Apply to Accessibility Services

• Use this link to apply for services (https://bear.accessiblelearning.com/s-Sinclair/ApplicationStudent.aspx) and upload documentation.

Common forms of documentation include, but are not limited to:

• An IEP and ETR or 504 Plan
• Disability Verification  (https://www.sinclair.edu/services/support/accessibility-services/student-resources/

Submit your documentation for review by an Accessibility Services Counselor.

• Online Student Application Form (https://bear.accessiblelearning.com/s-Sinclair/ApplicationStudent.aspx)
• Email: accessibility@sinclair.edu
• Fax: 937-512-4521

Additional documentation Information:

• Every student and every request is unique. A conversation about your experiences and expectations will help determine if additional information is necessary to support your accommodation requests.
• If you are not able to locate documentation, schedule an appointment with an Accessibility Services Counselor to discuss the academic barriers you are experiencing and available services.

Meet with a Counselor

• After applying, you will schedule an intake appointment with an Accessibility Services Counselor.  (https://www.sinclair.edu/directory/?directoryKeyword=&directoryDeptId=579)

Request Services

Request services by contacting your counselor the first week of the semester. You must request services for each semester. Academic accommodations such as audio textbooks and computer adaptations may take significant lead time to be ready in time for effective use. To expedite the request for Audio Textbooks & Adaptive Furniture please click the links below and submit the form.

• Adaptive Furniture Request - Online Form  (https://www.sinclair.edu/services/support/accessibility-services/student-resources/adaptive-furniture-request/)

Policy Statement

The mission of the Accessibility Services is to serve as advocates for qualified students with disabilities, offer accommodation provisions to students in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, provide consultation to staff and faculty on disability issues related to access and academic success, and suggest appropriate linkages to community resources.

The philosophy of Accessibility Services is to promote self-advocacy, inclusion, and to pursue innovation in services for students with disabilities. The department goal is to foster an environment where students can maximize their educational potential while assisting them to develop and/or maximize their independence.

Accessibility Services will work in collaboration with students to determine the accommodation provisions needed through individualized discussion. While Accessibility Services primarily serves the student population, assistance is also available to faculty members and staff charged with the responsibility of providing academic access and necessary accommodations to students with disabilities.

Accessibility Services is the designated campus office that verifies whether or not students have a documented disability that significantly impacts their ability to access educational programs. Accessibility Services will determine the appropriateness of a requested accommodation on a case-by-case basis. Students seeking or desiring services are required to identify their needs and to register with Accessibility Services to be considered eligible for accommodations.

The following policies and procedures have been developed to facilitate access.

Purpose

The purpose of this publication is to inform eligible students with disabilities of their right to an accessible educational setting and to answer some anticipated questions about policies and procedures of Accessibility Services at Sinclair Community College.

Compliance Responsibility

Responsibility for coordinating Sinclair's compliance for meeting students needs under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) resides with Accessibility Services.

Confidentiality

Disability-related information is treated as medical information and handled under the same strict rules of confidentiality as other medical information. This includes the comprehensive documentation from appropriate sources that persons with disabilities must provide to establish the existence of their disability and their need for accommodation(s). The general requirement that counselors keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is required to prevent clear and imminent danger to the student or others or when legal requirements demand that confidential information be revealed.

Further, at the college level, the information regarding a student's disability is shared on a limited confidential need-to-know basis and then only when there is a compelling reason for such disclosure. This may mean sharing with faculty only the information that a student has a documented disability and need for accommodation.

Disability documentation is collected and maintained separate from the student's college record and is kept in secure files by Accessibility Services. Records are maintained for five years after the student's last date of attendance. After five years of nonattendance at Sinclair, records will be destroyed in a confidential manner.

Specific statutory and regulatory language and confidentiality is most readily found in the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title I at 42 U.S.C. ss12112(d)(3) & (4); 29 C.F.R. ss1630.14- 1630.16, the EEOC's interpretive guidance and its technical assistance manual.

How to Register

Apply >

Provide a copy of documentation of your diagnosis to Accessibility Services

Documentation can be provided in the following ways: In person, at the office of Accessibility Services 10-424

By mail, Accessibility Services, 444 West Third Street Dayton, OH 45402 By Fax, (937) 512-4521

By email, lee.ferguson@sinclair.edu  

If you need documentation, have a medical provider fill out this verification worksheet: Disability Verification  (https://www.sinclair.edu/services/support/accessibility-services/student-resources/)

Meet >
Once the office of Accessibility Services receives your documentation, we will contact you within 7 business days to
schedule an appointment with a counselor.

If you are not contacted within the 7 business days, please contact the office at (937)512-5113

The counselor will arrange accommodations with you during this meeting

Attend >
Attend the courses you have registered for

Each Semester you will need to contact Accessibility Services to receive a Self-ID Letter

The Self-ID Letter is required to inform instructors of your approved accommodations

Eligibility for Accessibility Services

If the documentation is evaluated and meets requirements, an intake interview is scheduled with a counselor. Qualified individuals with disabilities who produce required documentation of their disability and self-identify their needs for accommodations are eligible for Accessibility Services.

A "qualified person with a disability" is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, who, with or without accommodations can meet the essential requirements for participation in a program.

Accessibility Services Documentation Guidelines

Accessibility Services requires appropriate documentation to determine that a student is eligible for services under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Appropriate types of documentation include:

Disability Verification form

Evaluation Team Report (ETR)

Psychological/psycho-educational evaluation

Letter from a medical/mental health provider

Documentation is required to meet the following criteria:

Qualifications of Clinician/Provider: Documentation must be typed on office or practice letterhead, dated and signed
by a professional who is licensed or certified in the area for which the diagnosis is made. Name, title, and
license/certification credentials must be stated.

Diagnosis & History: A diagnostic statement identifying the disability including a DSM classification along with any
relevant personal, psycho-social, medical, developmental and/or educational history.

Description of Diagnostic Methodology: A description of the diagnostic methodology used, including data and
measurements from appropriate evaluation instruments.

Current Impact and Functional Limitations: A clear description of the current impact and functional limitations of the
condition pertaining to the academic environment.

Recommendations: Recommendations should be directly linked to the impact or functional limitations associated with
the disability, or medication prescribed to control symptoms and include a clear rationale based on level of impairment.

Accessibility Services utilizes flexibility and discretion in determining how recent documentation must be, especially for
conditions that are permanent or non[1]varying.

Changing conditions and/or changes in how a condition impacts the individual may warrant more frequent documentation
updates.

Documentation and completed disability verification forms can be submitted in person to the Accessibility Services office, 
email to lee.ferguson@sinclair.edu, or fax to (937)512-4521.

Disability Management

Students who are determined eligible for services are assigned to a Accessibility Services counselor to work with throughout their schooling at Sinclair. This counselor may not only provide you with disability-related information and accommodations but may also work with you on managing other disability-related concerns if they impact your education. Accessibility Services has rehabilitation and professional counselors who are nationally certified and/or licensed in the state of Ohio.

YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Accessibility Services will provide reasonable academic accommodations, auxiliary aids, and support services that are individualized and based upon disability documentation, functional limitations and a collaborative assessment of needs. Students request accommodations/auxiliary aids based on what they are authorized to use and specific class needs. Accessibility Services does not guarantee to meet personal preference requests, but rather ensures that reasonable academic accommodations and auxiliary aids will be provided in accordance with ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO:

1. Equal access to courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities offered throughout the College.
2. Reasonable academic accommodations and services after providing the Accessibility Services with appropriate documentation of your disability and a joint assessment of needs with your Accessibility Services Counselor.
3. Confidentiality. Disability documentation is kept by Sinclair's Accessibility Services on a confidential need-to-know basis. Exception: Records may be shared if you agree, in writing, to release them, or when such a disclosure is required or permitted by law.
4. Advocacy support. If you appropriately make known your need for an approved academic accommodation to your instructor and it is denied, notify Accessibility Services immediately about the situation. If outside of Accessibility Services regular operating hours, leave a brief message at (937) 512-5113, describing your perspective. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
5. Discuss your concerns if you believe that your right to appropriate accommodations has not been met. Disability-related concerns should be discussed with your DDS Counselor. If unresolved, you may report your concerns to the Manager for the Department of Accessibility Services, and thereafter the Director, Student Affairs, if necessary. Note: This department may need to involve other appropriate college personnel in order to fully address the issues at hand.
6. Our goal is to facilitate individualized reasonable accommodations and supports. However, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education protects the rights of students and ensures that individuals who meet the program qualifications and eligibility requirements are given equal opportunity to participate. You reserve the right to file a grievance through OCR, if you believe your situation has not been resolved within the college support system.

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO:

1. Meet qualifications and maintain essential institutional standards for courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities.
2. Register with Accessibility Services and provide documentation of your disability from a qualified professional and how the disability limits your participation in courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities to be eligible for any accommodation from the college.
3. Contact your assigned Accessibility Services Counselor in a timely manner for assistance to identify and secure academic accommodations and supports. In addition, inform your assigned counselor if you are uncertain about what you need or are having difficulty getting what you requested.
4. Contact your Accessibility Services Counselor early so they can complete a Self[1]Identification (Self-ID) form which is evidence of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. When requesting classroom and/or testing accommodations from your instructors, a Self-ID form must be presented to each instructor for each class you are enrolled. Note: It is best to make an appointment with your instructor to share the approved accommodations as stated on your Self-ID form.
5. Request classroom and testing accommodations in a timely manner from faculty (at least one week in advance).
6. Inform Accessibility Services if your name, address, or telephone number changes. 

PERSONAL AIDS AND EQUIPMENT

Students with disabilities are permitted to use personal aids and specialized equipment, so long as the aid or equipment does not interfere with other students or the faculty member. Faculty members may work with students on alternative aids and equipment that might assist students in accessing academic materials. Problems related to the use of aids or equipment in the classroom should be referred to Accessibility Services for resolution.

Students are responsible for providing their own personal devices or services, including, but not limited to the following: wheelchairs or wheelchair repair; personal transportation; computers and software for use at home; individually prescribed devices; prescription eyeglasses; hearing aids; readers for personal use; alternate format materials unrelated to academic courses; hand[1]held magnifiers; tape recorders; electronic spelling aids; foot, arm or wrist rests; book or copyholder; and note taker paper in the Bookstore; or services of a personal nature including assistance in eating, using the toilet, bathing, or dressing are considered personal aides. As appropriate, Accessibility Services will make referrals to agencies or organizations that may be available to assist students in fulfilling needs outside of the authority of Accessibility Services.

A.   PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS Personal Care Attendants/Assistants are authorized to accompany students with disabilities and to perform both personal and academic tasks for them, such as taking notes, scribing, and turning pages. These attendants must not, however, interfere with other students or the teaching faculty member. Problems that relate to personal attendant services should be referred to Accessibility

B.   Services. B. SERVICE ANIMALS A service animal means any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. In such cases, Accessibility Services will render a decision based on documentation of the disability (*according to Accessibility Services Documentation Guidelines) and the disability-related necessity for the service, companion or therapy animal. Unless a service, companion or therapy animal is at risk, poses a hazard or risk to specific campus facilities (including research or activities undertaken in such facilities), or is a threat to the safety or physical well-being of others, individuals with disabilities are permitted to use service, companion and therapy animals on the College campus.

An accommodation request to allow a service, companion or therapy animal in the College environment on an ongoing basis must be processed through Accessibility Services. A student must meet and abide by the following criteria:

1. Provide current medical documentation assessed by appropriately certified professionals verifying the functional limitations associated with the disability and the recommended accommodations, which should include the use of the service animal.
2. Provide initial proof of service animal license, vaccination and annual health exam.
3. In all situations and at all times, the handler must be in full control of the service, companion or therapy animal. The handler is responsible for the care and supervision of the animal, as well as clean-up of animal waste. A handler may be asked to remove a service, companion or therapy animal from the College due to disruption, ill health of the animal or uncleanliness. The handler assumes financial responsibility for any damages incurred.