Services:

• Sign language interpreting
• CART Services
• In-class note taking assistance
• Adaptive equipment
• Digital textbooks
• Enlargement or tactile graphing of papers
• Braille equipment
• Translation software
• Text reading machines
• Special testing accommodations for classes
• Tutoring

Print Disabilities

The Office for Access Services will work with students and textbook publishers to obtain textbook information in an alternate format. Obtaining alternate formats can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months; therefore, it is imperative that students register with Access Services as early as possible.

Orientation and Mobility Training

Access Services will work with students to become familiar with the campus and provide orientation and mobility training for blind and low vision students. We ask students to register early and begin orientation and mobility training one semester prior to the start of classes.

Interpreting Services

Access Services can provide interpreting services for events, meetings or other campus activities. We ask students to give at least four weeks notice before a course begins.

Testing Accommodations

Access services provide testing accommodations for students. Students need to submit an Instructor Correspondence which needs to be submitted to each instructor and discussed before testing. For tests taken with a reader, or in the Testing Center, it is the students responsibility to make arrangements for testing at least 2 days before the test is taken.

Accessible Parking

All federal and state laws apply to use of parking placards/plates for individuals with disabilities. Accessible parking places are for the exclusive use of individuals with a disability.

Nursing Services/Personal Assistance

Students needing the use of their personal assistant or nurse during classes for disability-related reasons (IE: health, safety, or welfare) should meet with the Coordinator of Access Services to obtain an accommodation letter to take to instructors to explain the presence of the assistant/nurse. The college does not employ personal assistants/nurses for students.

Student & College Responsibilities

• College Responsibilities

  Illinois Central College is committed to making the campus and its programs accessible to all students. Through the Office for Access Services, the college will work with students, staff and faculty to provide timely, equitable access to all aspects of the campus and programs offered. This will include, but is not limited to intake and review of disability documentation from students, working with students to make determinations for reasonable accommodations, coordinating services and accommodations and providing direct accommodations as needed.

  Prospective students are welcome to contact the Office for Access Services to arrange a tour of the campus and discuss services. High school counselors and educators are likewise encouraged to contact the office during the Spring term to arrange for group tours for graduating seniors.
• Student Responsibilities

  It is the student’s responsibility to inform the college of any disability in which the student is requesting reasonable accommodations. This is accomplished by making an appointment with the Office of Access Services on campus and submitting supporting documentation.

  It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation that shows the current impact the disability has upon access to the campus or classes. To accomplish this, students need to be knowledgeable about their disability so that they can discuss the disability and reasonable accommodation requests with the Coordinator of Access Services.

  It is the student’s responsibility to request specific accommodations promptly each semester for each class in which reasonable accommodations are requested.

  It is the student’s responsibility to meet with each instructor individually and discuss accommodations for each class, each semester. The Office for Access Services will provide students with an Instructor Correspondence blue form for each class in which accommodations are granted to assist the student in this step of the process. Students are responsible for obtaining the Instructor Correspondence form from the Office for Access Services and notifying the instructor promptly so that the instructor can assist the student with needed accommodations. When testing accommodations are needed, students should provide the form to the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Asking for testing accommodations one day before an exam is not timely by the student to the instructor.

  It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for testing accommodations by contacting the Office for Access Services at least two (2) days before the test is to be taken. For exams that will be taken in the Testing Center, students should contact the appropriate Testing Center at least two (2) days before the test is to be taken.
• Confidentiality

  All documentation submitted to the Office for Access Services will be kept in a confidential location that is separate from the student’s academic, financial and other records at the college. After a student has delivered the appropriate documentation to the Coordinator of Access Services, the documentation becomes property of Illinois Central College. Documentation will not be returned to the student. Therefore, if a student has a need for a copy of the documentation after it is submitted, the student will need to obtain the documentation from the originating source.

  Documentation will be kept on file for up to three years after the student has taken courses. Inactivity for six consecutive semesters may cause the student’s file to be purged, in which case the student would need to reapply, including resubmission of documentation.
• Eligibility

  Students with disabilities must be otherwise qualified for all programs and classes in which reasonable accommodations are sought. Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Subchapter II, Part A, section 2, the term “qualified individual with a disability” is defined and for purposes herein will mean an individual with a disability who meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities provided by the college. Visit the ADA web site for a more comprehensive understanding.

  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended states in part under section 7(20) that “no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives Federal financial assistance”.

Disability Documentation Forms