Frequently Ask Questions

The IAP outlines the academic accommodations that are to be provided for the student’s courses.  If you are unfamiliar with implementing a certain accommodation or have never had a student with an IAP, there are various sources to assist you with facilitating the required supports.  In addition to speaking with your program head, chief instructor, program coordinator, other instructors, and/or connecting with the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) noted on the IAP, you can also check the resources available at the Accessibility Service Loop page.  You will find a specific section on How to Implement an IAP as well as other resources to help provide support.

Human rights case law makes it clear that post-secondary institutions must remain open, creative and flexible when considering the ways that a student with a documented functional limitation can demonstrate the essential learning requirements or outcomes of a course or program.  However, regardless of their health or disability status, students must be able to demonstrate that they have acquired the essential learning outcomes of a course in order to receive credit.

If you have questions about what constitutes an essential requirement, outcome or skill, contact the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) noted on the Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP), as well as your Program Head, Chief Instructor and/or Program Coordinator, to discuss your concerns.

No. The goal of accommodations in post-secondary education is to provide students who have disabilities with access and equal opportunity, not to provide an unfair advantage.

In general, students with disabilities should be held to the same requirements as other students, although accommodations may alter how these requirements are met (e.g., provide more time to complete a test; allow tests to be taken in an alternative format).

Pursuant to Section 8(1) of British Columbia’s Human Rights Code, BCIT has a legal responsibility to provide a student with reasonable accommodations to address the barriers they face due to a disability related limitation – and correspondingly, the student has a legal right to that accommodation.

At any time, a faculty member is encouraged to consult with the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist who prepared the IAP to discuss any impacts the plan poses to the quality or delivery of the course. If the impacts of the IAP are unable to be resolved, the faculty member or VRS may request an IAP review to the Associate Dean and/or the Associate Director, student access and wellbeing per Policy 4501-PR1.

There can be more than one way to implement an accommodation.  If an IAP recommends an accommodation that may not work in the class, please contact Accessibility Services to discuss the matter.  Accessibility Services relies on feedback and suggestions from faculty to help identify an alternative solution.

Yes. BCIT is responsible for providing accommodations for all components of a program. Typically, the Program Head will coordinate the implementation of the accommodations with the appropriate staff at the clinical or practicum site.

In general, the student is responsible for adhering to the program’s attendance policy.  The amount of flexibility in these attendance policies can differ.  Due to a medical condition and/or required treatment, some students will experience regular occasional absences and their accommodation plan will recommend leniency on attendance.  In other situations, the student’s accommodation will require an exception to the program’s attendance policy providing the student is still able to meet the essential requirements of the course. These determinations are on a case by case basis and can involve consultation with the vocational rehabilitation specialist for further clarification.

This can be a sensitive topic and it is important to be attuned to the student’s needs.  Typically, the best approach is to be supportive, discrete, and non-directive, such as simply informing the student of the existence of a variety of services at BCIT such as tutoring, counselling, and Accessibility Services and then let the student determine which support may be most appropriate for them. (e.g., “I notice that you have been having some difficulties in the class and I wanted to let you know that BCIT has a variety of services to help provide supports including Counselling & Student Development, Recreation Services, Accessibility Services  and tutoring through the Learning Commons, should you feel any of them might be useful.”)

A proactive approach can also be useful. We recommend including a classroom announcement in your course outline and on the program website to notify all students about the available campus resources.  Please see our sample classroom announcement.

Students are required to book any accommodated exam with Accessibility Services at least ten (10) business days before any exam.  This gives the exam coordinator and access assistants time to book a space for the student in our test centre for and to contact the instructor to collect a copy of the exam as well as the pertinent details.  If the student does not require the accommodation for a specific exam, they have the choice to write it in the class.

If there is insufficient notice to the student about the exam, the provision of the accommodation(s) will be the responsibility of the instructor.  Alternatively, the exam can be written at a later date so the accommodations can be appropriately coordinated through Accessibility Services.

If the instructor has failed to give the student sufficient advance notice about the exam, then yes, the instructor will be responsible for providing exam accommodation in class.

Typically exam accommodation is administered at the Accessibility Services test centre for on campus exams. Students must book the exam with Accessibility Services in advance (at least ten (10) business days).

Alternatively, the exam can be written in the Accessibility Services test centre at a later date, so the accommodations can still be appropriately coordinated through Accessibility Services.

Yes.  Any timed evaluation would qualify for the exam accommodations noted on the Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP).

Implementing exam accommodations in a setting that requires specialized tools or equipment can require creative ways of implementing the student’s required supports. When Accessibility Services Test Centre is not suitable for the student’s entire exam, the instructor and Accessibility Services will need to discuss alternatives for providing the required accommodation.  Past examples include the following:

• The student accesses the Accessibility Services test centre prior to the exam to use the space to ‘prep’ and then attends the lab for the regular test.  The student will still require the full additional time as indicated on the IAP and still may require additional time during the lab.
• The student accesses additional time for the exam during another available shop/lab time with a similar learning environment (e.g., supervised by an equivalent instructor).
• The instructor allows the student to start the exam early or continue to write later.
• The class/lab/shop space is made available at a separate time with the student being provided the appropriate amount of time.

When warranted, Accessibility Services can arrange for an exam invigilator to supervise the student during the additional time.  In other cases, an instructor or qualified supervisor will need to be available.

No.  If a student is not registered with Accessibility Services and asks an instructor for accommodations, please refer them to Accessibility Services to explore their eligibility for accommodations.  Please note that during peak times of the year (e.g., beginning of the term), students can experience a wait time for their first appointment due to higher than regular volume.

The duty to accommodate is a legal duty that arises from the BC Human Rights Code.  Section 8(1) of the Code prohibits service providers from denying services, and from discriminating in the provision of services customarily available to the public, on the basis of a person’s personal characteristics.  The personal characteristics protected from discrimination by the Code include mental and physical disabilities.

It exists to enable equitable participation. It gives students with disabilities a fair opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities, and an opportunity to be assessed against the course and program standards, with the benefit of reasonable accommodation. Accommodation does not:

• require post-secondary institutions to lower academic or non-academic standards to accommodate students with disabilities.
• relieve the student of the responsibility to develop the essential skills and competencies expected of all students.

Pursuant to its legal obligations under the BC Human Rights Code, BCIT must ensure that its courses, programs and services are accessible to students with disabilities. This means that BCIT must assess each student’s needs and provide reasonable accommodation to that student to address their individual needs and to enable their equitable participation in a course or program.

Reasonable accommodation is determined on a case-by-case basis. In this context, reasonable accommodation may mean making alterations to the way in which a course or program is delivered to make it more accessible to the student (for example, by providing course materials in an alternative format such as large print or audio). Or altering the way in which a student demonstrates their knowledge (for example, by permitting a student to use a computer and adaptive software to write exams or permitting a student to write exams in a distraction-free environment).

Accommodation may not be “reasonable” if it compromises the essential learning requirements of the course, creates a possible safety risk, or results in undue hardship for the institution as a whole, but an instructor alone cannot determine this. All concerns about an accommodation should be immediately brought to the attention of Accessibility Services and should also be brought to the attention of the Program Head, the Associate Dean, and Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS).

The duty to accommodate is an institutional responsibility resulting from the BC Human Rights Code. It is a consultative and co-operative process in which all parties have duties and obligations. When an eligible student with a disability requests accommodation, all employees and agents of BCIT who are involved in the accommodation process have an obligation to work together in a collaborative manner, and to take reasonable and practical steps to find a solution. They share the responsibility of fulfilling BCIT’s legal duty to accommodate. Students also have clear responsibilities in their own accommodation process.

Students are responsible for making their need for accommodation known and for registering with Accessibility Services. They are required to participate and cooperate in the accommodation process by providing medical documentation and other information, making suggestions, and accepting a reasonable accommodation even if it is not perfect.

Guided by our Institution’s Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (policy4501), Accessibility Services provides various support services for students with disabilities. Accessibility Services reviews objective medical documentation and determines the requirement and eligibility for academic accommodations that are then distributed to the appropriate faculty members via the Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP).  Accessibility Services educates students regarding additional BCIT resources, learning strategies, and assists them with problem-solving surrounding disability challenges.

The office is also responsible for assisting students to access funding through grant applications for persons with disabilities, apply for funding for specialized services (e.g., tutoring) and equipment, including adaptive software. Additionally, Accessibility Services provides a test centre for students who are writing exams to minimize the need for faculty and staff to deliver accommodations and acts as a support and resource for faculty and staff on disability-related issues.

No. The nature of a student’s disability is strictly confidential. The details of a student’s disability may not be discussed without receiving proper written permission from the student beforehand. The student has given Accessibility Services permission to disclose information included on the IAP.

It is important to focus on our role and responsibilities as an educational institution in evaluating whether a student meets the essential learning outcomes of their courses and programs, as distinct from future employment. It may be helpful to keep in mind that future employers of BCIT students will also have a legal duty to provide reasonable accommodations in the workplace. As with any students, when individuals with disabilities are able to increase their skills through education, they will broaden their ability to secure and maintain gratifying, meaningful employment.

An accommodation may not be reasonable if it compromises the essential learning requirements of the course, creates a possible safety risk, or results in undue hardship for the institution, but this cannot be determined by an instructor alone. An instructor who is concerned about the accommodation outlined in the IAP should immediately consult with their Program Head, Chief Instructor, Program Coordinator, Associate Dean or the VRS.