Accommodation for Students with Disabilities Policy

Context and Purpose

Vancouver Community College (VCC; the College) is committed to fostering a community that supports full participation of students to engage in all aspects of the learning environment.

The purpose of this policy is to outline the process and principles through which VCC will provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities in accordance with the B.C. Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996, c. 210 (Code).

Scope and Limits

This policy and related procedures apply to:

All students with a disability throughout the duration of their College relationship. Where a person is both a student and employee of VCC, this policy only applies to those activities that are associated with the person’s status as a student.
All VCC employees with respect to their responsibility to accommodate students with a disability.

Students experiencing non-disability related issues should seek an academic concession from their program area.

Principles

In adhering to its obligations under the Code in relation to students, VCC is committed to the following non-exhaustive principles:

The College will endeavour to provide equal access and support for students with disabilities under the Code in a reasonable timeframe.
The purpose of an accommodation is the removal or reduction of a barrier to full participation and learning. The emphasis is on access, not outcome or success. For example, a student might receive an accommodation but still fail a course if essential course requirements/learning outcomes are not demonstrated to the level required.
The search for a reasonable accommodation is a multi-party process, individualized to each student’s needs, and will vary from situation to situation. The College will develop accommodation plans through an individualized, consultative and dynamic process led by Disability Services in consultation with students, employees and other relevant groups/individuals external to VCC.
The College’s duty to accommodate includes an ongoing obligation to reassess opportunities to accommodate as a student’s circumstances change. These changes could include, among other things, an improvement or decline in the student’s health, an increase in the staffing level, or other operational considerations.
A student’s medical documentation guides decisions about which specific accommodations are recommended by Disability Services. This documentation provides evidence to the functional impact or task barriers faced and often clues for accommodations suited to try.
Provision of accommodation does not compromise essential requirements of a course or program although the manner by which students with disabilities meet these requirements may vary.
The College will endeavour to make the learning environment universally accessible to students with disabilities, including campus facilities, classrooms, work-integrated learning environments and technology (such as learning management systems, websites and any platforms used by students).
The College will endeavour to provide education, training and resources for employees regarding their obligations under the Code and this policy.
The College will endeavour to engage in the accommodation process in a manner that respects students’ right to dignity, autonomy, privacy, equity, and inclusion.
The College will handle student information with professional discretion and in accordance with the applicable privacy legislation.

Definitions

Accommodation Plan: A plan that outlines the individualized strategies and practices (accommodations) that will allow for equitable access to the learning environment for students with a disability.
College Relationship: A relationship with VCC starts during the admission process and ends three months after completion of a course or program offered by VCC.
Duty to Accommodate: A legal obligation of educational institutions to make reasonable adjustments and provide support to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities.
Employee: An individual who is currently employed by VCC on a full-time, part-time, permanent, temporary, term, contract or casual basis.
Essential Requirements: Necessary components that students must meet or complete to achieve the learning outcomes of a course, program or activity. Essential requirements cannot be altered without compromising the fundamental nature of a course, program or activity.
Functional Impact: A restriction or difficulty that an individual with a disability experiences in performing specific activities or tasks due to physical, sensory, cognitive, or other impairments or health conditions. These limitations can vary in severity and can affect various aspects of a person's daily life, including their mobility, communication, self-care, school-related tasks, and social interactions.
Learning Environment: Any course, program or service in which students engage in learning or other College-supported activities. This includes work integrated learning environments.
Procedural Fairness & Natural Justice: The principles ensuring that a dispute is fairly decided. Both the Student and Respondent(s) have equal right to:
a. have a policy applied equally;
b. have a College decision or action communicated in writing with sufficient detail;
c. dispute an initial College decision or action;
d. appeal a subsequent College decision or action;
e. be provided with sufficiently detailed and timely reasoned notice of activity;
f. have a timely and reasonable opportunity to be heard and present a case before impartial/neutral decision makers;
g. be provided with sufficiently detailed, reasoned and timely decisions; and
h. seek representation or advocacy.
Reasonable Accommodation: The legal obligation of educational institutions to make necessary modifications and adjustments to their policies, practices, facilities, and classroom/learning environment to ensure students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities.
Reasonable Timeframe: A length of time which at once is sensitive to student needs, mindful of administrative demands on the College and external disability-related funders and service providers and varies according to what should properly be allowed given the nature, complexity or gravity of the task or tasks given the circumstances.
Student: A student is a person who:
a) is registered in full-time or part-time credit or non-credit courses offered by the College; or
b) has formally applied to the College as a prospective student.

Related Resources

VCC Policies

Other Resources

Accessible British Columbia Act, SBC 2021, c 19
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s 15, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982 c 11
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSBC 1996, c 165
Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996, c 210