Frequently Asked Questions

The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) defines disability as:

• a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
• a person who has a history or record of such an impairment;
• a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.

Individuals who fall into the first two categories may be eligible for accommodations if they are experiencing barriers because of the interaction of between their disability and an inaccessible aspect of their education. Reasonable accommodations are not determined based on disability or diagnosis alone. A student’s disability plus any specific academic impacts shapes what accommodations may be reasonable.

Students submit documentation of their disability (IEP/ETR from high school, a psychological evaluation, or a Disability Verification Form found on our website) to the Accessibility Services office. Students are assigned an Access Advisor, who will assist in registering the student with the department. Access Advisors will approve appropriate college-level accommodations and train the student on how to access those accommodations.

Documentation should include your diagnosis and information about its impact on you. Please see our How to Register with Accessibility Services page for more information on what documentation we need.

Columbus State’s placement assessments are untimed. Appropriate accommodations beyond extra time may be available for students who have submitted documentation to the Accessibility Services office. Access Advisors will inform new students on how to set up accommodated placement assessments, if needed.

Once a student has submitted documentation to the AS office, an assigned Access Advisor will contact the student for an intake appointment. This appointment is the last step in registering with the AS office. Access needs are discussed, accommodations are approved, and an overview of services and available support is provided.

Once a student registers with Accessibility Services, a Letter of Accommodation is created and shared with the student. The student is responsible for sharing the Letter of Accommodation with each instructor at the beginning of each semester.

Yes! Accommodations are available at the Delaware and Regional Learning Centers. There may be differences in processes and testing center options. This discussion will be a part of the Accessibility Services registration process.

Students can submit documentation of their disability after they have applied to the college and are welcome to schedule their intake appointment as soon as they’ve received the invitation from their Access Advisor.

The AS registration process includes taking the IEP/504 Plan and recreating it to be appropriate at the college level. Some accommodations may continue, while others may not. The IEP/504 Plan applies to the K-12 level only, and the new Accommodation Plan will be created with the Access Advisor for use at CSCC.

No, it is the student's responsibility to send their LOAs to their instructors. If you need a copy of your LOA, please reach out to us and we'd be happy to resend it.

Accessibility Services strongly encourages students to send out their LOAs at the start of the semester. Accommodations are not retroactive and some require several business days to coordinate, especially testing accommodations. Waiting to send out your LOA could impact whether you receive accommodations on an upcoming test.

No. Accommodations do not expire and will be valid for your entire time at Columbus State. However, you will need to provide your LOA to your instructors each semester.

If you've had significant changes to your disability, such as a new diagnosis, please send in documentation of those changes. Your Access Advisor can then meet with you to make any necessary updates to your accommodation plan.

If there haven't been any big changes, we still recommend that you meet with your Access Advisor for a refresher on how to use your accommodations.

Accessibility Services (AS) is the office on campus that determines appropriate accommodations. The office bases decisions upon documentation submitted by a student with a disability, which details the student’s functional limitations, and the student’s clarification during intake about specific needs and limitations.

You may ask the student to provide you with a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) verifying that they have a disability. Accessibility Services will make every effort to provide the student, if registered with Accessibility Services, a copy of their letter within 2 business days from the time a request is made. The specifics of the disability cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons.

Talk privately with the student to discuss your observations. The student may reveal that they have a disability. If so, encourage them to reach out to Accessibility Services so that we can help them register with us or provide community resources for disability diagnoses. Suggest that the student call Accessibility Services at (614) 287-2570 for further information.

Accessibility Services discourages instructors from providing accommodations to students not registered with our office, or accommodations other than those listed on the student’s LOA. Sticking to the approved accommodations ensures the student is receiving what is appropriate and that services provided by our office are consistent. Accessibility Services is not responsible for any accommodations provided unofficially by instructors.

No. Accommodations only apply at the point of request moving forward.

No. Students are permitted to request accommodations at any time during the semester. However, CSCC must provide accommodations only at the point when a student makes a request and it is possible to make appropriate arrangements. If a student requests accommodations so late in the semester that appropriate arrangements are not possible to make, or if a student reveals a disability after the completion of a class, CSCC is under no obligation to alter or delete unsatisfactory grades.

No. Instructors should not deny approved accommodations and should contact Accessibility Services with any concerns.

To clarify any disagreement concerning requested accommodations, first contact Accessibility Services at (614) 287-2570 to discuss your concerns with an Accessibility Services Access Advisor. If concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction, you may also discuss them with the Assistant Director.

No. CCP students are required to register with Accessibility Services if they wish to receive accommodations for their CSCC classes. Instructors should not provide accommodations based on a CCP student’s IEP or 504 Plan. Only those accommodations listed on an LOA from Accessibility Services should be provided.

No. Students do not need approval from Accessibility Services to have a service dog, because they are covered directly under the ADA and other Ohio laws. Instructors may ask the student what duties the animal is trained to perform but should not ask for specifics about the student’s disability. If a student with a service animal is not registered with Accessibility Services, we encourage them to do so as they may require accommodations in addition to their service animal.

Students can provide instructors with the contact information for their Access Advisors. Instructors are also welcome to contact Accessibility Services to be connected to a student’s Access Advisor.

No. Accessibility Services allows students to self-disclose whether they're registered with us or not. If a student has told you they're registered with our office, we can connect you with their Access Advisor to discuss any concerns. Otherwise, if a student has disclosed that they have a disability but is not registered with us, you can direct them to our office. Instructors with behavioral concerns about a student should fill out a Maxient report.

Because accommodations are only in effect once the student has provided the instructor with their LOA, it's not necessary for instructors to know when the student completed the registration process with us.