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The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) ensures that students with registered disabilities receive the reasonable accommodations they need to ensure equal access to their educational experience at NICC. Students can receive accommodations for many types of disabilities, including but not limited to: physical disabilities such as mobility or hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD, mental health disabilities such as clinical depression or anxiety, and learning disabilities such as Dyslexia or processing disorders.
To receive accommodations, students must apply through the OAS and provide appropriate documentation of their need for specific accommodations from a relevant medical professional. Once approved, the OAS staff generates an official accommodation letter outlining the student’s approved accommodations. It is then the student’s responsibility to provide their letter to each of their faculty members. Accommodations begin upon receipt of the letter and are not retroactive. Students must renew their accommodations and will receive new letters each semester.
Faculty Responsibilities
When you receive an accommodation letter, take the following actions to successfully implement the student’s plan:
Communicate regularly: Discuss with the student about their needs and ask questions if unsure about how to best support them.
Maintain confidentiality: Do not single out students receiving accommodations.
Seek support: Contact OAS staff for guidance as needed.
Utilize Brightspace: Contact the Department of Instructional Innovation and Design for help with utilizing Brightspace to provide accommodations, or to make your courses more accessible by design.
Be Proactive
Faculty should utilize the College’s Learning Management System (LMS), Brightspace, to post course materials and facilitate quizzes and exams whenever possible. Brightspace includes a built-in screen reading tool called ReadSpeaker that all NICC students can utilize to listen to content.
Brightspace also includes built-in accessibility tools that faculty and students can utilize to make content accessible for all types of learners. Colored indicators appear next to many course files to let you know how accessible your content will be for students. You can click on those indicators to fix many accessibility issues right in Brightspace. You will also find accessible design tools such as color pickers and the ability to add alternate text to images right in the LMS.
Additionally, the College’s accessibility tool allows students to instantly download alternative formats of their course content, such as audio files, e-reader friendly formats, and even electronic braille.
Utilizing Brightspace and designing courses with a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework can save time by reducing the need for changes when students require accommodations. It also creates an accessible learning environment for all students, including those who may not register with OAS. All students benefit from universally-designed courses.
Stay Informed
OAS recommends periodic viewing of the accessibility handbooks for OAS Students and the Faculty Accessibility Services Handbook.
For assistance with accommodated students, please contact the OAS staff member listed on the student’s letter. For general accessibility services, contact the OAS office. For help with accessible course content and design, contact the Department of Instructional Innovation and Design.
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