As a college student you are responsible for your education. As a student with a disability or medical condition entering postsecondary education, you are responsible for knowing your rights and how they are addressed. Please read the following frequently asked questions to better understand the Disability Services policy at Imperial Valley College (IVC).

DO I HAVE TO INFORM IVC THAT I HAVE A DISABILITY OR MEDICAL CONDITION?

No. However, if you want IVC to provide you with accommodations, you should identify yourself as having a disability or medical condition to the Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSP&S). Students seeking assistance or accommodation must Request Disability Services. In any event, your disclosure of a disability is always voluntary. Imperial Valley College is required to provide appropriate accommodations as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability.

CAN IVC PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE OR HANDICAPPED PARKING PERMITS?

No. Accessible parking is available in accordance with the California state and federal regulations. Students are required to follow all appropriate regulations and to have a California-issued permit visible when parked in an accessible or handicapped space while on campus. Violation of these regulations can result in fines and/ or towing of vehicles. Accessible parking is accessed on a first come, first served basis. Any student wishing to address accessible parking issues should contact the Parking Control Department.

WHAT ACCOMMODATIONS CAN IVC PROVIDE?

The appropriate accommodations must be determined based on your disability or medical condition and your individual needs. Accommodations may include auxiliary aids and other modifications as necessary to ensure equal access to educational opportunities. Examples of such accommodations include: extended time for testing, testing in a separate room, note takers, recording devices, sign language interpreters, and equipping school computers with screen-reading, voice recognition or other adaptive software or hardware.

Although extended testing time may be a necessary accommodation for providing access to equal educational opportunity, changing the content and/or format of a test is not. In addition, IVC is not obligated to offer modifications that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program or activity or would result in undue financial or administrative burdens. Finally, postsecondary schools are not obligated to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature, such as tutoring and typing.

IF I WANT ACCOMMODATIONS, WHAT MUST I DO?

Although you may request accommodations from IVC at any time, you should make your request as early as possible. Some Accommodations may take more time to provide than others. Students will need to update their Accommodation Plan each semester with the Disabled Student Programs & Services Office.

If you have a disability or medical condition and would like to receive accommodations, you must inform IVC by contacting the DSP&S. It is the responsibility of the student to disclose their disability to DSP&S Office. Students seeking assistance or accommodation must Request Disability Services. Unlike high school, IVC is not required to automatically identify you as having a disability or assess your needs.

The Disabled Student Programs & Services may require you to provide documentation prepared by an appropriate professional for approval and coordination of accommodations. Any documentation information students can readily share during the first meeting, such as IEP/504 Plans, recent evaluations, letters from appropriate professionals (doctors, psychologists, audiologist, etc.) is helpful. Students may print a Disability Verification Form for the appropriate professional overseeing health treatment to complete. We will use all information we can obtain from conversation and paperwork to establish entitlement and, if appropriate, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for the student. For further information on documentation, please refer to the Documentation Guidelines.

WHEN SHOULD I REQUEST ACCOMMODATIONS?

This process can begin as soon as you have decided to attend classes at IVC, prior to the beginning of the semester, or as early in the semester as possible in order to ensure that IVC has enough time to review your request and provide the appropriate accommodations. Students seeking assistance or accommodation must Request Disability Services.

CAN I RECEIVE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THE PLACEMENT TESTS?

Yes. Students seeking assistance or accommodation must Request Disability Services. After submitting the form, a staff member from the DSP&S will contact you to schedule a meeting.

After meeting with a DSP&S counselor and establishing accommodations for testing, students are responsible for arranging testing appointments with the Testing Coordinator.
IVC Testing Center Phone: 760-355-6312

WHAT DOCUMENTATION SHOULD I PROVIDE?

The DSP&S may require you to provide documentation prepared by an appropriate professional for approval and coordination of accommodations. Any documentation information students can readily share during the first meeting, such as IEP/504 Plans, recent evaluations, letters from appropriate professionals (doctors, psychologists, audiologist, etc.) is helpful. Students may print a Disability Verification Form for the appropriate professional overseeing health treatment to complete. We will use all information we can obtain from conversation and paperwork to establish entitlement and, if appropriate, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for the student. For further information on documentation or if you do not have documentation of your disability readily available, please refer to the Documentation Guidelines.

ONCE THE DISABLED STUDENT PROGRAMS & SERVICES HAS RECEIVED THE DISABILITY SERVICES REQUEST FROM ME, WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?

After submitting the Disability Services Request and scheduling a meeting the student should prepare to bring any documentation of their disability to the initial meeting.

In the meantime, the DSP&S will review your request with regard to the requirements of your program to help determine appropriate accommodations. It is important to remember that IVC is not required to alter academic requirements as an accommodation for a disability or medical condition. If you have requested a specific accommodation, it may be approved, but if not, DSP&S will work with you to identify an appropriate alternative.

WHAT IF THE ACCOMMODATION WE IDENTIFIED IS NOT WORKING?

Notify DSP&S as soon as you become aware that the results are not what you expected. It may be too late to correct the problem if you wait until the course or activity is completed. You should work with DSP&S to resolve the problem. You may request an appointment as a returning student by scheduling a Returning Student Appointment.

WILL IVC CHARGE ME FOR ACCOMMODATIONS?

No. Furthermore, IVC may not charge students with disabilities or medical conditions more for participating in its programs or activities than it charges students without a disability or medical condition.

WHAT CAN I DO IF I BELIEVE THE COLLEGE IS DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ME BASED ON MY DISABILITY?

Contact DSP&S for information about how to address your concerns. IVC has a General Complaint Policy which can be found in the IVC catalog. This procedure includes steps to ensure that you may raise your concerns fully and fairly and provides for a prompt and equitable resolution.

WHY IS THIS INFORMATION IMPORTANT FOR ME TO KNOW?

Students with disabilities or medical conditions who know their rights and responsibilities are much better equipped to succeed at IVC. We encourage you to work with the IVC staff because we want you to succeed. Seek the support of family, friends and fellow students, including those with disabilities or medical conditions. Know your talents and capitalize on them, and believe in yourself as you embrace new challenges in your education.

To receive more information about the civil rights of students with disabilities in educational institutions, you may contact:

Customer Service Team
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
Washington, D.C. 20202-1100
Phone: 1-800-421-3481
Website: www.ed.gov/ocr