Accessibility Services

1. Complete admission to WKCTC
2. Create a KCTCS Student Account
3. Complete an Accessibility Services registration form
4. Provide appropriate documentation of a disability which can include a physical, mental, health-related, or learning disability. (See Documentation Guidelines section.)
5. Schedule an appointment with the Office of Accessibility Services to discuss individual needs and concerns in order to develop an    Accommodation Request (ARF) that will go out to instructors.

Accommodation Requests (ARFs) must be updated every semester and are not retroactive.

Please email us at wk-accessibilityservices@kctcs.edu or give us a call at (270) 534-3406 to let us know that you would like to continue your accommodations at least two (2) weeks before classes begin. We will create your Accommodation Request (ARF) to send to your instructors the week before classes begin.

Accommodation Requests (ARFs) must be updated every semester and are not retroactive.

If you need additional or different accommodations from the accommodations you had last semester, please let us know at least two (2) weeks before classes begin so we can schedule an appointment with you to discuss these updates.

Accommodation Requests (ARFs) must be updated every semester and are not retroactive.

A student with a disability is any student who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. A person is considered to be a person with a disability if they have a disability, have a record of such impairment, or are regarded as having such an impairment.

Examples of disabilities that could limit a major life activity are not limited to but may include:

• Learning Disabilities
• ADHD
• Autism
• PTSD
• Anxiety
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Psychiatric Disorders
• Brain Injuries
• Severe Orthopedic Injuries, such as a broken arm
• Speech Impairments
• Visual Impairments
• Deafness
• Epilepsy
• Cerebral Palsy
• HIV/AIDS or Other Chronic Illness
• Other Temporary Disabilities, such as recovery after surgery

All accommodations provided by the Accessibility Services Office are based upon each student’s individual disability and current needs. All accommodations will be determined after a review of the official documentation of the disability and a one-on-one consultation between the student and the Accessibility Services Office. Accommodations are not retroactive.

To ensure receiving appropriate and "reasonable accommodations" for any WKCTC course in a timely manner, the following steps must be completed:

• Any student with a documented disability should request services and provide appropriate documentation at the beginning of the semester and no later than midterm in order to ensure academic success.
• Students should follow the steps in the “Steps to Sign Up” section to receive accommodations
• The Accessibility Services Office has the right to deny a request for accommodations if the documentation does not identify a specific disability or if the documentation fails to verify the need for the requested services. Documentation guidelines are provided below.
• After the Office of Accessibility Services has reviewed the documentation, there will be a one-on-one consultation in which a discussion will occur concerning the interaction between the disability and the academic environment and determine all possible "reasonable accommodations".
• Once "reasonable accommodations" have been determined, the Accessibility Services Office will send out an Accommodation Request (ARF) to the instructor(s). The Accessibility Services Office will email the student and all instructors a copy of the ARF.
• We encourage students to discuss accommodations with their instructor(s). We suggest that meetings take place in-person during the instructor’s office hours, NOT after class due to privacy concerns.

Accommodation Requests (ARFs) must be updated every semester and are not retroactive.

There are four main ways that a student can provide appropriate documentation. Any documentation must support the accommodations requested. Only one of these is needed as documentation for a student to sign up for accommodations:

• Letter of Diagnosis
• Evaluation Report
• IEP or 504 Plan from high school
• Diagnosis Verification Form

This is a letter signed by a healthcare professional. All letters should be on official letterhead, typed, dated, and signed. Information in the letter should include:

• Diagnosis - Includes a statement of the medical, physical, cognitive, or mental health impairment
• Date first diagnosed
• Status of the individual’s disability
• A description of the condition’s current functional impact on learning or other major life activity relevant to the WKCTC academic environment
• A statement addressing the individual’s suggested accommodations including a rationale as to why each suggested accommodation is needed
• The name, title, and professional credentials of the healthcare professional

Evaluation Reports are usually provided for cognitive disabilities that are diagnosed via a formal test. Examples of evaluation reports include, but are not limited to, an assessment report, psycho-educational report, or a neuropsychological report. The evaluator must be licensed or certified to conduct the evaluation and diagnose the specific disability.

All evaluation reports should be on official letterhead, typed, dated, and signed. Information in the report should include:

• Diagnosis - Includes a statement of the medical, physical, cognitive, or mental health impairment
• Date first diagnosed
• Status of the individual’s disability
• A description of the condition’s current functional impact on learning or other major life activity relevant to the WKCTC academic environment
• The name, title, and professional credentials of the healthcare professional

An Individual Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan from high school can be used as documentation. To use an IEP or 504 Plan it should contain the diagnosis and accommodations that were used in high school. All pages of the IEP must be sent for it to be used as documentation.

A Diagnosis Verification Form that you can complete with a qualified healthcare professional is available upon request. Please contact our office to obtain a copy. The student will fill out the top section and the physician will fill out the bottom section. The physician must list their name, title, and professional credentials for this form to be valid.

The Accessibility Services Office at WKCTC views all written materials pertaining to a student's disability as extremely confidential. All written documentation obtained by the Accessibility Services Office is maintained in individual files and kept secure. It should be noted that disability records are not stored with other college records. Only staff working in the Accessibility Services Office have access to these files, and all staff receive confidentiality training to ensure the highest standard of confidentiality. At the Accessibility Services Office we view confidentiality seriously!

You can find additional information about your privacy and rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act at FERPA. Any written material obtained by the Accessibility Services Office is used to verify the disability and plan for appropriate accommodations.

• Accommodation Requests (ARFs) prepared by Accessibility Services for instructors do not give specific information regarding a disability. Instead, the form explains that the student has a disability, and that Accessibility Services has documentation to support the student's need for reasonable accommodations.
• Accessibility Services does not release disability related documentation or records. Students are advised to keep a copy of any documentation provided to Accessibility Services for their own records. Should documentation be required elsewhere, students are encouraged to obtain a copy of the needed documentation from the original source.

The following are examples of some accommodations that the Accessibility Services Office at WKCTC has provided in the past. All accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis; this is not a complete list of "reasonable accommodations."

• Preferential seating
• Permission to audio record lectures
• American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting
• Permission to use computer software programs, laptop, or other assistive technology
• Extended time on exams and quizzes
• Access to lecture notes
• Distraction-reduced testing environment
• Exams read orally
• Scribe for exams (student answers exam questions orally and ASO staff writes down the student’s answers)
• Adaptive technology

You must have official documentation on file with the Accessibility Services Office to receive exam accommodations. Your specific accommodations will be determined based on a review of your documentation.

Accommodations are only good for the semester the student requests services in and cannot be backdated, except in extreme cases. Accommodations must be requested by the student each semester so accommodations can be sent out to instructors.

You need to schedule each exam at least 3 business days before the date of the exam to ensure that your exam and a proctor will be available. Failure to do so may result in your having to take the exam in class without accommodations. Finals must be scheduled with ASO at least 2 weeks before the week of Finals.

You must schedule your exams at the time the rest of the class is testing unless you have back-to-back classes. In that case, you must inform your instructor and the Accessibility Services Office in order to get approval of alternate exam times.

If you need to cancel or reschedule an exam due to illness, you must reschedule with your instructor and notify the Accessibility Services Office. We will ask for an email directly from the instructor to verify the change. Please have your instructor email us directly or CC us in their email to you.

If you have evening exams, you must schedule early enough to have sufficient time to complete them before the Accessibility Services Office closes. During spring and fall semesters, we are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If requested, we can also reach out to the instructor to see if they have the room and available resources to allow you to test during class time with your accommodations. This option may not always be available.

If you do not begin your exam within the scheduled time, it is sent back to the instructor, and you will have to contact them to reschedule the exam.

If you do not show up for your exam and it is during class time, it may be counted as an absence.

Only approved instruments/materials are allowed in the testing area. Coats, backpacks, purses, cell phones, or other electronic devices are not allowed in any testing area.

Calculators are only allowed if approved by the instructor or if the use of a calculator is included in your accommodations.

If you will be having an open-book test, please ensure that your instructor has emailed us to let us know. If we do not have an email from them, we cannot allow notes.

Neda Gilbert
Manager of Accessibility Services
jeanneda.gilbert@kctcs.edu

Kristen Meadows
Accessibility Services Support
kmeadows0037@kctcs.edu