Accommodations and Services
NCAD will provide in-class and testing accommodations and services appropriate to the documented disability of the individual student. Common reasonable accommodations may include:
- Extra time for exams and/or projects as needed
- A quiet location for exams
- The use of a computer during exams
- Referral to community resources
How to get the services you need:
- Make your request to the college for academic accommodations at least 15 days prior to the beginning of each semester to allow time for any accommodation to be coordinated.
- Students must submit their request and support materials to the Registrar or to the Director of Education.
- Mail, fax, or bring in current medical documentation of your disability.
- Upon verification of your disability, the director of education will discuss appropriate in-class and alternative testing accommodations with you.
- Medical support documentation and written administrative approval of specific accommodations will be maintained in the students’s file; accommodations may be modified or updated upon student request at the discretion of the Director of Education.
- Maintain on-going contact with the Director of Education for support throughout your academic career (highly recommended).
Providing Documentation
Current documentation from a qualifying professional — such as a physician, clinical psychologist, and psychiatrist — must be provided as part of the accommodation request process.
The document should indicate that the student meets appropriate criteria of a physical or psychological impairment that substantially limits one or more major life/college activities.
In an academic setting, the disability must substantially limit the ability to participate equally in activities associated with learning and/or demonstration of specific skills and/or knowledge.
No Disability Services accommodation request will be approved without current documentation being on file.
Learning Disabilities
Documentation of a learning disability consists of the provision of professional testing and evaluation including a written report, which reflects the individual’s present level of information processing as well as his/her achievement level.
The cost and responsibility for providing this professional evaluation shall be borne by the student.
The following guidelines are provided in the interest of assuring that any evaluation and report are appropriate for documenting eligibility and identifying reasonable accommodations.
Documentation must:
- Be prepared by a professional qualified to diagnose learning disabilities, including but not limited to a licensed neuropsychologist or psychologist, learning disability specialist, or other appropriate professional certified to administer class “C” psychological tests. Experience in the evaluation of adults with learning disabilities is essential.
- Be comprehensive. The use of a single test and/or instrument (such as Slingerland and Scopotic Sensitivity Screening) is not acceptable for the purposes of diagnosis. Minimally, areas to be addressed must include (but are not limited to):
- Aptitude: The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) with subtest scores is preferred. The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability is acceptable. The Leiter International Performance Scale or the Comprehensive Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence (C-TONI) is accepted when cultural bias or hearing loss is a concern.
- Achievement: Current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics, and written language are required. Acceptable instruments include the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised: Tests of Achievement Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK), or specific achievement tests such as the Test of Written Language-2 (TOWL-@), Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised, or the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test. (The Wide Range Achievement Test Revised is not a comprehensive measure of achievement and therefore is not suitable.)
- Information Processing: Specific areas of information processing (e.g., short- and long-term memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual perception/processing, processing speed) must be assessed. Subtests from the WAIS-R or the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability are accepted. (This is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to restrict assessment in other pertinent and helpful areas, such as vocational interest and aptitudes.)
- Be current. In most cases, this means within the past three years. Since assessment constitutes the basis for determining reasonable accommodations, it is in a student’s best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation to serve as the basis for decision-making about their needs for accommodations in an academically competitive environment.
- Present clear and specific evidence, which identifies specific learning disabilities and reflects the individual’s present level of functioning in processing, intelligence, and achievement. Individual learning styles and learning differences in and of themselves do not specify a learning disability.
- Include the exact instruments used and procedures followed to assess the learning disabilities, test results (including subtests score data), a written interpretation of the results by the professional doing the evaluation, the name of the evaluator, and dates of testing. A list of academic accommodations that would benefit the student at the post-secondary level may also be helpful, but are not necessary.
- Provide sufficient data to support the particular academic adjustments requested. Requests that are not supported by documentation may not be approved without additional verification.
Documentation should include:
- Date of evaluation
- Diagnosis of disability
- Current impact of the disability
- Recommendations for accommodations
- Credentials and contact information of the evaluator
Additional Resources For Students:
- Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
- U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
- Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
Contact Information
To learn more about NCAD’s Disability Services and to get answers to specific questions, please contact:
Kurt Ikemeier
Director of Education
Northwest College of Art & Design
Email: kikemeier@ncad.edu