Guidelines on Disability Access and Accommodation
From: Office of the ADA Coordinator
At OCCC, persons with disabilities are entitled to access, support, and when appropriate, reasonable accommodations and academic adjustments. OCCC supports the ongoing development of a fully accessible institution that embraces and celebrates diversity. OCCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities. (OCCC Policy No. 1011).
ACCESSIBILITY
Integrated Settings
All programs, services and activities offered by OCCC are to be provided in an integrated setting, appropriate to the needs of all participants, including persons with disabilities. Separate programs or activities for persons with disabilities may be considered only when there is no other feasible way to provide an effective accommodation in an integrated setting.
Access to Physical Facilities and Spaces
Campus buildings, paths of travel, and other physical facilities are to be accessible to the extent that no individual with a disability is denied access to programs, services, or activities offered by OCCC as a consequence of inaccessible physical facilities. All new structures and major renovations of existing facilities and paths of travel must, at a minimum, meet accessibility standards and guidelines as required by federal and state law. In the event construction of physical facilities obstructs preexisting accessible route, an alternate accessible route must be provided. Modification and retrofit of existing inaccessible facilities will be accomplished on a priority basis as determined by the Director of Facilities Management in consultation with the ADA Coordinator.
These physical access provisions apply to any facility that is owned, leased, or used by OCCC. If a program or activity is scheduled in a location that is inaccessible to a person with a disability, and if accessibility cannot be readily achieved in a timely manner by structural redesign, modification, or retrofit of the facility, the program or activity must be made accessible through other suitable methods. Other methods may include, but are not limited to, relocation of the event, accessible transportation, or alternate format materials. The department sponsoring the program or activity is responsible for informing participants of access procedures and coordinating access to an event, but may seek the assistance of the ADA Coordinator. The person requiring access is responsible for making their needs known a reasonable amount of time in advance to the activity sponsor
Communication and Access to Information
Campus communications with persons with disabilities are to be equally as effective as its communications with non-disabled persons, and information about the existence and location of accessible features, including accessible parking, entrances, restrooms, and elevators, is to be readily available to those who seek it.
INFORMATION RELEVANT TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Admissions and Recruitment
No qualified applicant with a disability will be denied admission to OCCC or be subjected to discrimination in admissions or recruitment activities on the basis of a disability. All entrance examination scores will be treated equally, regardless of any accommodation that may have been provided during testing.
RESOURCES
Office of the ADA Coordinator
Disability Services through the office of Student Support Services
Human Resources and Employment Services
Human Resources provides OCCC with services related to search processes, recruitment and assessment of prospective employees. As the unit responsible for application procedures, they provide accommodations to prospective employees with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment process as appropriate.
COMPLAINT PROCEDURE
A person with a disability who believes his or her disability is not being accommodated, or who has experienced discrimination or harassment on the basis of disability, may file a complaint with the OCCC Director of Equal Opportunity, or with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Issues that may form the basis of a complaint include, but are not limited to, a denial of a requested accommodation, the inadequacy of an accommodation, the inaccessibility of a program or activity due to disability, and discrimination or harassment based on disability.
