West Kentucky Community and Technical College is committed to equal educational opportunities for all academically qualified students. There are certain legal entitlements extended to students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These laws are designed to remove barriers to "equal participation". Specifically they prohibit discrimination on the basis of a handicap and mandate "reasonable accommodations" for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, and other cognitive and physical impairments.
Federal law, specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), establishes the foundation for a student with disabilities. A student with a disability is any student who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. A person is considered to be a person with a disability if he/she has a disability, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, confirms civil rights for persons with disabilities by the following statement:
No otherwise qualified handicapped individual...shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
All accommodations provided by Disability Services are based upon each student’s individual needs. The accommodations will be determined after a review of the official documentation of the disability and a one-on-one consultation between the student and the Coordinator of Disability Services. Accommodations are not retroactive.
Disability Services has the right to deny any accommodation request that is inappropriate or unreasonable and would create an undue hardship on the college.