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Academic Accommodations Policy

Ref. No. Executive sponsor Policy steward Approval authority First approved Last reviewed Effective date Next review
34.01 Vice President, Campuses and Communities Director, Student Services Board of Governors Sept. 2015 Sept. 2018 Sept. 2018 Dec. 2025
  1. Purpose
    1. Nova Scotia Community College recognizes its legal duty to provide a learning environment free from discrimination and to address student needs with accommodations to the point of undue hardship in accordance with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act.
    2. This Policy establishes the College’s goal of providing in an equitable manner:
      1. Equal educational opportunities and full participation for students in the learning environment, and
      2. access to programs and services offered by the College.
    3. This policy supports Nova Scotia Community College’s values of student success, accessibility, diversity and inclusion.
  1. Scope
    1. This policy applies to students of or applicants to the College, who have a disability within the meaning of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act.
  1. Definitions
Term Definition
Academic Accommodations
  1. Are individualized alterations in how a student:
    1. accesses course or program content and information;
    2. participates in learning and course work; and/or
    3. demonstrates skills or knowledge.
  2. They allow a student a fair opportunity to engage in academic activities and fulfill essential course and program requirements. Reasonable and appropriate accommodation can be made by providing alternative ways to meet the program outcomes. Academic Accommodation is not reasonable if it imposes undue hardship.
  3. Academic Accommodations do not:
    1. reduce the student’s responsibility to meet academic standards;
    2. remove or alter essential course/program content or course/program standards and requirements;
    3. remove or alter the fundamental requirements for evaluation and independent demonstration of knowledge and skills; or
    4. diminish the academic integrity of the College’s programs.
Disability For the purpose of this policy, disability includes “physical disability or mental disability” as defined in s. 3(l) of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. A disability may be long-term, short-term, or recurring.
Undue Hardship The legal limit to the duty to accommodate under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. It occurs when the implementation of an accommodation on the basis of a protected characteristic would result in excessive difficulty or expense for the College, or would compromise health, safety, or the essential nature of a program or service. The College is committed to exploring all reasonable options to support individuals and will only deny accommodation where it can demonstrate that doing so would result in undue hardship, based on evidence and in accordance with applicable human rights law. Where more than one reasonable accommodation option is available without causing undue hardship, the College reserves the right to choose the accommodation to be implemented.
  1. Policy
    1. The College will provide reasonable and appropriate Academic Accommodations in its programs and services when requested by a student whose disability adversely impacts their access to or participation in programs and services. The College will not provide Academic Accommodations which result in undue hardship. Students, staff, and faculty share responsibility for planning, implementing and monitoring Academic Accommodations in accordance with the Academic Accommodations procedure.
    2. Students are responsible to:
      1. Self-identify a disability to the College.
      2. Request specific Academic Accommodations.
      3. Provide comprehensive disability information supporting each Academic Accommodation request.
      4. Participate in Academic Accommodation planning, implementation, and monitoring.
      5. Meet academic requirements of the program.
    3. The College is responsible to:
      1. Support students in self-identifying a disability and requesting Academic Accommodations.
      2. Request comprehensive disability information supporting each Academic Accommodation.
      3. Lead the planning, implementation, and monitoring of Academic Accommodations.
      4. Maintain the academic standards for all programs.
      5. Ensure academic standards reflect bona-fide occupational requirements where applicable. 
      6. Evaluate whether a requested accommodation results in undue hardship.
    4. Any appeals of a decision relating to accommodation of disabilities will be dealt with under the College’s Student Appeals policy.
  1. Policy Supports

Policies

31.01 Academic Integrity Policy  
32.01 Student Appeals Policy  
34.02 Academic Accommodations Procedure 
34.03 Recording Procedure
41.01 Respectful Community Policy 
75.11 Confidentiality of Student Information Policy 

Related Materials

Nova Scotia Human Rights Act
Accessibility Services | NSCC

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