Eligibility

Students with disabilities enrolled in credit and non-credit classes are encouraged (but not required) to self-disclose their disability status and register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Students are welcome to disclose their disability at any time, but disclosure does not ensure accommodations. It is simply the first step in registering with ODS and engaging in the interactive process to request and determine reasonable accommodations. 

Students with disabilities are responsible for self-disclosing their disability status, on the Disability Disclosure Form, and registering with ODS to pursue reasonable accommodations, if desired. This is a voluntary process but a required step in requesting accommodations.

The ODS considers the impact of the disability and barriers created by individual circumstances while determining the reasonableness of each requested accommodation, on a case-by-case basis. Based on professional judgement/expertise, Learning Specialists review documentation in all forms to assess disability-related barriers that can be mitigated by accommodations. To do so, they consider the student’s disability, history, experience, request, and the unique characteristics of the course, program, or requirement in order to determine whether or not a specific accommodation is reasonable.

Accommodations are intended to provide access to disability-related barriers, not to ensure student success or increased speed/performance.

Once a student has filled out the Disability Disclosure Form to disclose a disability, completed an intake interview with disability documentation/history review, and has been identified as having a disability (or disabilities) that poses a barrier for which an accommodation can be made, the student is registered with ODS. The student is then deemed eligible to request/receive reasonable academic and/or access accommodations, which may be provided as early as college placement testing.

Please note: Not all learning issues are associated with a disability. Bristol Community College offers free academic and writing tutoring for all students, through the Library Learning Commons (LLC).

For additional information about eligibility, student self-disclosure, registration with the Office of Disability Services, and accommodations, please view the ODS policy link here.