Disability Resources & Access

Encourage the student to contact a member of the Disability Resources & Access staff. You may want to contact the office yourself to follow up on your referral.

In accordance with the Americans w/Disabilities Act of 1990, Amendment Acts of 2008 and 2016, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students with disabilities and Black Hawk College share the following rights and responsibilities:

Students who attend Black Hawk College have the right to:

• Equal access to all educational opportunities offered at BHC. This includes services, programs, courses, activities, jobs, and facilities;
• Equal opportunity to learn and receive reasonable accommodations and services;
• Confidentiality of all disability documentation as well as the right to decide which parties outside BHC may receive this information, whenever appropriate; and
•  Information about services, programs and /or resources available in accessible formats (print, large print, audio, Interpreter, etc.).

Students who attend Black Hawk College have the responsibility to:

• Meet qualification criteria and maintain essential institutional conduct for services, programs, courses, activities, jobs and facilities;
• Provide required and sufficient documentation of disability from an appropriate professional and demonstrates how the disability is limiting in the participation of services, programs, courses, activities, jobs and facilities;
• Identify as a person with a disability when accommodation is needed and seek information, academic/personal counseling and assistance when needed; and
• Follow the appropriate procedures for obtaining reasonable accommodations and other services, such as providing the accommodation form from to your instructor, as well as accessing tutoring services.
• Take an active role in making accommodations work (give it your best shot) and in resolving concerns with appropriate professionals.
• Become familiar with all policies and responsibilities outlined in the Disability Resources & Access Student Handbook.

The ADA does not require colleges to provide personal assistants, individual personal tutors, or personal assistive technology. Accommodations are not made which would reduce academic expectations, alter the curriculum or which would eliminate essential components of any course.

Once enrolled in your online course, you will receive information regarding your exams. The dates of your exams should be listed in your syllabus (or will be scheduled by your instructor). The instructor will determine the specifics regarding your exam.

Some courses may require proctored exams which must be taken under the supervision of a certified test proctor or proctoring software.

• It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for an approved proctor or proctoring site to supervise all off-campus examinations.
• Please check with your instructor or the Black Hawk College Testing Center to inquire about specific information regarding your exam and proctoring information.

If you take tests in the Disability Resources & Access Office, the following guidelines apply:

• Students are asked to give Disability Resources & Access at least four work-days notice when scheduling a test. Test date, time, course and instructor’s information are required when scheduling your test. This can be done with a quick phone call or email.
• Students do not need to speak to the Disability Resources & Access coordinator if they give sufficient notice. Just call the main number at 309-796-5900 or email accessQC@jmswierski.com.
• Disability Resources & Access will send an electronic Exam Notification Form to the instructor which indicates appropriate accommodations.