Accommodations and support for students with disabilities are provided by Accessibility Services at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Our Accessibility Coordinator is available to meet with students, faculty, and staff to discuss, assess, recommend, and assist in implementing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.

PROVIDING ACCESS

Through Accessibility Services, students are provided access to programs, services, and activities. Our Accessibility Coordinator, Trish Berger, provides academic and personal support, advocacy, assistance with adaptive equipment, notetaking assistance, and testing accommodations. In addition, our Accessibility Coordinator works in collaboration with campus personnel, community resources, and vocational rehabilitation programs to promote student success. Services are provided upon request and are dependent on the assessed needs of the student. It is the responsibility of students with disabilities to make their accommodation requests prior to the start of each semester of attendance or at any point that accommodations are needed.

Reasonable accommodations depend upon the nature and degree of severity of the documented disability. While the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that priority consideration be given to the specific methods requested by the student, it does not imply that a particular accommodation must be granted if it is deemed not reasonable and other suitable techniques are available.

IT’S OUR POLICY

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is committed to meeting the specific needs of students with disabilities and fully complies with the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Section 504 and the ADA mandate equal access for individuals with disabilities in educational programs.

A person with a disability is ensured the same access as all other students to programs, opportunities, and activities at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Achieving full participation and integration of people with disabilities is a cooperative effort of all campus departments and personnel. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College continue to strive to achieve excellence in its services and to assure that services are delivered equitably and efficiently to all people.

To receive more information about Accessibility Services or to request accommodations, contact:

Trish Berger
Accessibility Coordinator
trish.berger*AT*fdltcc.edu
218-879-0864
1-800-657-3712
MN Relay 800-627-3529

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
2101 14th Street
Cloquet, MN 55720

CERTIFYING ELIGIBILITY FOR SERVICES

To be eligible for disability-related services, students must have a documented disability condition as defined by the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the ADA and Section 504, a person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities: walking, standing, seeing, speaking, hearing, sitting, breathing, taking care of oneself.

At Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Accessibility Services is designated to obtain and file disability-related documents, certify eligibility for services, determine reasonable accommodations, and develop plans for the provision of such accommodations for students, and assist faculty, staff, and guests with disabilities.

Other forms of appropriate documentation consist of an evaluation by an appropriate professional that relates the current impact of the condition to the request.

 

DETERMINING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, job, activity or facility that enables a qualified student with a disability to have an equal opportunity. Reasonable accommodations are provided to ensure access to all college courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities, including those that are off-site, such as field trips, internships, and fieldwork. An equal opportunity means an opportunity to obtain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to a similarly situated student without a disability. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is obligated to make a reasonable accommodation only to the known limitations of an otherwise qualified disabled student. To determine reasonable accommodations, a counselor may seek information from appropriate campus personnel regarding essential standards for courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities. Final determination of reasonable accommodations is made by Accessibility Services.

 

PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS

To request disability-related accommodations, students are asked to do the following:

  • Students who require accommodations must seek assistance at Accessibility Services in a timely manner; preferably prior to the start of each semester of attendance.
  • Students must provide documentation of their disability, including the current impact of the condition; how it limits participation in courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities; treatment of the condition; and expected the duration of the condition.
  • Accessibility Services will file official documentation of the disability, including information about the manifestations of the disability.
  • Accessibility Services will ensure that disability-related documents are kept confidential and shared on a limited and need-to-know basis only.
  • Accessibility Services and the student will discuss the interaction between the disability and the academic environment and then determine reasonable accommodations.
  • Accessibility Services will outline the process for the provision of reasonable accommodations and will present this both verbally and in writing to the student.
  • Accessibility Services will complete the Accommodations Memo and forward a copy to each faculty member certifying that the student has a disability and stating the determined reasonable accommodations.
  • Students are responsible for contacting Accessibility Services if reasonable accommodations are not implemented in an effective or timely way.
  • Students with disabilities who believe they have been discriminated against on the basis of their disability may file a grievance with the Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management.

 

 

Testimonials
It is awesome here at the FDLTCC Education Program because it is like a family here, if you need help or are struggling with anything, you have quite a few people who will help you out.
I chose FDLTCC because of its size and the curriculum. When I first came here in 2019, I was just looking for what I needed to volunteer, perhaps in a crisis shelter. I met with Don Jarvinen, and the rest is history.
My favorite thing about FDLTCC is the people. I’ve met fantastic students, faculty and staff who go above and beyond what I expected.