The College is committed to providing access to facilities and reasonable accommodations in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Isothermal Community College does not discriminate against eligible students or applicants on the grounds of race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, or disability. This policy of non-discrimination covers participation in all programs, support services, and activities.
ADA Compliance officers have been assigned authority to make ADA related decisions by the President. The Vice President of Administrative Services is responsible for providing access to facilities as well as making resources available in support of reasonable accommodations. The Accessibility Support Counselor is responsible for facilitating reasonable accommodations in support of the instructional process.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 both require institutions of higher education to provide equal access to educational opportunities to otherwise qualified “persons with disabilities.” It is the responsibility of the student with a disability to provide documentation of the disability. The documentation must certify that the disability creates a substantial limitation of a major life activity in order to establish eligibility for protection under the law.
Isothermal Community College does not make pre-or post-admission inquiries or referrals based on an assumption that a student has a disabling condition. It is the responsibility of the student with a disability to initiate the request for accommodations/services by contacting the Office of Accessibility.
Stephen Matheny, Vice President of Administrative Services
Isothermal Community College
Post Office Box 804
Spindale, NC 28160-0804
(828) 395-1293
The College has adopted the following policies governing the provision of interpreter services for hearing impaired students.
Hearing impaired students should register as early as possible for each semester to assure that interpreter services can be arranged before the first day of class. Students must give their class schedules to the Office of Accessibility as soon as possible so interpreter arrangements can be made promptly. When students drop and/or add courses, the arrangements for interpreters must be altered. Students, who must drop and/or add courses, must notify, in writing, the Office of Accessibility of the schedule change as soon as possible.
Students who need the services of an interpreter for special events or meetings must submit a written request for those services to the Office of Accessibility preferably one week before the event is to take place. If a student learns of a previously unanticipated academic event less than one week in advance, the student must notify, in writing, the Office of Accessibility as soon as possible and explain why notice was not given earlier.
Each request must include:
A student who has requested interpreter services and then finds out that he or she will not be attending the class or event in question must cancel the arrangements by notifying, in writing, the Office of Accessibility at least forty-eight (48) hours before the class or event is to take place. If the cancellation is for a Monday event, notification must be received before 4:00 pm the Friday preceding the event.
A student who fails to cancel a reservation will be considered “absent.” For purposes of this policy “absent” means that the student failed to use a valuable service that he or she requested. The cancellation of an interpreter can only be made through the Office of Accessibility.
If an absence described above is beyond the student’s control, the student must explain, in writing, the circumstances of the absence to the Office of Accessibility within three (3) days of the absence. For good cause shown, the Office of Accessibility may excuse absence, but if the student does not offer an explanation within three (3) days after the absence, that absence cannot be excused.
If a student has not arrived twenty minutes after a class session or event is scheduled to begin, the interpreter will leave, and the student will considered “absent.”
A student who has more than two (2) unexcused absences in a given course will be notified, in writing, that interpreting services for that course may be withdrawn for the remainder of the semester. If, during the course of a semester, a student has more than four (4) total unexcused absences from classes or other events for which interpreter services have been requested and provided, the student will be notified, in writing, that all interpreter services may be withdrawn from that student for the remainder of the semester.
Before interpreting services may be reinstated after a withdrawal described above, the student must schedule an appointment to meet in person with the Office of Accessibility. After this meeting the Office of Accessibility will determine whether or not to reinstate interpreter services.
Any student who has a problem or concern with regard to an interpreter should report that problem or concern, in writing, to the Office of Accessibility. Every reasonable effort will be made to resolve the situation fairly and expeditiously.
Policy Number: 602-03-00BP
Adopted: March 19, 1996
Amended: October 30, 2001; July 20, 2006; June 29, 2010