Accommodations

Accommodations are assigned to provide access to a course in which a student is registered or a LSCPA sponsored event a student would like to participate in or attend.  The goal of accommodations in higher education is to promote access and opportunity.  Although students are encouraged to self-advocate and request accommodations, the request does not guarantee or entitle an individual to specific, requested accommodations.  In the higher education setting accommodations must be reasonable, cannot alter the essential course requirements, and cannot place an undue burden on the institution, faculty or staff.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which states each child with a disability must be provided a free, appropriate, public education that prepares them for further education, employment and independent living does not apply to institutions of higher education.  Although a student was provided with special education services based on IDEA in grade school (K-12), which may have included receiving modifications on assignments and/or tests, the creation of special programs and Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s), IDEA accommodations are not provided in the higher education setting.  A student with a disability is responsible for turning in assignments on time and completing all assignments as they are assigned to the other students, with and without disabilities who are enrolled in the same course.  In college, students are not given modifications on assignments, projects or tests.  In higher education the student is responsible for his or her success in achieving his or her educational goals.

Accommodations are assigned on an individual basis and are based on specific functional limitations.  Therefore, not all students with the same disability/diagnosis will receive the same accommodations.  For example, not all students with ADHD will receive extended time for testing in a reduced distraction environment.  Also, a student who was given extra time to complete tests in high school, but whose current documentation/information provided does not support the need for extended time testing might be assigned different accommodations, such as testing in a reduced distraction environment and utilization of an audio recorder to record class lectures that were not provided at the grade school level.

The following are some common accommodations provided at LSCPA:

• Audio Recording Lectures
• Reserved Seating
• Note-taking Assistance
• Extended Time Testing
• Accessible Furniture in Classrooms
• Sign Language Interpreter
• Use of Assistive Technology Equipment
• Use of a Reader or Scribe