Disability Assistance Policy

Disability Assistance Policy

Kettering College is committed to providing students with disabilities equal access to all programs, services, activities, and facilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. To receive accommodations, the student must contact the director of academic support services. Each student who applies for accommodations is evaluated on an individual basis, and all disability-related information is kept confidential with the Academic Support Center.

Guidelines to Receive Accommodations

• Contact Emily Cowell, to schedule an interview and self-identify their need for accommodations. Please email Emily.Cowell@kc.edu or call 937-395-8601 ext 55646 to make an appointment.

• Provide evidence-based, professional documentation from a licensed healthcare professional or properly credentialed professional that assesses and diagnoses the disability.
• Documentation from an appropriate professional must be on official letterhead and sent directly to the Director of Academic Support with:
  

  – diagnosis of disability /disabilities

  – documentation related to how the disability impacts a major life function

  – the accommodations needed to be related to the stated disability

If needed, additional documentation may be requested by the Director of Academic Support Services.

Send documentation to emily.cowell@kc.edu or:

Emily Cowell
Kettering College
3737 Southern Blvd
Kettering, OH  45429

Each student who applies to the Academic Support Center for accommodations is evaluated on an individual basis, and all disability-related information is kept confidential within the Academic Support Center office. If a student qualifies for academic accommodations, the Academic Support Center will notify faculty of the accommodations needed. Granted accommodations will be in effect after receipt of required documentation.

Provisional or temporary disability accommodations may be approved for students for the remaining portion of the semester they are enrolled in, should they provide adequate proof, as deemed acceptable by Kettering College, showing they are actively engaging in a diagnostic process with a medical provider that would delay receipt of documentation by 30 days or more or other extenuating circumstances exist.

Eligibility for Service

A qualified person with a disability is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities, who with or without accommodations, can meet the essential requirements for participation in a program.

Sources and forms of appropriate documentation

Documentation should be provided by a licensed or otherwise properly credentialed professional who has no personal relationship with the student, but who preferably knows the history of the student’s disability.

Depending on the disability, appropriate documentation may include data and assessments from health care providers, educational assessments, mental health assessments, and psychoeducational evaluations. All costs associated with necessary assessments, testing, and evaluations are the responsibility of the student. Documentation should be relevant to the student’s current level of disability.

Documentation should be in the form of a letter or report on official letterhead and signed by the evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis. Documentation should be current, preferably not older than 3 to 5 years.

Confidentiality

Student Disability documentation is collected and maintained separate from the student’s college record and is kept in secure files by the Director of Disability Services. Information shared with faculty includes that a student has a documented disability and the need for accommodations.

Examples of Accommodations

Depending on the documented disability, eligible students may receive accommodations such as:

• extended test time
• testing environment with reduced distractions
• assistive technology/software
• reading or writing assistance
• class notes
• test reader
• other accommodations as needed

Disability Accommodation Appeal Process

If a student has been denied a disability accommodation request, or if an accommodation approved by the Academic Support Services Office has been denied by a staff, faculty, or department, the student has the right to appeal such decisions. The student should first meet with the Director of Academic Support Services for resolution. If resolution is not met, the student should next initiate an appeal to the Academic Dean. Should the student disagree with the decision of these parties, the student has the right to appeal with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). To file a complaint fill out the electronic form that can be found at www.ada.gov/complaint/.

Service Animals

Kettering College follows the ADA and the most recent guidance from the Department of Justice regarding service dogs. Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, actively calming a person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

In accordance with applicable law, Kettering College permits service dogs in campus buildings, classrooms, residence halls, offices, dining facilities, recreational facilities, and most areas where the handler is permitted. Exceptions may include areas or situations where the dog is a threat to the health and safety of others or when the presence of the dog constitutes a fundamental alteration to a program or service. A service dog can be any breed, any size, and while the dog may wear a specialized vest, it is not legally required to do so.

While students coming to campus with service dogs are not required to register with the Academic Support Center, Kettering College encourages students to partner with the Academic Support Center, particularly if other accommodations may be necessary in order to afford the student equal access to College programs and services. Additionally, students living in residence halls are strongly encouraged to contact the Student Life office to give advance notice of the intent to bring the service dog to campus. 

Campus Community Etiquette

Because service dogs are working dogs, the campus community should know the following:

• Allow a service dog to accompany its handler everywhere on campus.
• Do not pet a service dog
• Speak to the handler first, not the dog
• Do not ask about a handler’s disability
• Do not offer food to a service dog
• Do not attempt to separate a service dog from its handler
• Do not tease or startle a service dog
• Do not interrupt a service dog while it is working

Handler’s Responsibilities

1. The handler must effectively control the dog at all times. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.
2. The care and well-being of the service dog are the sole responsibilities of the handler. The handler is responsible for maintaining the dog’s health and cleanliness, including using flea and tick control.
3. The handler must ensure that the service dog abides by local ordinances, including vaccinations and licensure.
4. The service dog must wear its current rabies tag and license tag at all times.
5. The handler is financially responsible for the actions of the service dog, including bodily injury to others and/or property damage. Any damage to Kettering College property will be the responsibility of the handler.
6. The handler should be prepared at all times to immediately clean up the dog’s waste.

Removal of a Service Dog

A service dog may be removed from Kettering College premises until the handler is able to demonstrate that the dog’s behavior has been corrected if the dog is not housebroken, the dog is a direct threat to the health and safety of others, or the service dog is not well controlled.

Miniature Horses

In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the U.S. Department of Justice/Civil Rights Division/Disability Rights Section revised ADA regulations have a new, separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. (Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds.) Entities covered by the ADA must modify their policies to permit miniature horses where reasonable. The regulations set out four assessment factors to assist entities in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in their facility. The assessment factors are (1) whether the miniature horse is housebroken; (2) whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; (3) whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and (4) whether the miniature horse’s presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility.