ADA Policy

ADA Policy

Jefferson Community College recognizes and supports the tenets of both Section 504 and the ADA, and complies with the law, including the provision of requested reasonable accommodations so that no one is denied access solely on the basis of disability to its employment opportunities, programs or facilities.

1.    Compliance Officer designation: The Section 504/ADA Coordinator, responsible for compliance shall be the College’s Affirmative Action Officer.

2.    Requests for accommodation:

                      A.         Requests for accommodation for credit-bearing coursework should be made in writing to the staff of the Scanlon Learning and Success Center.

                      B.         Accommodation requests for college events, business and industry training workshops, pre-applicant appointments, and pre-employment or employment- related activities or other non credit-bearing functions should be addressed to the College’s Affirmative Action Officer.

3.    College response to requests for accommodation:

                      A.         In the case of credit-bearing requests, the staff of the Scanlon Learning and Success Center will review routine student requests for accommodation to determine appropriate support, if any. Consultation with the Affirmative Action Officer is necessary for non routine requests, e.g., for access to funds to hire non-staff personnel, or in instances where the client is dissatisfied with the level or type of service which the director of the Learning and Success Center has determined is appropriate.

                      B.         For all other requests, the Affirmative Action Officer will consult with appropriate personnel and the vice president, and determine accommodation, if any. The Affirmative Action Officer will provide or authorize the provision of necessary personnel or other types of support.

                      C.         The College requires medical evidence to support requested accommodations; this requirement may be waived only by the Affirmative Action Officer or the College President.

4.    Internal Grievance Procedure: If an individual requesting an accommodation believes the decision reached by College personnel was based on illegal discrimination, he/she should follow the procedures outlined:

                      A.         An effort to resolve the complaint informally should be made by discussing concerns with the appropriate vice president, i.e., the V.P. of Academic Affairs for instruction issues, including the Learning and Success Center, the V.P. for Administration and Finance for employment matters, and the V.P. for Students for student services concerns.

                      B.         If the situation remains unresolved, a complaint should be made in writing to the College’s Affirmative Action Officer, who will attempt to resolve the issue through mediation. The complaint should contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, date, address, and phone number of complainant and the location, date and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complainant, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

                      C.         Unresolved cases will be forwarded by the Affirmative Action Officer to the College President, who may, at his/her discretion, institute more formal procedures.

5.    Use of the internal grievance procedure is not a prerequisite to the pursuit of other remedies.

6.    Records of medical information and disposition of ADA related matters will remain in the Affirmative Action Officer’s files, with the exception of student files kept in the Scanlon Learning and Success Center.

7.    The College will follow SUNY guidelines for records retention and disposition.