Americans With Disabilities Act
(Title II, 1990)
No otherwise qualified person shall be denied the benefits of services, programs or activities of a public entity, be excluded from participation in the activities of that entity, or be subjected to any discrimination whatsoever on the basis of disability. A “qualified handicapped individual” is defined as any person who: a) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities, b) has a record of such impairment; or c) is regarded as having such impairment.
Students With Disabilities In The Classroom
The Office for Special Needs Services (OSNS) at Lorain County Community College attempts to inform all incoming students of the availability of special services. Eligible students, however, do not always choose to identify themselves; nor do all students with disabilities require special accommodations. Faculty often make adjustments in instructional procedures or in student evaluations with no assistance or intervention from OSNS. The College's responsibility is to ensure that students will not be discriminated against and to make reasonable accommodation for allowingthe students to participate in College programs and services from which they can benefit.
Services For Students With Disabilities
The Office for Special Needs Services (OSNS) assists students with documented disabling conditions with reasonable accommodations that will enable the student to participate in the academic life of the College. Students should consult with faculty and with OSNS to make appropriate accommodations. Failure to formally consult with the individual faculty and the OSNS could delay accommodations unnecessarily. Reasonable accommodations should be arranged with OSNS and with each individual instructor at the beginning of each semester. OSNS will also try to assist students with short-term disabling conditions, such as fractures or illness.
The students with disabilities most frequently served by OSNS are grouped thusly: mobility-impaired, hearing-impaired, visually-impaired, learning-disabled, psychiatrically disabled or chronically ill.
Services offered to students with disabilities through OSNS include: accessibility arrangements, note-taking assistance, accommodated testing, readers, adaptive equipment, sign interpreters, referrals, advocacy, and advising. See the Catalog section on Admissions for placement assessment information.
Tutoring in all subjects is available to all students at the College through the Academic Support Center (ASC). Every student is entitled to two hours of tutoring per week, cost free. If additional hours of tutoring are necessary because of a student's disability, arrangements can be made through OSNS to meet this need.