Disability Services
STUDENT SUPPORT CENTER
Robin Goodall, Learning Specialist
Conant 224
802-728-1278
rgoodall@vtc.edu
About the Office
The Learning Specialist at Vermont Technical College is responsible for coordinating services to ensure accessibility and usability of all programs, services, and activities of the college by people with disabilities-and is a resource for information and advocacy toward their full participation in all aspects of campus life. The Learning Specialist collaborates with the entire campus community to provide services in the most appropriate setting to meet the access needs of the individual.
Student Eligibility
Students requesting disability-based services and accommodations must present comprehensive, qualified, and current documentation that they have one or more physical or mental impairments which substantially limit one or more of their major life activities related to the request.
Seven Elements of Quality Documentation
Documentation serves two primary purposes in postsecondary education:
To establish protection from discrimination:
Non-discrimination is an assurance that individuals with disabilities will not be excluded or provided lesser access to programs and activities based on assumptions rooted in stereotype or perception of ability that are not based in fact. Non-discrimination also provides freedom from harassment based on perceptions of disability.
Documentation needed only for protection from discrimination based on disability can be quite brief. A diagnostic statement from an appropriate professional, a past history of recognition as a person with a disability or even self-identification that indicates how others might regard the individual as having a disability could suffice as the basis for protection from discrimination.
AND
To determine the accommodations to which the individual may be entitled
Reasonable accommodations include modifications to policy, procedure or practice and the provision of auxiliary aids and services that are designed to provide equal access to programs and services for qualified individuals with disabilities. Accommodations are reasonable when they do not fundamentally alter the nature of a program or service and do not represent an undue financial or administrative burden.
Definitions of Disability
The United States’ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines “disability” as “having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities.” The ADA protects individuals from discrimination if they have a record of such impairments or if they are regarded as having such impairments. Additionally, specific protections are guaranteed through Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (amended, 1978). http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
Examples of Services Available to Students
- Individualized accommodations for test-taking
- Note-taking assistance
- Consultation and advocacy throughout the campus community
- Liaison with community-based disability service agencies
- Information and referral
- Academic adjustments
- Academic coaching
- Study skills instruction
- Assistive Technology Training
Services Not Available
- Diagnostic testing or evaluation
- Aids for personal study
- Aids for personal care
- Equipment of a personal nature
- Learning disability support programs
- Off-campus transportation
The college is subject to the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) regarding academic adjustments/auxiliary aids, including testing modifications, to qualified students with disabilities. Individuals with questions about these services should contact the Learning Specialist at 728-1278.