Disability Support

The office of Disability Support Services for Students assures program access to the college by students with disabilities. Access to Flathead Valley Community College is a civil right and the college prohibits discrimination against qualified persons with disabilities.

• We coordinate and provide reasonable accommodations
• Advocate for an accessible and hospitable learning environment
• Promote self advocacy on the part of students we serve

The following laws give people with disabilities full civil rights protection at FVCC

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act;
• The Americans with Disabilities Act;
• The Montana Human Rights Act.

Student Responsibilities

• Persons with disabilities or suspected disabilities should contact the Disability Specialist as a FIRST STEP in arranging accommodations.
• The specialist will review current documentation or have an interactive dialogue with the student to verify the disability and to determine how functional limitations affect academic work.
• Students may be referred to physicians, psychologists or qualified diagnosticians for assessment before accommodations are granted.
• Payment for assessments is the responsibility of the student.
• To check out assistive software or devices, the student must first contact the Disability Specialist

Disability Services Responsibilities

• Coordinate and provide individual accommodations based on the logical link between the functional limitation and the accommodation.
• Reasonable accommodations are changes in the learning environment that permit student with disabilities to compete on equal footing with their peers at college.
• The accommodations modify non-essential elements of college programs.

Accommodations may include but are not limited to:

• Audiobooks, note takers, scribes, alternative testing, ASL interpreters and assistive technology.
• Current software include but are not limited to : Pocket Plex Talk, Smart Pen, Digital recorder, Kurzweil, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Natural Reader and FM System
• FVCC has an institutional membership to Learning Ally and eligible student with course books available through this source will receive a login and password from the Disability Specialist.