Accessibility Services

What is accessibility?

Accessibility is the practice of making education and spaces barrier-free (as much as possible) for our students with disabilities. All students in Ontario, including international students, are entitled by law to participate fully in their education.

What is a disability?

A disability is a medical, physical, or cognitive condition that prevents or reduces a person's ability to participate fully in society.

Types of disabilities

Disabilities can be:

• Visible (for example, using a wheelchair, hearing aid, cane, prosthetics, etc.)​
• Invisible (for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disability, diagnosed mental health condition, etc.)​
• Permanent (a life-long condition)
• Temporary (time-limited, such as a broken bone)

What is an academic accommodation?

Academic accommodations are arrangements that allow a student with a disability or medical condition a fair opportunity to engage in academic activities and fulfill essential course and program requirements.

Some examples of academic accommodations are:

• Extra time for assignments/exams​ (the amount of time is usually time-and-a-half but is determined by Accessibility Services).
• Writing assignments/exams in a quiet room free from distractions.
• Extensions on assignments due dates, to be negotiated ahead of time between student and instructor.
• Access to assistive technology for tests.
• Ability to record the lecture​.
• Preferential seating.
• A peer note-taker or use of computerized notetaking software for lectures.

How can accommodations help me?

• The purpose of accommodations is to eliminate or minimize any disadvantages your disability presents while meeting the standards of admission and accomplishing the core competencies of your program.
• Accommodations can support students both in class and with assignments and tests.
• Through your accommodations, you can also get access to supports like one-on-one academic skill training and use of assistive technology.

How to receive an academic accommodation

This is a free and confidential service.

To request an academic accommodation, you must first meet with an Accessibility Counsellor to review your request. Supporting information or documentation is often required.

If you believe you have a permanent or temporary disability or medical condition, contact us at accessibility@niagaracollegetoronto.ca to discuss your situation.

If you believe you have a disability or medical condition, whether permanent or temporary, follow the instructions below to connect with an Accessibility Counsellor and inquire about an academic accommodation:

• Email accessibility@niagaracollegetoronto.ca and include the following:
  1. Your full name
  2. Your student identification (ID) number
  3. Briefly explain your situation and include any notes or documents from Ontario or Canadian medical professionals*.
     
     Please note: we validate your documents and we may ask for more information and/or documentation.
• If approved, Accessibility Services will create an Accessibility Plan that outlines your academic accommodations.
• Share your Accessibility Plan with each of your course instructors.

*It is a serious offence to submit false information and/or false documentation. Any false information/documentation may result in disciplinary actions. Niagara College – Toronto takes academic integrity seriously and holds all students to the highest standards of academic honesty.

It is your responsibility to contact Accessibility Services if you believe you require an academic accommodation.

Please contact us by email at accessibility@niagaracollegetoronto.ca to book an appointment. We are available from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST to help currently enrolled students.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in need of immediate support, please access the following resources:

• Health, Wellness and Community Services (HWCS) can be contacted:
  • In person from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST in Room 102 at Mirvish Building (740 Bathurst Street)
  • By phone at 1-647-362-1678
  • By email hwcs@niagaracollegetoronto.ca
    
    
• keep.meSAFE Student Support Advisors* are available 24 hours, 7 days a week, in many languages. Access confidential support anytime, anywhere by:
  • Downloading the free TELUS Health Student Support app (formerly known as the My SSP app) to chat or call
  • Calling 1-844-451-9700 (or 001-416-380-6578 from outside North America)
  • Visiting Keepmesafe.org to chat

*Counselling services are free and confidential for Niagara College – Toronto students.

Here you will find answers to commonly asked questions about accessibility services and resources available at Niagara College – Toronto. For detailed information about our policies and procedures regarding accessibility accommodations and a range of other topics, please visit our Policies page.

• I’m in the process of getting a diagnosis. Can I still get accommodations?

Contact the Accessibility Services team at accessibility@niagaracollegetoronto.ca and get a file started. We may be able to provide temporary accommodations while awaiting documentation about your functional limitations from a qualified healthcare professional.

Note: temporary accommodations are usually granted for one term only.

• Who will have access to my personal information?

The information you disclose to the Accessibility Services team is confidential; your privacy is protected by law. Accessibility Services will not disclose your personal information to a third party, including your parents, without your consent – except in certain emergency situations.

To arrange your academic accommodations, your Accessibility Counsellor may need to speak to:

• Administrators
• Other staff at NCT (e.g., faculty)

The Accessibility Counsellor will only disclose the amount of information needed to make arrangements for your academic accommodations.

When registering with Accessibility Services you will be asked to review and sign Confidentiality and Consent/Release of Information forms. These forms will explain how, when, and with whom your information may be shared by Accessibility Services. If you choose to sign the Consent/Release forms, you are permitting Accessibility Services to share such information with the people or departments designated for the purpose of arranging and managing your accommodations.

Your Personal Information is protected by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA, 1990). Ontario post-secondary institutions must comply with the FIPPA which contains rules and regulations related to the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information which are designed to protect your security and privacy.

Your personal health information is also protected by the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA, 2004).

• What is a retroactive accommodation?

When an accommodation is requested and applied after a scheduled course assessment (e.g., test or assignment) has taken place, this is known as a retroactive accommodation. In such cases, an academic accommodation will be applied due to significant disability-related impacts that prevent a student from meeting the performance expectations of an assessment.

If an accommodation was already in place at the time of the assessment, the student must provide a reasonable explanation for why the accommodation was not sufficient. It is the student’s responsibility to contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible to determine if a retroactive accommodation can be provided. Each request will be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis and discussed with the relevant faculty and academic leaders to determine an appropriate resolution.

Contact accessibility@niagaracollegetoronto.ca if you believe you need a retroactive accommodation. Refer to our Missed Evaluations Policy for more information.

• What if I get a cold or flu and cannot attend classes?

Accessibility Services does not offer absentee notes for students with common illnesses. If you are absent from class for any reason, it is your responsibility to inform the faculty member(s) of the affected classes on or before the day of your absence. If you have missed an assessment due to your absence and request a makeup assessment, your instructor may choose to exercise their discretion. Please refer to our Missed Evaluations Policy for more information on approved and unapproved absences.

• Can Accessibility Services approve my request to study online?

Accessibility Services cannot fulfill requests to study online. In-person courses at NCT cannot be delivered online. 

• I have a family emergency. Can I leave the country?

You may be eligible to obtain approval for an Emergency Absence within five (5) business days prior to the absence or retroactively. Please contact the faculty member(s) of the affected classes at the earliest opportunity and submit the Academic Consideration Request form (located in the NCToronto Student Portal) to academicadvising@niagaracollegetoronto.ca as soon as possible. Refer to our Missed Evaluations Policy for more information on emergency absences.

• I was absent for one day and missed my assessment. What do I do?

Students with permanent or temporary disabilities who have accommodations approved through Accessibility Services may have specific allowances for missed academic work or assessments. It is the student’s responsibility to contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible to determine if a retroactive accommodation can be provided.

Accessibility Services supports students with disabilities and does not offer absentee notes to students without disabilities for missed classes. If you are absent from class for any reason, it is your responsibility to inform the faculty member(s) of the affected classes before or on the day of your absence. If you have missed an assessment due to your absence and request a makeup assessment, your instructor may choose to exercise their discretion. Refer to our Missed Evaluations Policy for more information on approved and unapproved absences.