The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Amendment Act of 2008 state,

No otherwise qualified individual with disabilities in the United States… shall solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination or harassment under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

This section of the website is designed to provide information and resources to assist faculty in understanding the needs of students with disabilities.

Purpose of Office of Specialized Services (OSS)

  • Review and assess student documentation to determine eligibility for accommodations.
  • Provide and coordinate services and accommodations to students with disabilities so that they can freely and actively participate in all facets of College life.
  • Increase the level of awareness among members of the College so that students with disabilities are able to perform at a level limited only by their abilities, not their disabilities.

Accommodation Procedures

  • Each semester, OSS will email an electronic copy of the Accommodations Letter, listing ALL eligible accommodations to the student’s Bergen email account.
  • Students are instructed to email a copy of their accommodations letter to all faculty
    • Included in this email should be verification from the student regarding which accommodations on their letter they will be using in each course.
    • This email is verification of the date the accommodations have been requested by the student.
    • As signatures are no longer required on the semester based Accommodations Letter, faculty should respond by notifying the student (via email) they are in receipt  of the Accommodations Letter.
    • Faculty are expected to implement only the accommodations specified and apply to their class.
    • Faculty are encouraged to reach out to OSS if they have any questions or concerns about the accommodations being requested or the method of implementation.
  • Accommodations that pertain to the Office of Testing should be facilitated between the student and the Office of Testing based on the policies and procedures connected with their office.  Faculty are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Testing if they have questions about how to submit exams for accommodated testing, or any other questions related to the services offered by that office.
  • The contents of the Accommodation Letter and the identification of the student as having a disability are to be held in strict confidence and should not be shared without written permission from the student to discuss or disclose this information to anyone other than OSS staff.

Note Taking Guidelines

  • Professors/Instructors must make two (2) anonymous announcements for a need for a peer-notetaker if requested.
  • IF no peer-notetaker volunteers, please redirect the student to email [email protected] with the class information so OSS can work on finding an external student to come in and take notes.
  • Note takers may be utilized by any student who is found eligible in their accommodations to have a note taker.
  • Sometimes, it is helpful for students to receive copies of the professor’s notes.
  • Students still may request and need a note taker as well for complete access.
  • There can only be ONE note taker per class even if there are multiple students who express the need for note taking services.
  • Students may opt to utilize a Note Taking service called Notetaking Express which is coordinated through OSS.

Student Rights

  • Equal access to programs, services, and activities at BCC
  • Reasonable accommodations and academic support services
  • Confidentiality of disability related documentation

Student Responsibilities

  • Submit disability documentation to OSS by semester deadline dates.
  • Attend workshops once eligibility is determined.
  • Submit appropriate accommodation forms to your professors at the beginning of each semester.
  • Be proactive. Meet with your professors one on one to discuss how to implement your accommodations.
  • Follow up with OSS if you are having any difficulty with implementing any of your accommodations.

Faculty Rights

  • Provide reasonable accommodations to students in a timely manner.
  • Meet with students who have submitted accommodations forms to discuss and or clarify services being requested.
  • Refer students that disclose a disability but do not have appropriate accommodation forms to the Office of Specialized Services.
  • Direct questions about appropriateness of accommodations to OSS.

Faculty Responsibilities

  • Provide reasonable accommodations to students in a timely manner.
  • Meet with students who have submitted accommodations forms to discuss and or clarify services being requested.
  • Refer students that disclose a disability but do not have appropriate accommodation forms to the Office of Specialized Services.
  • Direct questions about appropriateness of accommodations to OSS.

Confidentiality

  • The nature of an individual disability as well as the documentation is confidential between the student and OSS.
  • Contact: Office of Specialized Services Director: Tracy Rand