Rights and Responsibilities

Every otherwise qualified student with a documented disability has the right to:

  • Equal access to courses, programs, services, events, jobs, offices, student club activities, facilities, equipment, honors, meeting places and transportation available through the College.
  • Reasonable and appropriate accommodations, adjustments and/or auxiliary aids determined by Northeast Iowa Community College on a case-by-case and/or course-by-course basis.
  • Appropriate confidentiality of all information pertaining to the disability with the choice of whom to disclose the disability to, except as needed, to implement an accommodation or for purposes of health/safety as required by law. A student can expect the following in order to expediteprovision of service:
    • The coordinator of accessibility services will work with the student to determine reasonable accommodations, adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services based on information and documentation provided by the student.
    • Administrative and academic personnel will be provided with information as deemed necessary in order to assure the students timely access to programs and services. Information will be reasonably available in accessible formats.

Every otherwise qualified student with a documented disability has the responsibility to:

  • Meet the College's qualifications and essential technical, academic and institutional standards including code of conduct.
  • Identify him/herself in a timely manner as an individual with a disability when requesting accommodations from the coordinator of accessibility services.
  • Provide documentation from a qualified source that verifies the nature of the disability, functional limitations and the need, if any, for specific accommodations. The student is responsible for the costs associated with obtaining documentation.
  • Follow specific procedures for obtaining reasonable and appropriate accommodations, adjustments, auxiliary aids and/or protection from discrimination and cooperate with NICC personnel in developing reasonable accommodations or response to concerns.

College Rights and Responsibilities

NICC has the right to:

  • Maintain the College standards.
  • Deny a request for accommodations, adjustments and/or auxiliary aids if (a) the documentation does not identify a specific disability; (b) the documentation fails to verify the need for the requested services; and/or (c) the documentation is not provided in a timely manner.
  • Refuse to provide an accommodation, adjustment and/or auxiliary aid that is inappropriate or unreasonable including any that: (a) poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others; (b) constitutes a substantial change or alteration to an essential element of a course or program; (c) fundamentally alters the nature of the service provided; and/or (d) poses undue financial hardship or administrative burden on NICC.
  • Request from a student current documentation completed by a qualified professional source to verify the need for reasonable accommodations, adjustments and/or auxiliary aids.
  • Refer a student to his/her own qualified professional for verification of a disability.
  • Discuss a student’s need for reasonable accommodations, adjustments and/or auxiliary aids with the professional source of his/her documentation with the student’s signed consent authorizing discussion.
  • Select among equally effective and appropriate accommodations, adjustments and/or auxiliary aids for each student on a case-by-case/course-by-course basis upon collaboration with others as required.

NICC has the responsibility to:

  • Ensure that NICC courses, programs, events, services, jobs, offices, student club activities, facilities, equipment, honors, meeting places and transportation, when viewed in their entirety, are offered in the most integrated and appropriate settings based on a review of what the law requires.
  • Offer on-campus educational programs and activities that will, when viewed in their entirety, be accessible. In the event that a student with a disability is enrolled in a course or activity that is inaccessible, the class or activity will be moved to an accessible location or the location will be made accessible. NICC will examine off-campus sites chosen for any educational experiences, such as clinical placement, field placement, student teaching and co-ops so that, within reason, the site chosen will be both physically and programmatically accessible. In the event that a student with a disability is required to participate in program or activity that is inaccessible, the program or activity will, to the extent practical, be moved to an accessible location.
  • Provide information regarding policies and procedures to students with disabilities in a timely manner and to provide such policies in accessible formats upon request.
  • Evaluate students on their abilities, not their disabilities.
  • Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication concerning students with disabilities except where disclosure is required by law or authorized by the student.
  • Assist students with disabilities who self-identify and meet the College's criteria for eligibility in receiving reasonable and appropriate accommodations, adjustments, auxiliary aids and/or other protection from discrimination as determined on a case-by-case/course-by-course basis.
  • Provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations, adjustments and/or auxiliary aids for students with disabilities upon a timely request by a student.
  • Inform students with disabilities of the College's policies and procedures for filing a formal grievance. Please refer to the Discrimination and Harassment and Complaint Procedure located in the College catalog.