About your medical documentation
If you wish to request services and/or accommodations through Accessibility Services at BCIT, you must first provide us with appropriate medical documentation.
Under the BC Human Rights Code, individuals are protected from discrimination based on disability. The collection and review of medical documentation is to verify that a disability exists and that accompanying the disability are functional limitations. A diagnosis of a disorder in and of itself does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations; documentation must also support the related need for accommodations and/or services by stating the functional limitations and impact on studies.
Requirements
To review details and requirements for your medical documentation, please visit Documentation Requirements.
Confidentiality
Accessibility Services takes your privacy seriously. Disability-related information is collected and maintained separately from other academic information. The information provided will be kept strictly confidential within the student’s file at BCIT Accessibility Services office only and does not appear on any official BCIT records, test results, academic transcripts or graduation documentation.
Disclosure of a specific diagnosis is not required to access accommodations, services and support. However, disclosure of a diagnosis or disability type is often useful to the BCIT Accessibility Services Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists who are specifically trained in the provision of disability accommodations to better understand a student’s needs. There are certain circumstances where a diagnosis is required to establish eligibility for certain private (external) and federally or provincially-funded supports and/or services.
Temporary disabilities
We recognize that there may be medical, physical, or mental health conditions that pose temporary barriers to a student’s academic performance. Every student with a diagnosed, disabling condition (whether permanent or temporary) is encouraged to register with Accessibility Services. Access to our services, even temporarily, requires medical documentation from a Regulated Health Care Professional outlining the functional limitations resulting from the disability or health condition and anticipated date of recovery.
Please note that a brief medical issue that is common to the general population (such as a flu virus) and requires academic consideration should be discussed with an instructor who will then advise the student of the appropriate BCIT policy (e.g. exam deferral, make-up exam) and accommodate the student.