The Office of Disability Services, which serves as a clearinghouse for all students with disabilities, can be reached at (903) 983-8682. These services may include, but are not limited to, accommodations in class, tutoring, interpreting for the deaf, readers, scribes, Kurzweil Reader and Bookshare. Accommodations for Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals are also obtained through this office. Students seeking accommodations must contact the Office of Disability Services and provide the necessary documentation in a timely manner.
Although Kilgore College can assist students with support and guidance, students have the final responsibility for their success. In order to be processed by the first day of classes, new students should request services prior to the first day of classes.
In order to be processed by the first day of classes, new students should request services prior to the first day of classes. Click on the list items below to be taken to the necessary page if linked.
Reasonable accommodations in a college or university setting are defined as: adjustments made in programs or services that give qualified individuals with a disability equal and effective access needed to participate. Educational accommodations may vary and depend on approved diagnostic evaluations and the nature of the courses you plan to take. Services and the types of accommodations approved differ greatly between college and high school; click here to learn more.
Examples of some reasonable accommodations, by disability:
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder:
Accommodations may include:
Visual impairment:
Accommodations may include:
Hearing impairment:
Accommodations may include:
Mobility Impairment:
Accommodations may include:
The following guidelines are provided to assist the service provider in collaborating with each student to determine appropriate accommodations. Documentation serves as a foundation that legitimizes a student’s request for accommodations that are appropriate and reasonable.
Student’s Responsibilities:
KC’s Responsibilities:
Office of Disabilities Responsibilities:
Legal requirements for disability services and accommodations vary widely between the high school and college level. The chart below will help you understand the differences between high school and college services for students with disabilities.
High schools are required to:
Colleges are required to:
Kilgore College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities and fulfilling obligations under State and Federal law. This policy governs the use of service animals on campus by persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities may be accompanied by working service animals on the campus of Kilgore College consistent with the provisions of this Policy.
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Thank you for your interest and support of students with disabilities at Kilgore College. Our goal is to assist you when working with this population of students by providing you with information that will help you be more effective in your classroom, as well as helping the college maintain compliance with federal disability guidelines.
Two of the primary laws that effect higher education and disability are Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Title II of ADA, as it is commonly referred to, states that: “No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States…shall, solely by reason of disability, be denied the benefits of, be excluded from participation in, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
Section 504 defines a person with a disability as “any person who…
At Kilgore College, a “qualified person with a disability” is defined as one who “meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the educational program or activity.”
Section 504, along with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, protects the rights of qualified individuals with disabilities. Section 504 contains more specific information regarding compliance issues in post-secondary institutions. However, the ADA legislation extends the law to private institutions of higher education as well as those receiving federal funding.
Disabling Conditions May Include:
Chronic Illnesses May Include:
Kilgore College is required to provide reasonable accommodations that allow students with disabilities equal access to an education. It is important to note that Section 504 does not require institutions to alter their academic standards.
As Specified by Section 504, Kilgore College May Not:
Modifications and Accommodations that Kilgore College Provides for Qualified Students with Disabilities May Include:
What is a Reasonable Accommodation?
Resources:
Appropriate Language:
Confidentiality Strategies:
Resources
Online Accessibility is based on United States and Texas Laws, along with evaluation of OCR complaints and rulings from recent lawsuits and WCAG 2.0 AA Standards.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1998:
Requires access to the Federal government’s electronic and information technology. The law covers all types of electronic and information technology in the Federal sector and is not limited to assistive technologies used by people with disabilities. It applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use such technology.
On December 21, 2000, the Access Board, an independent federal agency, issued final accessibility standards for electronic and information technology under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998. The standards require that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. According to the Department of Education, states that receive funds under the Assistive Technology Act State Grant Program are also required to comply with Section 508 and the Board’s standards (Daigle & Kim).
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973:
No qualified student with a disability shall on the basis of disability, “be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any…postsecondary program or activity….”
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990:
Specific requirements for communication, “A public entity shall take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with applicants, participants, members of the public, and companions with disabilities are as effective as communication with others.”
Recent OCR Resolution Agreements and Lawsuits:
The United States Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the United States Department of Justice are responsible for the enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Below are websites that will provide you with information on specific rulings and complaints that deal with online accessibility.
Thank you for your interest and support of students with disabilities at Kilgore College. Our goal is to assist you when working with this population of students by providing you with information that will help you be more effective in your classroom, as well as helping the university maintain compliance with federal disability guidelines.
How is extra time justified for students with learning disabilities?
Other students could improve test scores if they were allowed additional time as well.
Various factors account for the need for extra time on tests for students with learning disabilities. These include: a) speed of processing; b) visual perceptual deficits; c) difficulty with mechanics of syntax, spelling and punctuation; and d) reading comprehension deficits. Research (at UC Berkeley, 1991 and the University of Toronto, 1993) on the effects of extended time on exams has shown dramatic improvements for students with learning disabilities, but only marginal improvement for students without learning disabilities. Rather than providing an unfair advantage in the class, extended time for exams allows these students to demonstrate their level of mastery of the course objectives, rather than reflecting the deficits innate to their learning disabilities. In other words, it “levels the playing field.”
Should I refer a student to Disability Services?
Faculty members are encouraged to refer students to Disability Services if the student has disclosed that they have a disability.
How do I verify the eligibility of a student who simply tells me he or she is disabled and requires accommodations?
Kilgore College Disability Services is regarded as the authority to verify disabilities and determine whether a student qualifies for academic accommodations. All students eligible for accommodations have presented the necessary documentation and been verified by the ODS staff.
How are accommodation determined for a student with a disability?
Reasonable accommodations are determined on an individual basis after considering the specific disability and documentation of functional limitations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. See the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) for more information regarding documentation guidelines. Accommodations are designed to provide an equal educational opportunity not to give the student a competitive edge.
Do I have the right to know the nature of a student’s disabilities?
The information regarding a student’s disability should be shared only when there is a compelling reason for disclosure. The U. S. Department of Justice has indicated that a faculty member generally does not have a need to know this information, only that it has been appropriately verified by the office assigned this responsibility on behalf of the institution. Students may submit their verification to Disability Services without disclosing to their instructors the specific nature of their disability. Upon a student’s request for accommodations, the university and the instructor are required by law to appropriately accommodate the student in a timely manner. While students are not required to share their specific disability information, students are encouraged to discuss their specific needs with their instructors.
What is a disability?
An individual with a disability is defined as any person who:
What is meant by “is regarded as having such an impairment” in the definitions of a disability?
For example, a person with a facial disfigurement may not have an impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, but others may regard him or her has having one due to how he or she appears.
Are “disability” and “handicap” the same thing?
A “disability” is a condition caused by accident, trauma, genetics or disease that may limit a person’s mobility, hearing, vision, speech, or mental function. A person may have more than one disability.
A “handicap” is a physical or attitudinal constraint imposed upon a person; for example, stairs, narrow doorways, and curbs are handicaps imposed upon people with disabilities who use wheelchairs.
What is a reasonable accommodation?
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, job, activity, or facility that enables a qualified individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to an individual without a disability. Some common academic accommodations include extended time on tests, use of peer note takers, use of computer with spell check, and provision of sign language interpreters.
Hoe does a person become eligible to receive accommodations?
To become eligible, a person must have a documented disability and inform the College that he or she is requesting accommodations based on that disability.
A student must:
Who determines the accommodation?
Disability Services staff determine the accommodations using:
The determination of reasonable accommodations considers the following:
Won’t providing accommodation on an examination give an unfair advantage to a student with a disability?
“Accommodations don’t make things easier, just possible; in the same way eyeglasses do not improve the strength of the eyes, they just make it possible for the individual to see better. Accommodations are interventions that allow the learner to indicate what they know. Without the accommodations, the learner may not be able to overcome certain barriers.”(Samuels, M. 1992 – Asking the Right Questions. The Learning Center, Calgary)
Accommodations are designed to lessen the effects of the disability and are required to provide fair and accurate testing to measure knowledge or expertise in the subject. Careful consideration must be given to requests for accommodations when the test is measuring a skill, particularly if that skill is an essential function or requirement of passing the course, such as typing at a certain speed or turning a patient for an x-ray. In such cases, please contact a Disability Services staff member for guidance.
The purpose of academic accommodations is to adjust for the effect of the student’s disability, not to dilute academic requirements. The evaluation and assigning of grades should have the same standards for all students, including students with disabilities. For many test takers, the most common accommodation is extended time. In specific circumstances, students may also require the use of readers and/or scribes, a modification of test format, the administration of examinations orally, or an alternative time for testing. For out-of-class assignments, the extension of deadlines may be justified, especially if the student is relying heavily on support services (readers for term papers, etc.).
What do I do when a student discloses a disability to me?
Ask the student if they have met with Disability Services? If you have received a letter from our office, this letter describes the accommodations that faculty are legally mandated to provide. During an office hour or at another convenient time, discuss the letter and the accommodations with the student. If you don’t receive a letter from the Disability Services, you can refer the student to the appropriate staff member at Disability Services to request services. Disability Services staff will determine the appropriate accommodations after reviewing documentation of the disability provided by the student.
What if a student does not tell me about their disability till later in the semester?
Students have a responsibility to request their letters be sent to their instructors and Disability Services adequate time to arrange accommodations. All Disability Services staff encourages students to identify early in the semester. Instructors can help by extending an invitation in class and on the syllabus for students to identify themselves early in the semester: “Any student who may need an accommodation due to a disability, please make an appointment to see me during my office hours. A letter from Disability Services authorizing your accommodations will be needed.”
Once a student has identified to the instructor and requests disability-related accommodations authorized by Disability Services, the College has a legal responsibility to make reasonable attempts to accommodate the need, even late in the semester. There is no responsibility to provide accommodations prior to identification; for example, allowing the student to re-take exams with extended time.
Can I review the student’s documentation of their disability?
Disability Services is the office designated to receive and interpret documentation of the disability. Disability Services staff certifies eligibility for services and determines accommodations. Disability information is confidential and students are not required to disclose this information to instructors.