FTCAP Procedures for Students with Disabilities

At every Penn State location, there is an office designated to provide services for students with disabilities. Each designated office obtains and files disability-related documents, certifies eligibility for services, determines reasonable accommodations, and develops plans for the provision of such academic adjustments and accommodations. For detailed information regarding eligibility for services, documentation guidelines, policies and procedures, refer to the following web address: www.equity.psu.edu/ods/

A student requesting an accommodation or academic adjustment for the FTCAP placement tests based on a disability must identify themselves to the disability contact liaison (DCL) at the location the student intends to enroll. A list of DCLs at Penn State's locations can be obtained from the following Web sites:

Students enrolling at University Park:
Contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at http://www.equity.psu.edu/ods/contact.asp.

Students enrolling at any other Penn State campus:
Contact the Disability Contact Liaison (DCL) at your campus of admission. A list of DCLs by Penn State campus can be found at: http://www.equity.psu.edu/ods/dcl.asp

The specific procedures are as follows :

1. The student schedules an intake interview with a Disability Specialist (DS) or Disability Contact Liaison (DCL). During the intake interview the history of the condition and functional limitations are discussed, the student's rights and responsibilities are reviewed, and the documentation review process is explained. The student is asked to sign a release of information form.

2. Students seeking accommodations/academic adjustments at Penn State are required to provide diagnostic documentation from a licensed clinical professional familiar with the history and functional limitations of the student's impairment.

a. All documentation must adequately verify the nature and extent of the disability in accordance with current professional standards, techniques and practices.

b. The documentation must clearly substantiate the need for the student's specific accommodation/academic adjustment request.

c. All documentation must be submitted on the official letterhead of the professional.

d. The report should be typed, dated, signed and include the professional credentials of the evaluator including information regarding licensure or certification.

Note: Penn State's guidelines for appropriate documentation for each disability category can be obtained by visiting the following Web site:

http://www.equity.psu.edu/ods/guidelines.asp

or by contacting ODS at 814-863-1807 (V/TTY) or the DCL at the campus at which the student will be enrolling. The cost of obtaining documentation is borne by the student. If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability, academic adjustments and/or reasonable accommodations, ODS or the DCL has the discretion to require additional documentation. Any cost of obtaining additional documentation is also borne by the student.

3. Students attending University Park should submit documentation to the ODS. Students attending another Penn State campus should submit documentation to the DCL at that location.

4. Once documentation is provided, it is reviewed and a determination regarding eligibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990, is made.

a. The documentation provided must meet Penn States' guidelines for appropriate documentation.

b. The student's condition must meet the criteria for having a disability under the ADA. The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.

5. The determination for reasonable accommodation(s) is an interactive process between the student, the Disability Specialist, the professional provider, and if necessary, in collaboration with the student's instructor or college.

After the student has contacted the DS or DCL and it is determined that the student is eligible for academic adjustments, one of two procedures for taking the FTCAP tests is then followed:

1. Your DS or DCL verifies the accommodations that are required and the DS or DCL will contact the FTCAP Web Testing Assistant at l-ftcap-tech@lists.psu.edu or (814-865-8270) to indicate which accommodations are required and whether or not the FTCAP office will need to extend the deadline for taking the tests. The DS or DCL should then notify you that you are "cleared" to log in and take the tests on-line and should let you know what accommodations are set up.

2. If your DS or DCL determines that a paper-and-pencil version of the tests is necessary, then the student will then need to make a decision about which campus is closest to them in order to take the FTCAP exams. The student will need to go to a Penn State campus to have the tests administered via paper-and-pencil.

If the campus closest to you is different than the campus to which you are admitted, your DS or DCL will need to contact the DS or DCL at the campus which you plan to take the tests in order to make the appropriate testing arrangements. A representative of the testing campus will contact you to make specific plans for when and where you will meet with that representative to take the tests.

If you have any further questions or problems regarding FTCAP, please contact the FTCAP office at 814-865-2578.

This document is available in alternative media upon request.
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