Disability Support Services
The office of Disability Support Services for Students is Flathead Valley Community College’s office, which assures program access to the college by students with disabilities. We coordinate and provide reasonable accommodations, advocate for an accessible and hospitable learning environment, and promote self-advocacy on the part of the students we serve.
Access to Flathead Valley Community College is a civil right. When viewed in their entirety, programs at the college must be readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Program access must be assured in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of the individual and to the maximum extent feasible. The college promises that no otherwise qualified person with a disability will be denied or limited participation in or the benefits of any programs solely on the basis of a disability. The college prohibits disability discrimination against qualified students and will make certain all students and others have an equal opportunity in accessing our school.
The following laws give people with disabilities full civil rights protection at FVCC:
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act;
- The Americans with Disabilities Act; and
- The Montana Human Rights Act.
In addition to the actual statutes, regulations and case law give shape to these civil rights. Specific information on these laws is available at the DSS office. One may also contact the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights or the Montana Human Rights Commission.
Student Responsibilities
Students with disabilities or suspected disabilities are in contact with the Disability Specialist confidentially as a first step in arranging accommodations. The specialist verifies the disability and determines how functional limitations affect academic work. This is accomplished through discussion with the student and a review of documentation. Students with insufficient documentation may be referred to physicians, psychologists or other qualified diagnosticians for complete assessment before accommodations are granted.
DSS then coordinates and provides reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. Accommodations are individualized to address specific functional limitations resulting from a disability. There must be a logical link between the functional limitation and the accommodation.
Reasonable accommodations are changes in the learning environment that permit students with disabilities to compete on equal footing with their peers at the college. The accommodations modify non-essential elements of college programs.
For more information, contact Anna San Diego, Disabilities/Assessment Specialist, Learning Resource Center Building (LRC 129) or e-mail asandiego@fvcc.edu or call (406)756-3881.
