developed to address possible instances of discrimination brought against the institution. The established person at Temple College is the Coordinator of Accommodations.
For other testing: HESSI, ACCUPLACER, etc., the request for accommodations needs to be submitted with sufficient notice so that the appropriate arrangements can be made. (Director of Student Accommodations) at 254-298-8335.
As a student at TC, it is your responsibility to:
• Meet with The Director of Student Accommodations at the start of each semester to request your accommodations be emailed to your instructors.
• Attend class on a regular basis.
• Complete assigned course work on a timely and regular basis.
• Take tests as scheduled unless otherwise coordinated with the instructor.
• Participate in class activities.
• Provide instructors advance notice of special needs.
• Abide by Temple College policies and procedures at all times.
Neither the accommodation nor the disability removes the above responsibilities from you. The intent of accommodations is to diminish the impact of a disability on your learning and take awary the barriers you have due to the disability to give you equal access to the education we provide at Temple College.
Accommodations do not reduce or eliminate course standards and/or degree requirements. You are graded according to your class performance.
Documentation Guidelines for Learning Disabilities Services
The Student Accommodations office at Temple College adheres to the recommended guidelines as set forth by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
Tests and standard scores reported for those sub-tests must be included. The battery will include current levels of academic functioning in relevant areas such as reading (decoding and comprehension), mathematics, processing speed, and oral and written language.
1. Specific areas of information processing (short and long- term memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual perception/ processing, processing speed, executive functioning and motor ability) will be included in the assessment battery.
2. Informal observations of the student during the test administration may be included as well as other non-standard measures that may help determine a learning disability and differentiate it from co-existing neurological and/or psychiatric disorders.
B. Specific Diagnosis
1. The diagnostician will use clear and direct language in the diagnosis and documentation.
2. When a learning disability does not exist, the evaluator must state that conclusion in the report. Individual “learning styles,” “learning differences,” “academic problems” and “test difficulty or anxiety” in and of themselves do not constitute a learning disability.
C. Test Scores
1. Standard scores and percentiles (when appropriate) will be provided for all normative measures along with grade equivalents (when appropriate) but not separately.
2. Results will reflect a substantial limitation to learning for which the student is requesting the accommodation.
3. The profile of the student’s strengths and weaknesses will be shown to relate to the functional limitations that may necessitate accommodations.
Tests must be reliable, valid and standardized for use with adolescents/adults across diverse populations
In order to receive accommodations, you must obtain a student accommodation memo from the Office of Student Accommodations. This process is as follows:
1. Meet with The Director of Student Accommodations at the beginning of each semester to request your accommodations be emailed to your instructors and determine what accommodations you are eligible to receive upon your request.
2. Once the accommodations are requested each semester The Director of Student Accommodations will then prepare a student accommodation memo for you. The accommodations the instructor is expected to provide will be stated in the memo.
3. The Director of Student Accommodations will then email the accommodation letter to your instructors for you and also email you a copy of the accommodation letter.
4. It is your right to choose whether to disclose to the instructor that you have a qualified disability which makes you eligible for accommodations. It is recommended that the student check with their instructors to make sure the instructors received the student's accommodation letters.
5. Accommodations requested by students, which are not documented in the student accommodations memo, will not be provided.
6. You will not be provided any accommodations until you meet with the Director of Student Accommodations each semester to request the accommodations be emailed to your instructors for you.
7. Meet with the Director of Student Accommodations if problems arise regarding the provisions of your accommodations. Student can also discuss/ask their instructors about their accommodations and any issues or problems they are having with them. Students are encouraged to self advocate for their accommodations and any issues that may arise.
Dual Credit Enrollment Students
Students enrolled in dual credit courses while in high school are eligible to receive accommodations based on their disability. To receive services from the Office for Student Accommodations, students must follow the application process established for all TC students, and provide all documentation required. All documentation submitted will be reviewed by the Director for Student Accommodations to determine eligibility.
I have received the handbook and understand that it is my responsibility to read and comply with the policies contained in this handbook and any revisions to it.