Accommodations

Disability Services

Accommodations

Qualified students with disabilities participate in non-segregated programs and courses at College of Central Florida. Students with documented disabilities may be eligible for services in all program areas of the college including certificate and degree programs, dual enrollment, and noncredit courses.

Reasonable Accommodations

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires an institution of higher education to provide appropriate and reasonable accommodations to a qualified individual with a documented disability, provided an accommodation does not fundamentally alter the nature of the course or program. Reasonable accommodation is provision of an auxiliary aid or modification to the course or program allowing access to the educational program, material, activity or degree. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the institution of his/her need for accommodation.

Some examples of reasonable accommodations include:

  • Modified testing conditions
  • Note-taking, scribe and exam reader services
  • Assistive hardware (e.g., large screen monitors and FM system)
  • Assistive software (e.g., screen readers, screen enlargers and speech recognition)
  • Substitution of appropriate and reasonable admissions, program or graduation requirements
  • Audio textbooks
  • American Sign Language interpretation
  • Collaboration with community agencies (e.g., Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Division of Blind Services, etc.)

The ADA does not require colleges to provide personal assistants, tutors, loans of textbooks or personal assistive technology. Whenever possible, Disability Services will refer students to agencies which may provide these types of services.
Accommodations are not made when they would reduce academic expectations, standards, or eliminate essential course or program components. For example, open book testing or exams are not provided as a disability-related accommodation.

Testing Accommodation Procedure

  • At the beginning of the term, provide Disability Services with the test dates and times for each class. Disability Services may not be able to proctor a test without at least a three business day notice.
  • Take an Disability Services Testing Form to your instructor at least one full class period prior to the test date. If you have a once a week class, you MUST get the testing form to your instructor a full week before the test. Think it through, and plan in advance!
    The instructor will send the form and the test to Disability Services.
  • All tests must be taken on the same day and at the same time as the class, unless otherwise approved in advance by both instructor and Disability Services. Disability Services will not accept a change without a written note, voicemail or e-mail from the instructor approving a change in the time or date.
  • If a test is canceled or re-scheduled, notify Disability Services immediately at 352-854-2322, ext. 1301 or Disability@cf.edu.
  • If you do not arrive within 20 minutes of the test start time, the test will be returned to the instructor. You will not have the opportunity to start late and you should not expect your instructor to allow you to do a make-up test.
  • If you miss the test for any reason, it will be your instructor’s decision as to whether or not you may make it up. Refer to your class syllabus for your class’ specific policies.
  • If you arrive late, miss a scheduled test appointment or fail to make advance arrangements 3 times in a given semester, your Disability Services testing accommodations may be stopped for the remainder of the semester.
  • Water, in a closed top container, will be allowed. No food or other drinks, purses, bags, cell phones, pagers or PDAs will be allowed in the Testing Room. No books, notebooks or calculators will be allowed unless authorized in writing by the instructor on the Testing Form. There is a shelf for bags and purses outside the testing room. Use that at your own risk.

IMPORTANT: Disability Services will not tolerate cheating or academic dishonesty in any form. If anyone is suspected of cheating on a test, that test will immediately be taken away from the student and returned to the student’s instructor or the test administrator. That and any other type of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported to the instructor. That instructor will determine his/her course of action and the consequences. The CF Student Handbook contains the Code of Student Conduct. These rules and regulations apply to all students, regardless of disability status.

Note Taking

Policy

  • Class Notes are a means to facilitate access to the classroom experience for students with disabilities. To receive this accommodation, the student must have a functional impairment that makes it difficult or impossible for them to take notes during class.
    Students must return the Faculty Notification Signature Form, signed by their instructors, to Disability Services within the first two weeks of the academic term.
  • The accommodation of Class Notes is not a substitute for attendance. Disability Services will not guarantee Class Notes to students with disabilities who are absent from class. Students with disabilities are responsible for maintaining academic progress when they are absent whether or not the absence is for a disability-related reason.
  • The instructor has a right to know who in their class is receiving classroom-related accommodations. At present, most note-takers are volunteers who do NOT know the identity of the student with the disability. It is the student’s choice not to be identified to others as a student with a disability.
  • No instructor will be required to give a student with a disability a copy of his or her own lecture notes. If an instructor provides notes to all students without disabilities, these same notes will be available to students with disabilities.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor and Disability Services Coordinator if there are any problems with the Class Notes accommodation.
  • The instructor has the right to review and evaluate the Class Notes for adequacy.

Procedure

  • Students who are approved for the class notes accommodation must complete a Renew Accommodations Request Form each term they want to have this accommodation.
  • Before the term begins, Disability Services will provide the faculty member with directions on how to recruit a volunteer note-taker. The instructor should recruit this volunteer within the first week of classes.
  • The volunteer will be given carbonless paper and will give the white copy of the notes to the instructor after class. Thus, the student who needs the notes can pick them up promptly from the instructor.
  • The instructor, student or the volunteer note-taker can request additional carbonless paper from Disability Services (5-205B, Ocala Campus or L3-208, Citrus Campus)
  • If there are any concerns on the part of the student, the instructor or the note-taker, contact the Coordinator for Disability Services at extension 1209.