Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions - From New Draft
The Special Populations office offers services for students with diagnosed disabilities and offers referrals to surrounding community agencies for students who need other types of assistance.
The Special Populations office is located in the Eagles' Nest Room 129.
No, all services are free for Lamar Institute of Technology students.
Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act defines a disability as a physical impairment, which substantially limits one or major life activities, for ex: breathing, speaking, seeing, walking, learning, working or taking care of oneself. Even if others do not perceive you as having such impairment, you may have a disability. The key here is the term substantially limits. This means a person is restricted as to the condition or manner, or duration under which a major life activity can be performed, in comparison to the average person or to most people, or that a person cannot perform the activity at all.
Accommodations can be made for a physical and/or learning disability. A request for services must be made at least six weeks before the beginning of the semester. Appropriate documentation of a disability must be submitted before accommodations can be arranged. Services include, but are not limited to: career counseling/advising, interpreter services, note takers, scribes, specialized testing arrangements, registration assistance, mobility/accessibility accommodations, and procurement of assistive/adaptive equipment.
You will need to meet with the Communication Access Provider 6 weeks prior to the start of semester so interpreters can be arranged for your courses. LIT provides interpreting services to deaf and hard of hearing students for both classroom and other college functions. You can reach them via email or (409) 247-5133
You will need to meet with the Communication Access Provider 6 weeks prior to the start of semester so interpreters can be arranged for your courses. LIT provides interpreting services to deaf and hard of hearing students for both classroom and other college functions. You can reach them via email or (409) 247-5133
Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas
- (409) 924-4400
- (855) 924-4400
- catholiccharitiesbmt.org
Women's Advocacy Project
SMORE - Single Moms-Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, Empowered!
Texas Childcare Solutions
Under Section 51.982 of the Texas Education Code, Title 3. Higher Education, Subtitle A. Higher Education in General, Chapter 51. Provisions Generally Applicable to Higher Education, Subchapter Z. Miscellaneous Provisions, LIT will "provide reasonable accommodations to a pregnant student, including accommodations that:
- would be provided to a student with a temporary medical condition; or
- are related to the health and safety of the student and the student's unborn child, such as allowing the student to maintain a safe distance from substances, areas, and activities known to be hazardous to pregnant women or unborn children."
Lamar Institute of Technology is committed to supporting you through your pregnancy and parenting. Here's what you need to know:
- Accommodations - If you have a pregnancy-related impairment that is considered a disability under The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) you are entitled to reasonable support measures.
- These support measures may include, but not limited to:
- More frequent restroom breaks
- Seating closer to the door
- Larger Desk
- Provide a stool
- Please contact our Coordinator of Special Populations for further questions on accommodations.
- Leave & Absences - Students must be allowed to take time off of school for pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, abortion and/or recovery for as long as their doctor says is medically necessary. That could mean a few absences for necessary medical appointments, or a longer leave of absence for a high-risk pregnancy or childbirth. This rule applies even if taking medically necessary leave would require an absence for longer than the school's leave policy ordinarily allows. Students cannot be penalized for taking leave and must be able to return to school in the same status they held before taking leave.
- Make Up Work - Professors may require you to complete missed assignments or other work to make up for missed participation, but the make-up work should be comparable with the work given to other students, not extra. When setting timelines for make-up or missed work, professors need to treat leave as leave; for example, assignment deadlines should not be the day you return. This means at least the same amount of time as other students, even beyond the semester schedule if necessary.
- Participation Grades/Credits - If a teacher's grading is based in part on class attendance or participation, the student should be allowed to earn the credits she missed so that she can be reinstated to the status she had before the leave.
- Doctor's Note - If your professor requires other students who have “excused” absences to provide a doctor's note, they can ask you to provide one as well. Be sure your doctor clearly states that the absence is/was medically necessary.
- Financial Aid - Taking leave may have an impact on your student loans, depending on your registration status during your time off. Schools cannot terminate or reduce merit or need-based scholarships because of pregnancy.
Be sure to meet with the financial aid office before taking any extended absence and ask about your financial aid status for details about your particular situation. - Admissions - Schools can't require a pregnant student to produce a doctor's note in order to stay in school or participate in activities, unless the same requirement to obtain a doctor's note applies to all students being treated by a doctor. Schools cannot presume that a pregnant student is unable to attend school or participate in school activities.
Employees, students, or associated third parties cannot discourage your participation in the school's programs. - Breastfeeding - Lamar Institute of Technology is pleased to provide a Lactation Room in the Eagle's Nest to meet the needs of parents with babies. Lactation Rooms provide a private place to nurse, pump, bottle feed, and change a diaper.
If your class is scheduled when you need to nurse or pump, your absence should be excused, and you should not be penalized for your time away. This means your grade cannot be lowered due to poor attendance, you must be given the ability to make up any work missed, and you must be able to get the information you missed as well. You may need to provide a doctor's note stating that it is medically necessary for you to pump on a certain schedule. - Report Discrimination - If you've experienced any discrimination due to pregnancy or parenting, you're encouraged to submit a report regardless of whether or not you would like to follow through with the grievance process. Be sure to contact the Special Populations Coordinator to report any discrimination.
You can bring your 504, IEP or Annual Review & Dismissal (ARD), and Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) paperwork to discuss any accommodations or any other relevant documents that show a disability including diagnostic data from a licensed medical professional who is able to diagnose disabilities such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Please remember that LIT may ask for further documentation/information to assign reasonable accommodations.
All information submitted to the Special Populations Office becomes part of a student's "educational record" as defined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The information contained from the student's intake/interview and in the information/documentation will be used to determine eligibility. Appropriate accommodations will be decided case-by-case and based on a student's disability and individual needs.
If you think you may have a disability that is affecting your performance in college courses, you will need to meet with the Coordinator and provide documentation of the disability. The documentation must come from a professional licensed or certified to diagnose the disability or any other relevant documentation showing it.
No. We seek to provide equal access to educational opportunities and programs to students. It is not the role of our office to conduct assessments or provide testing for disabilities. The student is responsible for providing current documentation of their disability, any testing required to diagnose a disability, and the cost of any assessment or testing.
Your parents are a wonderful source of support and encouragement. However, students 18 years old and older are legal adults and independently responsible for requesting accommodation and making disability-related decisions. College is a time for students to become familiar with and responsible for this process.
Colleges do not have programs, such as special education or design Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs). Colleges are required to provide reasonable accommodations that give access to an education. You can bring your 504, IEP or Annual Review & Dismissal (ARD), and Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) paperwork to the Coordinator to discuss any accommodations and obtain referral information if it is determined that further documentation/information is required to assign reasonable accommodations.
Possibly. Remember that accommodations in college are assigned to give access, so they are made individually and depend on your current functional limitations. Accommodation you received in high school might not apply to your current situation. Therefore, you might be assigned some of the same accommodations and you might be accommodated in different ways. Colleges grant equal access not equal success.
TWS/VR is an agency that assists individuals with disabilities by providing various services. They can help with job placement and assistance with college expenses.
Meet with the Coordinator to request assistance with lecture notes. You can request an accommodation to use a recording device or to have a duplication of board work or instructor notes.
Meet with the Coordinator so it can be determined if you are eligible for a reader. This accommodation will be listed on your accommodation memo and arrangements will be made for a reader to be available as long as you provide notice of a test a week in advance.
LIT values your confidentiality. Besides the SP Coordinator, your instructors will know what accommodations to provide in the classrooms when you give them the accommodations memo. You should hand each instructor the accommodation memo in the instructor's office during his/her office hours.
No. Your disability and your accommodation are considered confidential and no information disclosing that information will be written on your transcript or college degree.
If you need accommodation for these tests, please speak with the Special Populations Coordinator first to receive your memo for the Test and then speak with the Coordinator of Testing to schedule your exam. While scheduling please provide the memos to the Coordinator of Testing.
No. Accommodation requests must come from the student.