Disability Resource Center Frequently Asked Questions

If you are a Nevada Promise candidate with a documented disability that prevents full-time enrollment, the Nevada Promise Scholarship requires students who qualify to register with the Disability Resource Center for this accommodation. Please be prepared to provide recent documentation and to meet with a DRC specialist. Fill out this registration form to start the process of registering with the DRC.

No. Please visit our High School Transitioning website for some of the differences.

No. Colleges are not required to pay for assessments. The student is responsible for providing appropriate documentation at their own expense at TMCC.

According to the Office For Civil Rights (Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education, July 2002):

"...Postsecondary school does not have to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or student, or other devices of a personal nature, such as tutoring and typing."

As an additional support for students with disabilities, a registered DRC student who qualifies for tutoring assistance based on their documentation may obtain a referral from our office to the Tutoring and Learning Center.

The student will be directed to meet with an intake coordinator to receive information about general college tutoring and, in certain cases, may be offered limited additional tutoring in pre-college level academic course work, such as mathematics, English and/or reading.

No. These are personal services not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The RTC Access paratransit service provide transportation to TMCC.

No. The polite term is "person (or student) with a disability".

Please see our website for services and policies for deaf and hard of hearing students.

Accommodation provision is an institutional responsibility which includes TMCC faculty and staff working together to provide mandated accommodations. Faculty members are a key partner in the advanced planning and communication process.

Faculty members may choose to provide some accommodations individually, such as extended exam time, a distraction reduced testing environment or enlarged course handouts.

The DRC is available to assist with many accommodations such as recruiting note takers, offering a proctored testing facility which allows the student to receive extended exam time accommodations in a quiet environment, assistive technologies and alternate text reproduction.

According to federal and state disability laws, as a public entity that accepts federal funds (i.e. Pell Grant funding), TMCC must provide free accommodations and services to persons with disabilities. These ensure equal access to all individuals attending curricular and co-curricular activities sponsored by the college.

The course instructor will be notified by a DRC-generated hard copy service letter which will be delivered by the student to the faculty member. Alternately, the services letter may be sent by the DRC staff through an email correspondence. This letter will outline assigned accommodations. Faculty members are encouraged to correspond with the DRC staff when questions regarding accommodations arise.

No. Faculty should not provide accommodations directly to students who are not registered at the DRC. This protects both the college and students requesting services. The professionally trained DRC staff is responsible for evaluating presenting documentation in order to determine if a student qualifies for services, and which services are appropriate in light of their disability. After the DRC staff assigns accommodations, they assist to ensure services are offered in a timely manner.

The faculty member should call 911, keep calm, provide reassurance, and remove bystanders. Please keep the student safe, remove objects and do not restrain. Stay with the person until recovered from seizure.

The faculty member can privately and tactfully refer a potential student to the DRC staff who will determine if they qualify for services. The DRC website offers a wealth of information to educate faculty and prospective students, downloadable forms and a link to contact the DRC directly to schedule a confidential intake interview. Some students with disabilities may elect not to register at the DRC, which is a personal choice. Non-registered DRC students are not entitled to receive free accommodations or services at TMCC.

Contact the DRC immediately.

Accommodations are designed to level the playing field for students with disabilities to receive equal access to educational experiences. The intent is not to compromise the essential components of a class.

The DRC professional staff are available to consult with instructors to determine the primary functions of the class and what, if any, accommodations may meet the goal of providing reasonable access to the student without changing required course learning outcomes. At the conclusion of this deliberative process, the final decision rests with the faculty member regarding the appropriateness of accommodations. The DRC staff's role is to provide guidance, conduct research and brainstorm possible alternatives that meet the instructor goals while providing equal access to the materials.

The DRC is committed to assisting the College community to remain within legal compliance.

Resulting accommodations are determined based on the functional limitations of the disability(s) on a case-by-case basis, and may vary greatly from student to student. Common accommodations include extended exam/quiz time, a distraction reduced testing environment, helping to recruit for a classroom note taker and assisting with print/auditory material requests to provide them in alternate, accessible formats. For example, providing the DRC with a course syllabus or ordering closed captioned videos in advance can save greatly in production costs and man hours.

Please feel free to contact us for more information.