Student & Accessibility Services Responsibilities
Reading Area Community College (RACC) encourages academically qualified students with disabilities to participate in its educational programs and services. Federal regulations define a person with a disability as anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits or restricts one or more major life activities. Major life activities include walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, performing manual tasks, and caring of oneself.
The rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities are delineated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the ADAAA of 2008, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. RACC is committed to protecting and ensuring the rights of students with disabilities.
Accessibility Services Responsibilities
- The college will comply with the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, the ADAAA of 2008, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to provide equal access to its programs and services for students with disabilities.
- No otherwise qualified person with a disability shall solely, because of disability, be denied access to programs and services.
- The Accessibility Services staff members will work with each student to identify and provide appropriate and reasonable accommodations.
- Reasonable accommodations will be determined and an individual accommodation plan will be developed on a case-by-case basis through an interactive process with the Accessibility Services staff member upon presentation of documentation of a disability consistent with guidelines provided.
Documentation guidelines and criteria
- All records documenting students' disabilities will be kept confidential.
- Students with disabilities may be referred for additional services available on the campus, when necessary.
- A grievance procedure is available to assist in resolving disputes arising in the process of determining eligibility, the provision of reasonable accommodations, and disability-related discrimination.
Student Responsibilities
- Students who are requesting reasonable accommodations based on qualified disabilities must self-disclose their disability during an Intake meeting with a Accessibility Services staff member.
- It is the responsibility of the student to obtain and provide relatively current documentation to the AS staff in accordance with documentation guidelines and criteria.
- The required documentation and request for accommodations must be made on a timely manner to allow sufficient time for the college to arrange accommodations. Please note: accommodations are not retroactive.
- Because of the time needed to review documentation, it is not likely to complete an Intake and receive accommodations on the same day.
- To implement accommodations, accommodation memos will be emailed by the AS staff to the student's professors. However, it is strongly suggested that students discuss their accommodation needs with each professor at the beginning of the semester.
- Students are responsible to meet with a Accessibility Services staff person at the beginning of (or prior to) each semester in order to access accommodations.
- Students must report to any AS staff member, in a timely manner, any problems that arise with respect to the provision of reasonable accommodations.
- Students must adhere to all university policies, including, but not limited to, the Student Code of Conduct.
Grievance Procedures
The following complaint procedure provides for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the ADAAA of 2008, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
All complaints regarding provision of accommodations or discrimination based on a disability should first be brought to the attention of the Accessibility Services staff, Berks hall room 209, 610-607-6245. The Director of Accessibility Services will investigate the complaint and work toward a resolution. If the student is unable to resolve the matter with the Director in this informal stage, the student may then follow the formal grievance process.