Access Services

Services

• ASL Interpreting / Captioning

  Access Services provides ASL interpreting and captioning services for students who need these accommodations. We work with licensed and local independent ASL interpreters to offer this service. ASL interpreting and captioning services can be provided for classes, events, meetings, or any other campus activity.

  Due to a national shortage of ASL interpreters, Access Services requires at least 4 weeks’ advance notice to guarantee ASL interpreting services will be available.
• Alternative Textbook Format

  Access Services can work with the student and the textbook publisher to obtain an alternative format to meet the student’s access needs. This may include obtaining textbook materials in e-book, audio, Braille, or enlarged print formats.

  Obtaining alternative formats can be very time-intensive. Therefore, Access Services requires at least 4 weeks’ advance notice of a need for alternative formatting. Copyright laws still apply to alternative format materials. Students who are found to have violated these laws may lose their access to alternative materials.
• Note Taking Assistance

  Note-taking services can be made available by Access Services to students who have shown a need for these accommodations. Notes may be provided to the student through multiple means or formats. For example, in some cases, printed or electronic notes may be provided directly by the classroom instructor. Other times, another student may be identified in the classroom to take lecture notes that are then provided via print or electronic format.
• Other Classroom Accommodations

  Access Services provides classroom accommodations on an individualized basis to meet the unique access needs of each student. Some classroom accommodations can be unique, but a few examples of classroom accommodations that can be granted are:

  • Preferential seating
  • Ability to use fidgets in class
  • Assignment extension policy
  • Use of assistive technology
  • Ability to have food or drink available
  • Ability to complete writing assignments electronically
  • Copy of instructor lecture documentation (ex., PowerPoint, visuals, slides)

  Access Services determines what reasonable classroom accommodations are needed through our application process, which includes interviews and a review of disability documentation.
• Testing Accommodations

  Access Services provides testing accommodations on an individualized basis to meet the unique access needs of each student. Some testing accommodations can be unique, but a few examples of testing accommodations that can be granted are:

  • Use of earplugs
  • Use of a calculator
  • Extra time on tests/quizzes
  • Test reader – Must be requested two business days in advance
  • Test scribe – Must be requested two business days in advance

  Access Services determines what reasonable classroom accommodations are needed through our application process, which includes interviews and a review of disability documentation.

  Testing accommodations may require students to take exams or quizzes outside of the classroom environment, such as in the Illinois Central College Testing Center. It is the student’s responsibility to set up appointments for all tests with their professor, Access Services, and the Testing Center.
• Assistive Technology

  Various assistive technologies and equipment are available for student use on campus. Some of this equipment is available for all students to use and does not require approval from Access Services. This includes items such as scooters, which are checked out through the Career Center, and CCTV video magnification systems available through the Library.

  Access Services also has assistive technology that may be available through the Access Services office. Items available for student usage are:

  • FM systems
  • Stethoscopes
  • Text-to-speech software
  • Text-to-speech reader pens
• Accessible Parking

  Accessible parking places are available at both our East Peoria campus and Peoria campus. All Federal and state laws apply to the use of parking placards/plates for individuals with disabilities. Accessible parking places are intended for exclusive use by individuals with a disability.

  If all accessible parking spaces are being used at the East Peoria campus, vehicles with the appropriate parking placard/plates may park in empty parking places in the visitors’ parking lot. For more information regarding accessible parking, please contact Campus Police at (309) 694-5223.
• Personal Care Aide

  Students who require a personal assistant/nurse during classes due to a disability-related reason, such as the student’s immediate health, safety, or welfare, should meet with the Access Services Coordinator. The personal care aide must agree to a set of conduct guidelines before being allowed to enter the classroom with the student.

  Illinois Central College does not employ or provide personal assistants / nurses for students. Should a personal care aid be found to violate the conduct guidelines, they may be asked to leave the classroom, and may not be allowed to return after violation review. 
• Service Animals

  No pets or animals of any kind are permitted in any ICC building, satellite building, or campus function. The exception to this rule is for service dogs that are individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Documentation of current vaccinations and how the service animal assists with the student’s disability must be provided to the Access Services Office. Please review the entire Service Animal Policy for all guidelines and rules regarding having a service animal on campus.

  Service animals and their handlers are expected to follow all guidelines and rules within the service animal policy. Violation of this policy may result in the removal of the service animal from campus.

Student & College Responsibilities

• College Responsibilities

  In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Illinois Central College is committed to making the campus and its programs accessible to all students. The Access Services Office will work with students, staff, and faculty to provide timely and equitable access to all aspects of the campus and programs offered. This will include the process of application, documentation review, interview, determination of accommodations, and coordinating services and accommodations once approved.

  Prospective students, counselors, and educators are welcome to contact the Office for Access Services with any questions they may have about services for students with disabilities. Group tours of the campus can also be setup by going through Illinois Central College Admissions Office. 

   
• 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 submitting an application, making an appointment to meet with the Office of Access Services, and submitting supporting documentation for the disclosed disability.

  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 accommodations promptly when first setting up accommodations for classes at ICC, and after each academic year when accommodations are due to be renewed.

  It is the student’s responsibility to meet with each instructor individually and discuss accommodations for each class, each semester. The Access Services office will provide students with an accommodation letter in which accommodations are granted to assist the student in this step of the process. Students are responsible for their Accommodation Letter 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. These students are also responsible for reminding their professors of their testing accommodations in advance of an exam. 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. Students who receive a test reader or scribe for exams are required to contact the Access Services office at least two (2) business days before the test is to be taken. For any exams that will be taken in the Testing Center, students should contact the appropriate Testing Center (link to testing center) at least one (1) business days before the test is to be taken.
• Confidentiality

  All documentation submitted to the Access Services office 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 or shared with any other party. 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 6 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 also be otherwise qualified to meet the requirements of all programs and classes in which reasonable accommodations are sought. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 defines an individual with a disability as a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

   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 will be required by the Access Services Office in order to confirm that an individual does indeed meet this definition of having a disability. According to Illinois Public Act 103-0058, the following forms of documentation are sufficient in order to establish that a student does in fact qualify as an “individual with a disability”

  1. Documentation of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from the individual’s high school
  2. Documentation of a Section 504 plan from the individual’s high school
  3. Documentation of a plan or record of service that the individual received from a private school, local educational agency, state educational agency, or another institution of higher learning
  4. A record or evaluation from a relevant licensed professional finding that the individual has a disability
  5. A plan or record of a disability from another institution of higher education
  6. Documentation of a disability due to military service

   

  Note: IEP and Section 504 plan documentation provided must have been in effect immediately prior to the date that the student exited high school. Otherwise, further disability verification documentation may be requested. While this documentation is sufficient to establish a student as an individual with a disability, further documentation may be required in order to determine reasonable accommodations that are sufficient to meet the student’s needs.