Preamble
Dublin Institute of Technology is
committed to a policy of equal opportunity in education and to ensuring that
students with a disability have as complete and equitable access to all facets
of College life as can reasonably be provided. The Equal Status Act 2000-2004
makes provision for a service provider, such as College, to prepare and
implement a code of practice setting out what it is doing to promote the
inclusion of students with disabilities.
This Code of Practice is intended to provide a model for a high standard of service to students with disabilities. College will take reasonable steps to ensure that it does not place a student with a disability at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled student. A substantial disadvantage is one that entails time, inconvenience, effort or discomfort compared to other people or students and which is more than minor or trivial.
The purpose of this Code of Practice for College is twofold:
- to outline to students with disabilities their rights and responsibilities in receiving reasonable accommodations in College;
- to define College’s rights and responsibilities to students with disabilities, and the College community.
For the purpose of this document and all College policies relating to students with disabilities, a reasonable accommodation might be any action that helps alleviate a substantial disadvantage. Making a reasonable accommodation might involve changing procedures, modifying the delivery of the course taken, providing additional services (e.g. examination arrangements, materials in large print), or altering the physical environment.
Every student with a disability has the right to:
- Reasonable and appropriate accommodations (adjustments and supports) and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis and in accord with the individual’s certified disability/specific learning difficulty.
- Appropriate confidentiality of disability records (files) and that disclosure of information will only happen with the student’s written consent.
- Information reasonably available in accessible formats.
- Be treated with dignity and respect
Every student with a disability has the responsibility to:
- Identify themselves in a timely manner as an individual with a disability when seeking an accommodation.
- Provide documentation from an acceptable professional source that verifies the nature of the disability.
- Register with the Disability Service and follow Disability Service and College procedures if they wish to obtain reasonable and appropriate accommodations, examination accommodations and/or auxiliary aids. This includes signing the code of practice and consenting to release of information.
- Treat staff of the College with dignity and respect.
College has the right to:
- Maintain the College’s academic standards.
- Request an ‘Evidence of Disability Form’ completed by an acceptable professional source to verify the need for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids.
- Discuss a student's need for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids with the professional source of his/her documentation, having obtained the student's signed consent authorising such disclosure and discussion.
- Select from equally effective and appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids in consultation with students with disabilities.
- Deny a request for accommodation and/or auxiliary aid if the documentation does not identify a specific disability and/or functional limitation, if it fails to verify the need for the requested services or if it is not provided in a timely manner.
- Refuse to provide an accommodation and/or auxiliary aid that is inappropriate or unreasonable, including any that: pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, constitute a substantial change or alteration to an essential element of a course or programme, or pose undue financial or administrative hardship on College.
College has the responsibility to:
- Ensure that College’s courses, programmes, services, jobs, activities, and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are delivered in the most integrated and accessible settings possible.
- Provide to students with disabilities information regarding College policies and procedures and ensure that it is available in accessible formats upon request.
- Provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids for students with disabilities upon a timely request by a student.
- Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication concerning students with disabilities except where the disclosure is authorised by the student.
More specifically, the College's Disability Service personnel have the responsibility to:
- Assist students with disabilities to self-identify and meet College’s criteria for eligibility to receive reasonable and appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Assure confidentiality (subject to the student signing the disclosure of information form) of all information pertaining to a student's disability.
- Inform students on the mechanism for changing Disability Officer assigned to them.
- Make students on professional courses aware of the College Fitness to Practice Policy.
College Policy on confidentiality for students with disabilities
College encourages students with disabilities to disclose information on their disability/specific learning difficulty to the Disability Service before they apply to college or at any point during their studies. Such disclosure is encouraged so that College can work with the student in ensuring that any reasonable accommodation required is identified and facilitated in conjunction with the student. Any documentation or information presented in disclosing a disability is held by the Disability Service/College Health Service (where relevant), and specific medical or other documentation will not be disclosed to any third party. Where a student requests and is granted any form of reasonable accommodation such as extra time in exams, or permission to tape record lecturers’ notes, the College will, in consultation with the student, disclose relevant information to the individuals in those departments responsible for providing or facilitating students in accessing such accommodations. In such instances, only information relevant to the particular situation will be disclosed.
