Florida College recognizes and values our students with specific needs, including students with disabilities. The college does not discriminate against students with disabilities and endeavors to keep its policies and programs in compliance with appropriate federal and state laws.
If you are a prospective student with specific needs, Florida College welcomes you. As a Christian college, the faculty and administration work together to extend educational and spiritual opportunities to all students, regardless of circumstances, and we encourage you to join with us in this effort.
Florida College offers various accommodations to all students who qualify as specific-needs students. Accommodations are adjustments to a student’s academic routine specifically intended to offset physical differences or other circumstances that limit substantively that student’s ability to succeed academically.
The granting and management of student accommodations are the responsibility of the Florida College academic advising office. The college’s legal obligation is to provide reasonable accommodations as defined by applicable federal and state laws. It is the college’s responsibility to determine to the best of its ability what accommodations are reasonable.
Students with specific needs are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Florida College respects the confidential nature of the student’s medical information. Access to information provided is used by our personnel on a need-to-know basis and for ongoing support of your accommodations. Information provided to faculty for accommodation purposes will state only approved academic accommodations.
The student must complete a Voluntary Declaration of Disability Form and submit all required supporting documentation by the Friday during orientation week.
Once the applicant’s paperwork is received, the academic advising office will review the submission and make a ruling on whether to award accommodations.
The student must schedule a meeting with the academic advising office to review how accommodations will be used. Letters of accommodations will be distributed immediately following the drop/add date. For incoming students, this meeting must be scheduled to occur immediately upon the student’s arrival on campus. For current students receiving accommodations for the first time, this meeting must occur as soon as possible after the student receives the letter of accommodation.
To apply for specific-needs student status, any student or applicant for admission must submit a fully executed Voluntary Declaration of Disability Form to the Florida College academic advising office no later than the Friday during Orientation week.
All applications for specific-needs student status, including all supporting documentation, must be completed accurately and truthfully. Inaccurate or fraudulent applications will result in the denial or revocation of accommodations and may subject the student to further disciplinary action.
Eligible students who apply for admission after the above dates, or whose forms are received after the above dates, may not receive accommodations for the current semester. All applications and submissions are subject to the college’s late fees.
The submitted Voluntary Declaration of Disability Form must have a formally documented clinical diagnosis and treatment plan by a qualified licensed health care professional. The diagnosis must establish that the student’s condition constitutes a true disability and significantly limits the student’s ability to succeed academically. The specific limitations must be stated clearly and specifically.
A “qualified licensed healthcare professional” shall be an MD (such as a pediatrician, family physician or neurologist), licensed clinical psychologist, pediatric neuropsychologist, or other clinical specialist licensed to practice and diagnose in the specialty field related to the applicant’s stated disability. Unlicensed persons and school psychometrics do not meet these qualifications.
All communication from the licensed health care professional must be on office letterhead and signed by the provider. Handwritten notes, copies of records, etc. must be accompanied by a provider’s cover letter that meets these requirements.
The applicant must provide written evidence of both current diagnosis and current treatment for the stated condition requiring accommodation. Current means within 18 months of enrollment. Treatment must be fully consistent with the stated diagnosis. An applicant who has a current diagnosis, but who is not participating in treatment may not be granted accommodations.
In general, an Individual Education Program (IEP) alone is not sufficient to establish a diagnosable disability. The existence of past services does not constitute a present disability. In no case will the college accept an out-of-date (more than 18 months old) diagnosis, IEP or an IEP which indicates either no clear disability or that the student’s academic needs have been resolved. It is the applicant’s or student’s responsibility to communicate these requirements to all appropriate health professionals.
Students who are deemed eligible for accommodations shall receive a letter of accommodation from the academic advising office. This letter shall describe the accommodations granted.
Florida College may point out to the applicant any discrepancies or omissions which may exist in the applicant’s paperwork and documentation. However, it is the responsibility of the applicant to remedy and resolve any problems with these in a timely manner.
Each student with specific-needs student status must meet with his or her advisor at the start of each semester to review all accommodations and discuss their progress at Florida College. It is the student’s direct responsibility to make an appointment with the academic advising office to address this requirement. The appointment should be set to occur on orientation/registration day for each semester, even if the student is a returning student and does not participate in orientation. The student must make this appointment well in advance of orientation/registration each semester.
All specific-needs students at Florida College must comply fully with all treatment prescribed for them by their health care provider(s) in order to maintain their special-needs student status and to continue to qualify for accommodations. The reason for this rule is two-fold. First, most disabilities require an ongoing plan of treatment for proper management and best outcome. If a student is unwilling to comply with a prescribed plan to receive the best possible treatment, then in most cases, accommodations will be of minimal value, and they will definitely not make up for the lack of professional care. Second, because the college’s resources are limited, we want to be sure that accommodations are provided to those students who are appropriate in their self-care and who are genuinely motivated to make the most of their educational opportunities. We believe that compliance with prescribed treatment is valid evidence of appropriate motivation.
From time to time, the circumstances related to a student’s specific-needs student status may change. Examples of such changes are a new diagnosis, a revised treatment plan or a new prescription. Such changes may affect the nature of the accommodations needed by the student. Therefore, it is the student’s direct responsibility to inform the academic advising office of any such change immediately, so that a review of accommodations can be conducted by the academic advising office. Once the paperwork has been submitted and approved, a student is not required to resubmit paperwork during their time at Florida College unless there are changes.
Disabled children in kindergarten through 12th grade are granted services by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and/or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, Subpart D – Preschool, Elementary, and Secondary School.
IDEA ensures a free public education for K-12 children with disabilities by providing funding to states’ school systems. This education must be provided in a setting that is as non-restrictive as possible. IDEA defines 13 categories requiring the provision of special educational services at the K-12 level. Services must be delivered in a way that allows the disabled student to benefit meaningfully from the education provided. Services are provided to each student through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). There is an extensive list of services to be provided, but the student is guaranteed only those services actually specified in the IEP. The individual student’s obligation under IDEA is simply to do one’s best.
An IEP granted in grades K-12 is no longer applicable and will not be used for college academics. The criteria used in processing the IEP is no longer helpful for establishing a need for college accommodations. For college students with disabilities, services are identified and regulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, Subpart E – Postsecondary Education.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 forbids colleges to discriminate against disabled persons who are otherwise qualified for both admission and participation in a college’s services. A disabled person is defined as any person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. Services must be delivered in a way that allows for equivalent access to the college’s services and programs. There is no mandate for formal plans for delivering services to disabled college students under these federal regulations.
Services must be reasonable accommodations and academic adjustments. Examples of such accommodations are in-class note-takers, test accommodations and offering advance registration times. Personal aides, tutoring and counseling are not mandated by Section 504 or ADA. However, colleges are required to make available to disabled students the same services provided to other students.
The college student’s obligations under these regulations are as follows:
The requirement to provide accommodations does not obligate the college to change its general academic standards, programs, or procedures, or to incur any undue administrative or financial hardship.
An excellent discussion of these regulations is available at ed.gov. The above notes were condensed from this website.