For more information or assistance, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services at disabilityservices@brevard.edu.

No. Students should only submit copies or scans of documentation. The student should retain the originals for their records.

Brevard College does not generally require students to update their documentation while they are enrolled. However, if a requested accommodation is not supported by the student's existing documentation, additional documentation will need to be submitted for the request to be evaluated.

Students who plan to take professional standardized tests such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and the PRAXIS (for education majors) should consult the testing agency's website to determine specific criteria regarding documentation. For example, ETS requires that learning disability documentation be no older than five years old. 

No. Brevard College does not provide diagnostic testing. However, we do keep an up-to-date listing of agencies and providers in the area that provide diagnostic testing.

Not necessarily. Postsecondary institutions are under very different obligations than high schools. Colleges look at how an accommodation will affect the nature of the class and can deny accommodations that fundamentally alter the nature of a class or institutional program or service. 

Each semester that a student wishes to receive academic accommodations, he/she needs to contact the Office of Disability Services to renew accommodations. The Director provides the student with an Academic Accommodation Letter via email that states the accommodations the student is to receive in class. The student then forwards this email to his/her professors.  The professor does not see the student's documentation.

Yes. Don't assume the professor will remember what types of accommodations a student is eligible to receive. Also, if the student does not present the letter to the professor and the student does not get the accommodations they need from the professor, the student will have little recourse, as they never requested a modification in that class.

The accommodation letter is verification that a request for a disability related modification was made by the student and approved by the Office of Disability Services.

No. Accommodations are not granted retroactively. However, if the student in the above scenario is approved for accommodations during the semester, he/she will receive the approved accommodations from that point forward.

In general, the answer to this question is, no. As with all accommodations, the time allotted for additional testing time is made on a case-by-case basis and is based upon the professional documentation. Most students who receive additional testing time as an accommodation receive time-and-a-half. This means if the in-class test or quiz is to take 75 standard class-time minutes, the student approved to receive time and a half would be allowed to use up to 113 or 1 hour and 53 minutes. Some students with disabilities may receive double time to use when taking in-class tests or quizzes if their documented disability is such that double time would be needed to ensure equal access to the test.

Remember, as with all accommodations, additional testing time is used as a reasonable accommodation to provide students with disabilities equal access to the test. The provision of extended testing time does not guarantee a student will be able to complete the test. This is because, in classes where tests are timed, non-disabled students may or may not be able to complete the exam.

Students, Instructors, and the Office of Student Accessibility can collaborate to utilize a variety of strategies in order to ensure that students have access to class notes when a disability may create a barrier for the student to obtain traditional written notes. 

BC Note-Taking Assistance Accommodation Guidelines

Some students with a documented disability may request note-taking assistance as a reasonable accommodation for their disability. Professors and students should discuss and select the option(s) best suited for the course content and learning needs of the student. The following criteria must be met in order to obtain this accommodation:

• The student must be approved for the accommodation of note-taking assistance. The student and professor should discuss the best means for note-taking assistance to occur and meet the student’s needs within their classroom.

• The student must attend class regularly. Having note-taking assistance is not a substitute for regular class attendance.

• Students who utilize note takers must pick up prepared notes in a timely manner and may not copy or distribute these notes for other students.

Students may use the following independent strategies:

• Students may use a personal technology device to record lectures. Students should notify the instructor in advance of the presence of recording technology and ensure permission.

• Students may utilize a laptop for recording or typing their own notes.

• Students may exchange notes with other students in their class.

Professors may assist students by use of the following strategies:

• Instructors may provide access to their notes prior to class, PowerPoint presentations, overheads, handouts, etc.  

• Work with OSADS to identify another student in their class for a copy of their notes and to serve as a note-taker for the student.

• Arrange for the class to create shared class notes that may be accessed by anyone online

• Utilize other strategies in Using Google Docs-Universal Design Ideas for Faculty.

OSADS may also help to facilitate a note-taker for a particular class by:

• Consulting with both the student and with a professor about the most appropriate and effective means in which to undertake the note-taking process within the classroom.

• Consulting with the instructor in identifying a suitable note taker for the course.

Yes, for students with documented reading impairments textbooks are available electronically. However, there are times when particular books may not be available.

Some publishers provide E-Text materials for students with disabilities. The Office of Disability Services will try various outlets to locate books electronically. Also, text to speech programs are available for student use.

For more information, contact the Office of Disability Services.

Students with disabilities have access to the same support services that are available to all students free of charge.

• Writing & Tutoring Center Services (Coltrane/Campus Life)
• Office of Career Exploration and Development
• Counseling Services
• Jones Library