Accommodations

Support for students with disabilities

Close up of a man using crutches

The Office of Accessibility (OOA) is the first stop for information and assistance to support students with disabilities. Bay College strives to reduce the impact of a disability on a student's opportunity to learn and participate in campus life by providing accommodations to eligible students. A student will need to request accommodations by completing an online Accommodation Request Form and Intake Information Questionnaire (myBay login required).

Student Accommodations

The Office of Accessibility utilizes the procedure set forth in Board Policy 1061.2 for determining accommodations for students. The process is addressed on an individual, case-by-case basis, according to a student's specific recommended accommodations.

Just because you have a specific disability does not automatically make you eligible for a specific accommodation. Also, there are differences between high school and college disability services.

  • ADA and Sections 504 and 508 provide access to school
  • Education is not a Right. College is voluntary and has costs
  • Modifications cannot fundamentally alter the nature of a program
  • Student must self-identify to Office of Accessibility (OOA)
  • Student provides documentation that meets school's standards. If evaluation is necessary, it's at the student's expense
  • Student identifies needs and requests accommodations. No I.E.P.'s or 504 Plan exist at the college level
  • Student must seek assistance from OOA
  • Student self-advocates and must arrange for accommodations
  • Parent has no access to student records or information without student's written consent
  • Student must self-advocate
  • There is no "A for effort"
  • Professors expect students to read the course syllabus. They may not remind students of upcoming events
  • IDEA provides opportunities to succeed in school
  • Education is a Right and must be accessible to you
  • Core modifications of classes required
  • School must identify disability
  • Documentation is I.E.P. school provides evaluation at no cost to student
  • School develops I.E.P.
  • Student is assisted by parents and teachers
  • School arranges accommodations
  • Parent has access to student records
  • Parent advocates for student
  • Grades may reflect effort, attendance or modified curriculum
  • Teachers remind students of assignments and due dates

Accessibility Information

Documentation Information

At the college level it is each student's responsibility to self-identify needs for their particular accommodation. This is done by first logging in to the student's MyBay account and completing and submitting the online application. A student then needs to submit the required documentation. After that a discussion will take place with the Director of Office of Accessibility(OOA).

Services and reasonable accommodations are granted to students who complete the Application for the Office of Accessibility and submit complete written documentation of the disability from an appropriate and qualified source. The documentation must be current, preferably within the last three years (the acceptable age of documentation is dependent upon the disabling condition, the current status of the student, and the student’s specific request for accommodation).

For the documentation of the disability to be accepted by the College, the following general requirements must be observed:

  • Documentation can be from MI Rehab Services, Vet Voc Rehab, Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, or from a medical doctor
  • A school plan such as a current individualized educational (IEP) plan or a 504 is insufficient documentation on its own
  • The report needs to explain and document via formal and informal assessment how the requested accommodation mitigates the impact of the individual’s disability on the specific task or activity

Please contact the Bay College Director of Accessibility if you have any questions regarding documentation.

Rights of Individuals with Disabilities
  • Request accommodations
  • Receive accommodations appropriate to their disability in order to fully participate in, or benefit from, Bay College's programs, services, and activities in a non-discriminatory, integrated manner
Typical Services Offered
  • Extended time for tests and quizzes
  • Access to a distraction reduced testing environment
  • Note-taking assistance
  • Reading assistant software
  • Dictation software
  • The use of a recorder for academic needs

*The above list is not intended to be an exhaustive list and accommodations provided will be determined on an individual basis.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability and mandates that equal access and reasonable accommodations be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities.

Under the ADA-AA any person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his/her major life functions is defined as disabled. Students with disabilities may not be segregated and are fully included in the institution's existing programs and activities.

  • Eliminating barriers to independence because of a person's disability
  • Prohibiting discrimination for a qualified student because of their disability
  • Providing a student with a disability reasonable and effective accommodations
Filing a Complaint

All Complaints of disability are subject to the College’s Board Policy 1061 which contains the grievance procedure for filing a disability discrimination complaint. Board Policy 1061 applies to complaints of discrimination against College Employees, Students, and Third-Parties. In accordance with Policy 1061.3, all formal grievances regarding complaints of disability discrimination must be submitted in writing within ten (10) business days of the alleged discrimination to the Bay College Director of Accessibility.

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