Future Students

Future Students

Transitioning to College

Welcome to Valencia College Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD)! In addition to the general challenges all students entering college face, students with disabilities transitioning to college need to be aware of changes in their rights and responsibilities and the procedures to receive disability services.

What are some things you need to consider?

Diploma Options: Typically a standard diploma is required in order to be a degree seeking student at Valencia, although there may be some provisional status for a student without a standard diploma. OSD speaks to prospective students as well as current students. Call us early with questions. High School students are encouraged to plan ahead.

Documentation of a Disability: In order to establish eligibility for accommodations, a student must provide current documentation of a disability that significantly impacts him/her in a major life function, such as learning, reading, seeing, hearing, walking, etc. In most cases the Individualized Education Plan is not sufficient documentation; OSD may require current evidence or testing from a qualified diagnostician.

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.

This definition includes, but is not limited to

Persons with mobility impairments

Persons with learning disabilities

Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing

Persons who are blind or have low vision

Persons with one or many serious contagious and non-contagious
diseases, including AIDS, epilepsy, cancer and tuberculosis

Persons with psychological disorders

Self-Identification

The first step in the eligibility process is to submit appropriate documentation of disability to the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). The College must ensure that the student is a person with a disability and that we can provide a rationale for reasonable accommodations. Your OSD advisor will meet with you to discuss how your disability impacts your learning and how we can assist. Typically, documentation is also required.

In order to request accommodations from the College, the student must complete the following steps in the Office for Students with Disabilities registration process:

Meet with the OSD advisor, by appointment or by walk in, to discuss your situation. In most cases it is recommended that you send documentation ahead of time so we can review it. Be sure to explain to your advisor how your disability impacts you and what accommodations you are requesting.

Provide appropriate documentation of the disability for which accommodations are being requested.

Complete the OSD Intake Canvas Course.

Meet with an OSD advisor to disucss and determine reasonable approved accommodations.

Until all steps of the registration process have been completed, the student will be considered pending with OSD and will not be eligible for services or accommodations. Incomplete files will be kept for one term and then destroyed. The student may, however, begin the process again at any time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Office for Students with Disabilities

I have an IEP from my high school. Isn't that enough to get me services at the OSD?

Typically it is not sufficient documentation. Depending on the documentation in that IEP, we may or may not be able to provide services based on the IEP. Colleges may set reasonable documentation requirements, specifically if the disability does not present an obvious impact. Please review the following information: Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know your rights and Responsibilities

What documentation do I need to provide?

Depending on the disability, the documentation requirements vary. Please review the Valencia College Documentation Guidelines.

If there is a cost to secure this documentation, who pays for it?

The cost is considered to be part of the cost of going to college and in fact, can be counted in the FAFSA application as a college related cost. Thus, the student is responsible for providing OSD with the appropriate documentation. Valencia does provide to students a counseling service through Bay Care. This may be a resource for you to obtain documentation, depending on the disability. Vocational Rehabilitation may also be another resource to obtain the required documentation.

Must I go through the OSD process? Can't I just talk to my professors individually for accommodations?

Professors at Valencia are well informed that they are not required to provide any accommodations unless the student registers with and provides appropriate Letters of Accommodation from the OSD.

I want to try it without accommodations first but if I have problems, can't I just come back and get help from OSD?

Of course, that is the student's option. However, understand that we can't go back and re-do any grades, assignments, etc. Often also it takes about a week or more to set up the services. Plan ahead.

What are my options if I do not have a standard high school diploma?

If a student does not have a standard high school diploma, we highly recommend that the student consider returning to high school, if that option is open to him/her or consider taking the GED. There are schools in the area that provide GED Prep courses such as Orange Technical College and Seminole State College. Students with special diploma may be eligible to take certain courses as a provisional student or personal interest on an audit basis here at Valencia but they cannot be degree seeking or eligible for financial aid.

What kind of accommodations does the OSD provide?

Under the federal laws and regulations, we provide modifications, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids based upon the disabling condition and the documentation provided to us. We cannot provide accommodations that alter the essential functions of a program. We can, however, review the documentation and speak with the student about what types of accommodations have helped in the past and are supported by the disability documentation.

Can I come to OSD for Academic Advising or other Valencia related needs?

Absolutely! We encourage students to register with OSD and utilize the advising services. While we cannot assist with all processes, we may be able to direct you to the appropriate help.

I signed the FERPA form for my parents. Does these mean they can register me in class and with the OSD?

While we welcome parents and their assistance in the student's success, we cannot conduct business on the student's behalf with any third party. Thus as the college student, you must participate in the process. We can share certain information with them but they cannot conduct business on your behalf.

I'm a client of Vocational Rehabilitation and need some help getting through their process. Can you all help me?

OSD will assist you in faxing the required information to your VR counselor; understand that some of the required information is available through your MyVC account. If you have complaints about VR or need assistance with the process you can contact:

Will my transcripts reveal that I am registered with the OSD or otherwise indicate my disability?

No!

What do I do if my professor doesn't give me the approved accommodations on the letter from the OSD?

Be sure that the professor received your OSD Letter of Accommodation and then immediately notify our OSD advisor or the Director. OSD will contact the professor and resolve the problem. It is the student's responsibility to inform OSD.

Can I get a tutor?

Each campus has onsite learning support centers and there are tutors available online through your MyVC account. The OSD doesn't provide tutoring services; if you need accommodations to access tutoring services, please inform your OSD advisor. All students can utilize the tutoring centers; there is no additional cost for tutoring services.