New Students
Submit your intake form and disability documentation as early as possible. Completing your intake before the semester begins ensures your accommodations are approved and in place before classes start.
How We Determine Accommodations for New Students
This page explains the one-time initial intake process to determine your eligibility and set up your approved accommodations. Once your intake process is complete, you will not need to repeat this step in future semesters.
To evaluate your request through our interactive process, ADS considers:
- Information from your intake form
- Your submitted disability documentation
- Details discussed during your intake appointment
What to Expect During Your Intake Appointment
The intake appointment is a collaborative conversation between you and an ADS team member. Together, we will:
- Discuss how your disability or health condition impacts you.
- Review accommodations you have used in the past or would like to use at MCC.
- Explore potential reasonable accommodations tailored to your unique situation.
- Review the steps for requesting and using your accommodations each semester.
Application Deadlines and Late Requests
We accept and process ADS applications throughout the semester. However, to receive accommodations for the current term, you must submit your application by the course deadline listed below.
| Length of Course | Deadline to Apply for Accommodations for Current Semester |
|---|---|
| 16-weeks | Friday of week 12 |
| 12-weeks | Friday of week 9 |
| 8-weeks | Friday of week 6 |
| 4-weeks | Friday of week 1 |
Applications received after a session's deadline will be reviewed for eligibility in the following semester.
Important Note: We cannot review, coordinate, or implement late accommodation requests on short notice.
Plan Ahead: Timeline for New Applications
Who is Eligible for Accommodations?
Laws prohibit MCC from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. MCC must provide equal access and reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities who are otherwise qualified to participate in any program or activity at MCC.
An individual is “otherwise qualified” if, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies or practices; the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers; or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, they meet the essential eligibility requirements to receive services or participate in programs or activities provided by MCC.
An MCC student has a “disability” if they fit in one of these three categories:
- A person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of that person (for example, walking, speaking, seeing, hearing, learning, or caring for oneself);
- A person who has a record of such impairment; or
- A person who, while not actually disabled, is regarded as having such impairment.
In determining whether a student has a disability, MCC may consider the individual’s self-report, the observations and interactions with the student by the disability professionals working in ADS, and educational and medical records provided by the student. Any of the following documentation submitted by an enrolled or admitted student is sufficient to establish that the student is an individual with a disability:
- Documentation that the individual has had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in accordance with Section 614(d) of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- ADS may request additional documentation if the IEP was not in effect immediately prior to the date when the individual exited high school
- Documentation that the individual has received services or accommodations provided to the individual under a Section 504 plan provided to the individual pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- ADS may request additional documentation if the Section 504 Plan was not in effect immediately prior to the date when the individual exited high school
- Documentation of a plan or record of service for the individual from a private school, a local educational agency, a State educational agency, or an institution of higher education provided under a Section 504 plan pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or in accordance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- A record or evaluation from a relevant licensed professional finding that the individual has a disability
- A plan or record of disability from another institution of higher education
- Documentation of a disability due to military service in the uniformed services
Once ADS determines that a student is generally eligible for accommodations as an otherwise qualified individual with a disability, the next step is for ADS and the student to engage in the interactive process to establish specific accommodations that are individualized to address the impacts of the student’s disability.