The President is authorized to permit substitute admission requirements for eligible students who have disabilities as defined by State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.041, F.A.C.

1. This Rule is established in compliance with State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.041, to provide disabled students reasonable substitutions for requirements for admission to the College, admission to a program of the College, for course substitutions and for graduation from the College. To make a determination of appropriate substitutions, the disabled student will be required to provide documentation that:

1. The student has a disability, which is evaluated as interfering in a basic life activity. Examples of such disabilities include but are not limited to: vision impairment, hearing impairment, mental or emotional impairment, physical impairments such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis, dyslexia, or other specific learning disabilities as defined below; and

2. The disability can be reasonably expected to prevent the student from meeting requirements for admission to the College or a program of the College, for satisfactory completion of a course or courses, or for graduation. The student must identify the specific requirement(s) for which a substitution is sought and furnish documentation from an appropriate source that will support the need of a substitution or accommodation.

3. A student who believes he or she should be considered for substitutions for requirements for admission to the College, or to a program of the College, for a course or courses required in a program, or for graduation from the College should appeal to the associate provost at his/her campus or site. The associate provost and provost will meet with appropriate faculty, program directors, or others and the student to determine that the student has made a clear case for a substitution and to identify the most appropriate substitution to offer the student. Current documentation of the disability, including test scores, when appropriate, will be required. Other information to be considered, especially for substitution of admission requirements, may include items such as: scores on one or more of the approved placement instruments, evidence of the student’s experiences in mainstream classes, performance in selected academic courses, evidence of an appropriate reading level or appropriate competency indicating the ability to function in college-level classes, recommendations from prior teachers and other professionals.

4. If the student and the associate provost agree on the substitution offered, the agreement will be communicated to the campus coordinator of Admissions/Registration, other individuals involved, and the associate vice president of Academic and Student Affairs (who will maintain a record of substitutions granted) and the student, in writing within 5 working days. This written communication will include notification of the nature of the course substitution and/or waiver and limitations of acceptability and procedures for requesting assistance in transferring to a public community college or state university. If no agreement is reached, the issue will be referred to the associate vice president of Academic and Student Affairs who will make the determination of appropriate action. The decision of the associate vice president may be appealed to the senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, in writing, within 10 working days of receipt of the decision. The senior vice president's decision shall be final.





2. For purposes of this Rule, the following definitions apply:

   1. Hearing impairment. A hearing loss of 30 decibels or greater, pure tone average of 500, 1000, or 2000 Hz, ANSI, unaided, in the better ear. Examples include, but are not limited to, conductive hearing impairment or deafness, sensorineural hearing impairment or deafness, high or low tone hearing loss or deafness, acoustic trauma hearing loss or deafness.

   2. Visual impairment. Disorders in the structure and function of the eye as manifested by at least one of the following: visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction, a peripheral field so constricted that it affects one's ability to function in an educational setting, or a progressive loss of vision which may affect one's ability to function in an educational setting. Examples include, but are not limited to cataracts, glaucoma, nystagmus, retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa, and strabismus.

   3. Specific Learning Disability. A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological or neurological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language. Disorders may be manifested in listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling, or performing arithmetic calculations. Examples include dyslexia, dysgraphia, disphasia, dyscalculia, and other specific learning disabilities in the basic psychological or neurological processes. Such disorders do not include learning problems which are due primarily to visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, to mental retardation, to emotional disturbance, or to an environmental deprivation.
       

3. Approved course substitutions shall be entered in the student's permanent academic record and once a substitution is granted, the student shall not be required to meet any additional requirements in the respective discipline area for admission or graduation. Further, all College policies related to graduation, transfer of credits and articulation with other postsecondary institutions shall include provisions for acceptance of approved course substitutions.

 

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Last Revised Feb 09, 2010
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