| REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS- Everything
You Need to Know |
|
| Reasonable accommodations
are appropriate adjustments to programs, policy, and practice that
make aspects of the university experience accessible and provide equal
opportunities to BMCC students with disabilities. An equal opportunity
means a chance to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy
equal benefits and privileges as are available to a similarly situated
student without disabilities. |
| Students are not charged for the cost
incurred in providing reasonable accommodations, including auxiliary
aids and services (e.g., sign language interpreters, note-taking services,
text conversion to alternative accessible formats, audio or video
tapes, etc.). |
| To determine reasonable accommodations,
OSSD may seek information from appropriate college personnel regarding
essential standards for courses, programs, services, activities, and
facilities. The director makes the final determinations of reasonable
accommodations in collaboration with the student and faculty as warranted.
|
| Reasonable accommodations are determined by
examining: |
| 1. |
Environmental barriers limiting curricular, facility,
or programmatic access. |
| 2. |
Whether or not the student has access to the
course, program, service, activity, or facility without an accommodation; |
| 3. |
The range of possible accommodations that might
remove the barriers; |
| 4. |
Whether or not essential elements of the course,
program, service, activity, or facility are compromised by the
accommodations. |
|
| Examples of Reasonable Accommodations |
Examples of some of the most frequently
requested accommodations include:
| » |
Extended time for quizzes and exams |
| » |
Sign-language interpreting services |
| » |
Note-taking services |
| » |
Permission to tape record lectures |
| » |
Textbooks on tape or in large-print |
|
| Spell-Check Devices, Calculators
and Reasonable Accommodations |
| Spell-check devices and calculators can
certainly be helpful to everyone – both people with and without
disabilities. However, the use of these tools is considered a reasonable
accommodation only under very specific circumstances. |
Spell-Check Devices:
OSSD will only approve use of a spell-check device as a reasonable
accommodation for an exam if:
| 1. |
Students’ disability documentation indicates
specific cognitive difficulties that would cause them problems
with spelling and |
| 2. |
The ability to spell words accurately is not
considered an important part of what an exam is designed to
test – as determined by the professor and/or the academic
department. |
|
Calculators:
OSSD will only approve the use of a calculator as a reasonable
accommodation for an exam if:
| 1. |
Students’ disability documentation indicates
specific cognitive difficulties that would cause them problems
with arithmetic comprehension or computation and |
| 2. |
The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide
accurately is not considered an important part of what an exam
is designed to test as determined by the professor and/or the
academic department. |
|
It is important to
note:
| 1. |
Given these very specific conditions, it is entirely
possible for use of a spell checker or calculator to be allowable
for some exams, and not allowable for others. |
| 2. |
OSSD will consider requests for use of a calculator
and a spell-checker on a case-by-case basis. |
| 3. |
OSSD will not approve use of these tools as reasonable
accommodations when using them provides students with an unfair
advantage or undermines academic standards. |
|
| Policy on Calculator
Use in Remedial Math Classes for Students with Disabilities |
| Testing Accommodations |
| Accommodative testing allows
the student to take his/her exams in an alternative environment, or
in an alternative format. Accommodative testing does not alter the
content of the exam. Students with disabilities are held to the course
requirements and college’s academic standards. |
| Scheduling Testing Accommodations |
| |
Procedure for Requesting
Reasonable Accommodations |
| |
The City University
of New York
