Accommodations Policies

Heritage makes every effort to provide appropriate accommodations for students with learning and other disabilities. The following page outlines the differences a student can expect in accommodations moving from high school to an academic setting, the process to access accommodations, and the kind of accommodations Heritage can offer.

Differences Between High School and Heritage

How to Access Academic Accommodations

Your first step in accessing academic accommodations is to complete the Accessibility Office Intake Form.

To maintain the integrity of a rigorous academic environment, Heritage also requires documentation verifying the existence of a disability from a regulated health professional who is operating within their scope of practice to identify a physical, cognitive, or emotional condition that is disabling in an academic context. This documentation must describe the functional limitations experienced by the student in an academic setting. All documentation must be completed within the past three years if done under the age of 18 or five years if done when 18 or older for it to be considered valid.

The Education Act, 1990, in Ontario allows for the accommodation and support of identified students without a formal disability diagnosis. Some identified students are granted an individual education plan (IEP). It should be noted that identification as an exceptional student or being granted an IEP in high school is not the same as a diagnosis of a permanent disability. At Heritage College & Seminary, only students with disabilities verified with proper documentation are entitled to academic accommodations. A prior history of accommodation in high school on its own does not warrant the provision of similar accommodations at Heritage.

Examples of appropriate documentation for accommodation include the following:

• Psychoeducational Assessments: learning disabilities and ADHD
• Functional Assessment: neurodivergences, ADHD, ASD, vision, hearing, speech, mental health, medical conditions, mobility, recovery from injuries/surgery
• An OSAP Disability Verification Form (DVF) submitted to OSAP for current program of study.

For specific documentation, please see the Disability Documentation Requirements page.

Please note that psycho-educational assessments for learning disabilities must not be more than 3 years old if done before age 18, with adult and post-secondary recommendations. If the assessment was done after age 18, the assessment must not be more than 5 years old. There are no exceptions to these requirements.

Heritage does not accept the following as documentation for accommodations:

• Former IEPs. There are many differences between accommodations made in high school and in a university setting such as Heritage.
• Medical notes. Such notes may be appropriate for short-term accommodation, but not for ongoing support. Routine short-term illnesses or temporary injuries are not considered disabilities.
• Results of medical procedures, records of prescriptions, or photographs of hospital bracelets. These are private information and cannot be used to verify the need for academic accommodation.
• An accommodation plan from a previous year at Heritage.

Please note that Heritage cannot guarantee accommodations for any student for whom all appropriate paperwork is not complete. Further, the cost for completing any necessary paperwork is incurred by the student.

Examples of Accommodations Heritage Can Make

This list is descriptive and not proscriptive. Depending on the analysis provided by your medical practitioner, the Accessibility Office will identify you as a person requiring accommodations and recommend the accommodations that Heritage can provide which will best meet your needs. You will then be able to request accommodations from your professors such as these below.

1. Changes to testing and exams. You will be required to do the same tests and exams as the rest of the class but, depending on what your medical professional has recommended, you can request and make arrangements for the following accommodations:
   1. Extra time.
   2. The use of a separate room and proctor.
   3. The ability to use a text magnifier.
   4. The ability to use text-to-speech technology.
   5. The ability to use speech-to-text technology.
   6. The use of a reader and/or scribe to read questions and/or scribe answers.
   7. Greater tolerance of spelling and grammar issues, so long as the work remains readable.
   8. The use of a computer.
2. Changes to text formats. You will be required to use the same textbooks as the rest of the class, but you may use audio versions of the text or use text-to-speech technology to have the material read to you. You are responsible for purchasing the alternative formats.
3. Accommodations to other assignments.
   1. Extra time to complete timed assignments.
   2. The use of speech-to-text technology to assist in writing papers.
   3. Greater tolerance of spelling and grammar issues, so long as the work remains readable.

Please note that Heritage does not permit the use of generative AI as an accommodation.

4. Accommodations to classroom delivery. You will be required to participate in the same classes and at the times they are offered. You can request and plan for the following accommodations:
   1. Preferential seating. Arrive at the class in time to ensure you get the seat you want or need. Seats will not be reserved or saved for you.
   2. The use of assistive hearing or seeing devices.
   3. The use of a scribe to assist in taking class notes.
   4. The ability to download or print notes ahead of class.
   5. The ability to stand or move in class without causing disruption to the rest of the class.
   6. The use of a laptop or a tablet.
5. Heritage welcomes medically necessary and appropriately documented services animals.

Note: Use of Medically Necessary Memory Aids – Understanding Requirements, Expectations, and Student Responsibilities

An Important Caveat

Accommodations will not reduce the amount of work or change the kind of work you are expected to do at Heritage. A full-time course load at Heritage is 15-16.5 credit-hours per semester. Under normal circumstances, this course load will take the average student approximately 40 hours per week for the duration of the semester to successfully complete each course. If your learning difference requires you to take more time to complete the same assignment, you must make your own accommodations and consider taking a reduced course load to successfully complete your work.

Other Resources Available

There may be funding available for those that qualify through OSAP, to assist in the expenses that may be associated with your disability. Contact the OSAP coordinator at Heritage for information on how to access this funding. Early application is suggested as documentation takes 6-8 weeks to process.

Academic advice is available through the Heritage Learning Centre. The HLC does not provide individual tutoring to students for all assignments and all courses, but is available on a short-term basis for students struggling with a particular aspect of academics.

Heritage also provides biblical counselling services and general support to assist students wherever possible. Personal Counselling is available through Student Services in areas of personal concerns, educational challenges, interpersonal relationships, crisis intervention, and family and social problems.

Questions about accessibility and accommodations at Heritage contact accommodations@heritagecs.edu