EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

AUTHORITY:               BC Human Rights Act

RESPONSIBILITY:       Associate Vice-President - Students, SEM and Registrar

 

SCOPE

This policy applies to students with documented and attested, temporary, episodic, or permanent accommodation and accessibility needs which impact opportunities for inclusive and equitable participation in academic and non-curricular campus environments and experiences.

POLICY

In accordance with BC’s Human Rights Act, NVIT provides accommodation and accessibility services to support inclusive and equal access to NVIT programs and services for students with documented and attested accommodation and accessibility needs. Accommodations and accessibility are a shared responsibility, requiring collaboration between staff, faculty, and students.

PURPOSE

NVIT is committed to a fair and inclusive environment for all students.

This policy seeks to:              

• Promote the full and equitable participation of students requiring accommodations and accessibility services
• Ensure that students are not discriminated against on the need for accommodation and accessibility considerations
• Reduce the physical, attitudinal, and systemic barriers faced by students with accommodation and accessibility needs
• Recognize and promote the understanding that disability is a valued aspect of diversity
  

OBJECTIVES

NVIT’s commitment to equal access for students with accommodation and accessibility needs include the following:

• Create and maintain a supportive environment for students requiring accommodations and accessibility services
• Provide individualized accommodations for students requiring accommodation and accessibility services
• Arrange/facilitate auxiliary aids and services, training, funding, technical assistance, and guidance for students requiring accommodations and accessibility services
• Identify, prevent, remove, or mitigate barriers inherent in physical, technological, academic, and social settings

DEFINITIONS

Accommodation:  individualized alterations that ensure equal opportunity to access and succeed in programs and services for a person with a temporary, episodic, or permanent disability

Academic: in an academic context include alternative methods for students to access course content, participate in learning, and/or demonstrate skills and knowledge. Academic accommodations do not reduce the student’s responsibility to meet academic standards or alter essential program and course content, requirements, or standards.

Disability: occurs when an interaction between an individual’s impairment and the environment results in barriers to access or participation. An impairment may be a physical impairment, neurological impairment, learning disorder, or sensory impairment. A barrier may be in the built environment, policies or systems, modes of communication, or attitudes about disability.

Student: for the purposes of this policy, a student is a person who has been accepted and has permission to enrol or is enrolled in any credit-based program at NVIT, including Trades, courses articulated through the BC ABE Articulation Handbook and essential skills courses. Individuals registered in continuing studies; non-credit based courses are not considered students for the purposes of this policy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Students are responsible to:

• Self-identify as a student requiring accommodation and access services
• Request accommodations immediately and definitely prior to the course add/drop deadline. For non-traditional semester-based courses, the request must be made prior to 1/3 of the course delivery, based upon the scheduled course contact hours. Students with unanticipated diagnosed or attested accommodation needs that occur during the course of study are required to immediately request such accommodation services. For those accommodations that become necessary during the course of study, requests for such accommodation are requested no less than that 3 days prior to a future assignment submission or exam completion.
• Provide information and/or documentation supporting accommodation planning
• Participate in the accommodation planning process
• Discuss classroom accommodations and their implementation with instructors
• Monitor effectiveness of accommodations and identify need for review or changes
• Meet academic requirements of programs and courses

Student Accommodation and Accessibility Services are responsible for:

• Providing the NVIT community with timely, relevant information about accommodation services, policy, and procedures
• Facilitating accommodation planning and implementation with students and instructors in a timely manner
• Sharing written accommodation plans with instructors
• Providing written explanation when denying an accommodation request
• Responding to requests to review or change accommodation plans
• Maintaining confidentiality of student information and documentation

Faculty are responsible to:

• Advise all students of accommodation policy, procedures, and services for students
• Refer students who self-identify, request accommodations, or would benefit from accommodation to Accommodation and Accessibility Services.
• Ensure academic standards reflect bona fide educational or occupational requirements
• Engage in exploring, planning, and implementing all possible accommodation solutions
• Protect student confidentiality as it pertains to accommodation information

APPEALS

Students may seek informal resolution to accommodation decisions with Accommodation and Accessibility Services and appeal accommodation decisions using NVIT’s Academic Appeals policy and process (C.1.1)