Documentation and Accommodations
· What constitutes adequate documentation?
· What is a reasonable accommodation?
· What accommodations cannot be provided?
· What are the categories of accommodations?
Documentation and Accommodations
Pueblo Community College is both required by law and happy to provide accommodations to qualified students with disabilities who need accommodations to participate in school. To receive reasonable accommodations, it is necessary to provide Pueblo Community College with adequate documentation.
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What is Adequate Documentation?
Documentation is, quite simply, paperwork that verifies the presence of a disability and identifies how the disability affects the student in a school setting. The student is responsible for any costs involved in obtaining adequate documentation.
Documentation is considered to be adequate if:
· it is provided by a licensed diagnostician who is qualified in the appropriate specialty area of the diagnosis
· it includes written assessments and identification of the disability
· it identifies recommended post secondary accommodations
· it is recent enough to reflect the current impact, or functional limitations, of the disability.
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What is a Reasonable Accommodation?
A reasonable accommodation is any change or support that gives a student with a disability an equal opportunity to participate and benefit from school. Accommodations are basically adjustments to how things are usually done, and help students with disabilities succeed in areas that are impacted by the disability. Reasonable accommodations are provided to give students with disabilities a fair and equal chance of success in school; they are not a privilege or an unfair advantage.
Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis, and are directly linked to the effects a disability has on the student in the school setting.
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What Accommodations Cannot be Provided?
Accommodations that lower or change classroom standards or program standards cannot be provided. For example, although a student may have an accommodation for extended time for taking tests, the test the student takes may not be easier or harder than the test the other students take.
Personal devices such as canes or hearing aids, and personal services such as assistance with dressing or eating cannot be provided.
Accommodations that would change the essential elements of a program or class cannot be provided. For example, a person taking a class in small engine repair who has limited use of his/her hands could not be allowed to take a written test instead of actually repairing an engine. The essence of the course is to actually repair the engine, not to talk or write about it.
Accommodations that would endanger the safety of the student or others cannot be provided.
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Categories of Accommodations
· Provision of service providers, such as a sign language interpreter.
· Alternative formats for textbooks and other printed materials, such as Braille and books on CD (must use computer to access).
· Classroom environment or task changes, such as testing in a quiet room or priority seating in the classroom.
· Assistive Technology.
· Any other adaptation or modification that is necessary for students to enjoy the benefits and privileges of the school’s programs, services, and/or other activities.
For a complete listing of accommodations currently available at Pueblo Community College, please see Accommodations
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