Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is committed to the fulfillment of equal educational opportunity, autonomy, and full inclusion for students with disabilities.

Purpose
The OSD exists to determine and ensure reasonable and appropriate accommodations and modifications for qualified students with documented disabilities, to assist students in self-advocacy, to educate the Valencia community about disabilities, and to ensure compliance with the ADAAA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

 
Objectives

• To facilitate the highest levels of educational excellence and potential quality of life for students with disabilities
• To support the institution's academic standards.
• To strive to achieve the highest levels of competence and integrity in all areas of support to adult students with disabilities. This support is guided by the consistent use of objective, professional judgment in all areas, especially when addressing the confidential nature of a student's disability.
• To develop strategies, skills, and knowledge pertinent to the highest quality of disability service delivery through participation in professional activities and educational opportunities designed to strengthen the personal, educational, and vocational quality of life for students with disabilities.
• To actively support and clarifying institutional, state, and federal laws, policies, and procedures applicable to the delivery of services for students with disabilities.

Role of the Office for Students with Disabilities 

• Determines reasonable accommodations for qualified students with documented disabilities. 
• Provides support staff on each campus to work with students to determine appropriate accommodations and arrange support services. 
• Assists the College to comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 
• Assists in the development of self-advocacy and self-determination skills. 
• Maintains and protects the confidentiality of student records as required by law. 

Confidentiality 
All documentation provided to the Office for Students with Disabilities will be strictly confidential. No information, except as provided by law, will be released to anyone, including parents, without the student's written consent. Students may sign a FERPA release form to allow communication with outside entities, family, etc. 

Eligibility 
Students seeking accommodations are required to provide recent documentation from an appropriate health care provider or professional. If documentation is incomplete, or otherwise inadequate to determine the disability and/or reasonable accommodations, the Office for Students with Disabilities may require additional documentation. 

To be eligible for disability-related services, students must have a documented disability as defined by the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990/2008. A person with a disability is an individual with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (i.e. seeing, walking, talking); or has a record of such an impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment. 

For more information about our documentation guidelines, refer to Documentation Guidelines in MyVC or contact our office (see contact information below).  

Registration Process 

The first step in the registration process to receive accommodations is to complete the Initial Disability Services Request, and attach appropriate documentation of a disability. If you have questions or need assistance with submitting your documentation, please contact our office (see contact information below).  

 

Letters of Accommodation

Currently students who are registered with OSD who need to request their Letters of Accommodation (LOAs) at the start of each semester can do so in MyVC. Please visit the Letters of Accommodation section of the OSD MyVC page. 

 

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services 

Student Requests for Interpreter/Speech-to-Text Services 

We ask that students requesting interpreter or speech-to-text services please make your request at least 3 business days in advance. If you make your request less than 3 business days in advance, we cannot guarantee that a service provider will be available. Making a request on Friday afternoon for Monday morning does not constitute 3 business days notice. The Office for Students with Disabilities closes at 5:00 PM on Friday and opens again at 8:00 AM on Monday. 

Interpreter / Speech-to-Text Request 

To request services, please complete the Interpreter/Speech-to-Text Request Form.  

Video Remote Interpreter Request 

To request remote services, please complete the Video Remote Interpreter Request Form. 

Please note: If you are a current or prospective employee of Valencia College, please make all requests for interpreter/speech to text services to our Human Resources department. 

For Staff Service Providers Only 

To request a sub, please complete this form.

Dual Enrollment Students 
Dual Enrollment students with documented conditions who would like to request accommodations are encouraged to submit documentation to the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) through MyVC. Valencia College faculty will only implement academic accommodations when they have been approved through the OSD and a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) has been provided to them. While an IEP or 504 plan shows a history of being accommodated as a student with a disability in high school, it does not guarantee that student will be approved for the same accommodations in college. Please contact our office with questions about requesting accommodations as a dual enrollment student. For more information about Dual Enrollment, please visit the Dual Enrollment website.  

Veterans 
Veteran students with disabilities who would like to request accommodations are encouraged to submit documentation to the Office for Students with Disabilities through MyVC once they are admitted as a student. Please contact the OSD with any questions about accommodations. For more information about Veteran’s Services, please vist the Veteran's Affairs website.