PURPOSE

Skagit Valley College (SVC) strives to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the same facilities, services and content that are available to people without disabilities. This policy is intended to include facilities, services, and technologies and how they relate to people with disabilities. This policy is intended for all college stakeholders, including visitors, volunteers, students, and staff.

REFERENCES

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Amendments Act of 2008
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended
• RCW 28B.10.910 -916 Students with disabilities.
• SBCTC Accessible Technology Policy 3.20.30B
• Washington State OCIO Policy 188 – Accessibility.
• US Access Board Guide 508 Standards – Software Applications and Operating Systems
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
• Whole Building Design Guide, Best Practices for Accessibility, Article VII

POLICY

• Discrimination on the basis of disability will not exist in any activity, area, or operation of the college, and retaliation against an individual for asserting their rights under this policy will not be tolerated.
• Employees, students, and visitors with disabilities at SVC may bring any concerns regarding known or suspected instances of disability-based discrimination to the attention of the Associate Vice President of Human Resources, who is designated as the person responsible for coordinating the college’s compliance with Section 504 and the ADA.
• SVC‘s admissions process does not discriminate on the basis of disability. SVC will not offer separate admission standards or procedures to prospective students with disabilities, and applicants are not requested or required to disclose their disability in the admission process. Student disability arrangements are to be managed by the office of Disability Access Services (DAS) after a student is admitted to the college.
• SVC will reasonably accommodate all employees with disabilities. Employee disability arrangements are to be managed by the Human Resources department.
• SVC will reasonably accommodate all campus visitors with disabilities. Visitor disability arrangements are to be managed by the office of Disability Access Services (DAS).
• SVC will provide equal access to all programs, services, and activities provided through electronic and information technology (EIC). In an effort to honor this commitment, all technology services are required to meet the minimum requirements set forth by the laws, standards and policies referenced above. Accessibility of our electronic and information technology is to be managed by the Department of Information Technology
• SVC will provide equal access to all the facilities. SVC will use “Best Practices” for the design, construction, and renovation of the facilities. The WBDG – Whole Building Design Guide is an example of the best practices, which will be incorporated into the standards that every project is required to follow. Accessibility of the facilities is to be managed by the Facilities Department.
• SVC is committed to providing all students equal access to all instructional materials, assessment activities, and learning support services that meet requirements of accessibility and accommodation set forth by the laws, standards and policies referenced above.

DEFINITIONS

Access: A person with a disability is “afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally, and independently as a person without a disability

Accommodations: Assistance, changes or adjustments to a class requirement, assignment, work position, workplace, or event that will enable students, employees, or visitors’ full participation despite having a disability.

Disability: A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Disability Access Services (DAS): SVC office responsible for reviewing students’ disability documentation to determine eligibility for accommodations, auxiliary aids, and adjustments in accordance with federal and state laws. Additionally, DAS collaborates with faculty, staff, and departments to assist them in providing accommodations to ensure access to college programs, activities, and services for students with documented disabilities.

Disability discrimination: Occurs when an employer or other entity covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, or the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, treats a qualified individual with a disability who is an employee or applicant unfavorably because they have a disability.

Electronic and information technology (EIT): Includes, but is not limited to, the internet and intranet websites, content delivered in digital form. It also includes software, equipment, and interconnected systems that are used in the creation, conversion, duplication, display, storage, retrieval and transmission of content, sharing information or related resources.