Student Rights

Students with disabilities have rights granted by two civil rights laws.  These laws are the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Basically, these laws provide students with the following rights at college:

• the right to equal access to post-secondary education
• the right to non-discrimination
• the right to appropriate and reasonable accommodations based on each student’s individual disability and how it affects learning
• the right to have information about the student’s disability kept confidential.

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Student Responsibilities

If you are a student with a disability and you want to request accommodations for your disability, you have the following responsibilities:

• the responsibility to disclose your disability, or tell the Disability Resources Advisor you have a disability
• the responsibility to provide PCC with adequate documentation of your disability (for information on what constitutes adequate documentation, see PCC brochure “Documentation and Accommodations”)
• the responsibility to meet with the Disability Resources Advisor at the beginning of each semester during which you are seeking accommodations to set up appropriate accommodations
• the responsibility to meet the academic and conduct standards in place at PCC.

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Accommodations

• are a change in how things are usually done, and may be granted to a student with a disability if that disability affects their functioning in college.
• provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in school.
• must be appropriate and effective for each individual.
• must be provided at no cost to students with disabilities.
• cannot fundamentally alter a program or course.
• cannot lower or change the academic or conduct standards of PCC.
• cannot cause an undue burden. 
• will not be provided without adequate documentation. 
•  do not include personal services such as assistance with dressing, eating or personal hygiene.

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The Letter of Accommodation Process

Any student at PCC who:

1. Discloses a disability to the Disability Resources Advisor

2. Presents the Disability Resources Advisor with adequate documentation of the disability.

3. Requests accommodations that are appropriate for the effects of the disability, will receive a Letter of Accommodation (LOA). The Disability Resources Advisor writes the LOA, which states the necessary accommodations for each course.

The LOA does not state what disability the student has.

 When the student is requesting accommodations that involve the instructor or the classroom setting, the student must share a copy of the LOA with that instructor for the accommodations to be implemented.  For example, if the student has an approved accommodation of extended test time, the instructor will not be able to provide extended test time without a copy of the LOA.

Accommodations will not be provided without a Letter of Accommodation (LOA.)

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Checklist of Student Responsibilities

1. Notify the Disability Resources Advisor

2. Provide Documentation

3. Request Accommodations

4. Obtain a Letter of Accommodation (LOA)

5. Share the Letter of Accommodation (LOA) with All Appropriate Persons

6. Meet Academic and Conduct Standards

Answers to questions about being a student with a disability at PCC may be found by talking with a member of the Disability Resource Team. Many accommodations are available, and PCC staff are able and willing to assist you in any challenges you may face as a college student with a disability