Florida Institute of Technology

The program provides reasonable accommodations and services for qualified students with documented disabilities who are attending Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech), enrolled in distance learning classes (University Alliance, University College, etc), or participating in programs sponsored by Florida Tech.

The accommodations in high school were mandated by federal laws called IDEA and Section 504. Accommodations at the college level are mandated by Section 504 and ADA. IDEA is the federally funded special education law that requires that all students in public schools through grade 12 receive a "free and appropriate public education," which includes free testing, free support services, and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for students that need "special education services" due to specific categorical "educational disabilities." Section 504 is the law that requires that all federally funded programs, including educational programs such as universities, provide accommodations to all "otherwise qualified" persons who self-identify as having any disability that "substantially limits one or more major life activities." ADA is defined in the same terms as Section 504 but expands the mandate to include both public and private education, employment, transportation, and telecommunications. Both Section 504 and ADA are intended to ensure that persons with disabilities of any type are not discriminated against in such a way as to exclude them from participating in mainstream society. The laws do not however require an organization such as the university to provide the psychological testing and/or medical evaluations. It places the responsibility for obtaining and providing documentation clearly with the individual requesting the accommodations.

Examples of reasonable accommodations and services may include extra time for exams, special seating arrangements, a sign language interpreter, a class note taker, and/or alternate format materials (i.e. audio tape, large print, etc.). Accommodations and services are designed to meet the individual needs of the person with a disability.

Students must register their vehicle with the Florida Tech Security Office in order to drive on campus. Students with handicapped hang tags or plates may park in any handicapped parking spots on campus. Handicapped parking spots are located near buildings or campus access points. For more information about parking see Security Parking Regulations.

Students with disabilities must apply through the regular admission offices for undergraduates Standardized test scores and grades from high school or other college work will be reviewed in the application process. The scores and grades which were earned by using accommodations will be treated the same as scores and grades which were earned without accommodations. If admission is denied, the student can appeal the decision. Certainly if there are disability related variables, it would be wise to address them in an appeal. However, there are no special admissions based solely on the fact that the student has a disability.

DO NOT send your disability information to Admissions with your application. There is no need to disclose your disability to the Admissions office. Upon receiving your letter of acceptance to Florida Institute of Technology, you should send the most recent and comprehensive documentation of your disability to the Academic Suport Center, Coordinator of Disabilities, where it will be maintained in a confidential file. Be sure to include your address, phone number, and email address.

The federal government has a good website called "Students with Disabilities: Preparing for Secondary Education" at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html that may be helpful. Additionally. the staff at the Academic Support Center is always available to assist you with this process. Another useful website to investigate is AHEAD (Association on Higher Education & Disabilities) at http://www.ahead.org/

Of course you can choose when and where you will need accommodations related to your disability and to whom you disclose this information. However, our experience has been that college demands (academic and personal) are different than high school in terms of the amount of information, manner that it is taught, as well as your need to structure and manage your time without the monitoring of teachers or your parents. We encourage you to have a confidential meeting with an Academic Support Center  staff member to explore your feelings related to your disability as well as to monitor your transition to college even if you don't request accommodations.

Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment at the Academic Support Center as soon as they arrive on campus if they have a history of a psychological, learning disability or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  All students must fill out a "Disability Request Form" and set up an appointment. Previous documentation regarding your disability should be submitted with the disability request form at this time. Your documentation will be reviewed to determine if it meets the requirements established at Florida Tech. Documentation requirements are stated under disabilties on the Academic Support Center website . Contact the Academic Support Center if you have any questions.

No, the guidelines and standards in Higher Education are significantly different from special education law and standards in elementary and high school. Florida Tech presently follows the Educational Testing Service guidelines that were established by a variety of professionals and modified based upon legal mandates and guidelines. These guidelines can be found at http://www.ets.org/disability/index.html and are summarized below:
The documentation you submit must, at a minimum, meet the following criteria:
Documentation on file for an applicant must

1. Clearly state the diagnosed disability or disabilities;

2. Describe the functional limitations resulting from the disability or disabilities;

3. Be current, i.e., completed within the last 5 years for adult LD, and within 3 years when transitioning from high school, last 6 months for psychiatric disabilities, or last year for ADHD and all other disabilities (Note: Thisrequirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of permanent or unchanging nature.);

4. Include complete educational, developmental, and medical history relevant to the disability for which testingaccommodations are being requested;

5. Include a list of all test instruments used in the evaluation report and relevant subtest scores used to document the stated disability (This requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent orunchanging nature.);

6. Describe the specific accommodations requested;

7. Adequately support each of the requested testing accommodation(s);

8. Be typed or printed on official letterhead and signed by evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis (include information about license or certification and area of specialization).

Obtaining the documentation and providing it to Academic Support Center is your responsibility; however, Academic Support Center will assist you in maneuvering this process. CAPS offers LD/ADHD assessment at a discounted rate or you can contact CAPS for names and telephone numbers of providers in the community to complete this type of psychological assessment. Generally the fees for such an evaluation off campus will be $1,000 - $2,000.

Yes and no. Many times a parent will provide documentation or have an agency/physician forward this information to Academic Support Center. These documents are filed, and essentially put in a "hold mode" until the individual requesting accommodations actually sits down with a ASC professional for an intake to discuss these issues. Accommodations for your disability are reviewed on an individualized basis. It is your responsibility to contact us and allow us a reasonable time period to schedule an appointment, review your request, and make a determination regarding your request.

Accommodations are determined individually and must be supported by documentation. A "learning difficulty", "processing problem", or behavior that "appears to be" or "may be characteristic of" attention deficit disorder are examples of terminology which does not reflect a definitive diagnosis supported by DSM IV-TR criteria. Only a documented disability is eligible for accommodation.
Some examples of accommodations may include:
Hearing impairment
Amplification system and wireless mic for the instructor, Interpreter
Visual impairment
Large print handouts, exams, quizzes, and E-Text books
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Permission to tape lectures; extended time for exams
Mobility impairment
Accessible classes, labs, and field trips; a lab assistant; voice input on the computer
Learning disability
E-Text books; extended time for exams; use of computer and spell check for essay exams
Psychological disorder
Separate test environment and extended time for exams; no additional penalty for absence.

If you do not have the required documentation, the process of completing the LD/ADHD may take several hours of testing. It will then take several days to complete a report and review the findings if you seek testing through CAPS. Ideally, plan ahead and give yourself several weeks prior to needing these accommodations. At all times documentation and accommodation requests must be submitted to Academic Support Center in a timely manner so we have reasonable time to review the request, determine appropriateness, and arrange accommodations if indicated. If you have an examination in the next several days and you are now reading this it is unlikely that your request can be granted and arranged with such short notice. If you have appropriate documentation with a clear history of requiring accommodations but it is outdated, temporary accommodations for one semester may be developed until the psychological testing and documentation are complete.

 You will need to schedule an appointment with Mr. Newcombe or Mrs. Densler in the Academic Support Center every semester and choose the classes that you feel would require accommodations and to complete the accommodation contract. At this point the accommodation form will be forwarded to those faculty. It is then your responsibility to meet with the instructors for classes where you think you will need these accommodations. It is strongly recommended that you discuss this with your instructor within the first week of classes each semester. When this occurs, both the student and the instructor are aware of the necessary accommodations and the process of providing the accommodations is much more efficient.

A week prior to each exam, contact your professor and confirm exam procedures. Some professors prefer to have students proctored for extra time in their office or department, while most will bring the exam to the Academic Support Center for proctoring. If your professor is having the exam proctored in the Academic Support Center, make an appointment in the Academic Support Center for taking the test. It is important to keep a line of communication open with your professors and the Academic Support Center.