Toronto Business College is committed to ensuring the accommodation of those students who have a disability and may require support services. A wide range of services may be available to those students who identify themselves as requiring assistance. It is important for the College and the student to start working together as early as possible to develop a plan for successful pursuit of educational goals.

All information provided will be kept confidential. The College provides accommodations and supports for students with documented disabilities in compliance with the following legislation:

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005)
• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Section 15)
• Guidelines on Accessible Education (2018)
• Ontario Human Rights Code

This policy applies to all full-time and part-time students, employees and visitors of the College. Students may be enrolled in TBC programs or those of partner institutions.

The College acknowledges the right of all individuals, including those with disabilities, to an equal opportunity to experience success in their academic and/or employment endeavours with the College, as they apply to the provision of all services as indicated in the Ontario Human Rights Code.

The College recognizes that making successful learning and employment outcomes accessible to students and employees, respectively, is a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of the Available in Alternate Formats Upon Request students and employees. This policy is articulated within the context of the shared values of Toronto Business College that express a culture focused on students, employees and community.

Students and employees have a right to learn and work in an accessible, accountable and equitable environment. Failure to facilitate this may lead to legal actions or human rights challenges.

The College is committed to training all employees in accessible customer service Ontario accessibility standards and aspects of the Ontario Human Rights Code that relate to people with disabilities. Training must be completed within ninety (90) days of hire.

Training includes:

• The purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and the requirements of the Customer Service Standards
• The relationship between the AODA, the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) as it applies to Seneca and people with disabilities.
• The various types of disabilities that exist and understanding of the challenges faced by persons with disabilities.
• How to effectively remove barriers, interact with and support people with disabilities.
• How to identify AODA compliance requirements for people with disabilities, information and communications, employment, transportation and design and public spaces
• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
• How to use the equipment or devices available on site or otherwise that may help with providing teaching and learning, services or facilities to people with disabilities.

The College provides faculty with additional accessibility awareness training related to accessible programs or course delivery and instruction.

The College will provide educational, training resources or materials in an accessible format upon request and will do so in a way that considers the accessibility needs of an individual’s disability.

This obligation includes educational, training resources or materials produced by the College and the provision of student records and information on program requirements, availability and description in an accessible format for people with disabilities.

In accordance with these regulations, the College will adhere to accessibility standards and principles when designing, adopting and procuring educational materials and resources for the delivery of course curricula. This includes e-books, course packs, e-learning platforms, online networking/conferencing platforms, interactive and instructive online management systems, audio-visual and multimedia.

The College meets this obligation through the procurement process or through obtaining by other means an accessible or conversion ready electronic format of the educational or training resources or materials where available.

In the case that the materials cannot be procured or obtained by other means or converted into an accessible format, the College is committed to ensuring that it makes the necessary arrangements for the provision of a comparable resource.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), the College does not release any information about a student’s record unless it has been authorized by the student.

Confidentiality is maintained at all times when students become involved with the Student Success. A student’s registration with any Accessibility Services and the fact that they have received accommodations will not be identified on any official College records, test results, academic transcripts or graduation documentation.

All disability documentation provided to the office is kept secure and strictly confidential in a locked cabinet. Students’ personal information is not shared with anyone without their prior informed and signed consent.

All students registered with Student Success sign a form that indicates with whom we can discuss personal information.

For the student’s safety and privacy, Student Success will only communicate with the student via email using the secure College student ID. We do not send messages to Hotmail, Gmail or other non-campus and non-secure websites.

Student Success provides support to students with disabilities in compliance with the following legislation:

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005)
• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Section 15)
• Guidelines on Accessible Education (2018)
• Ontario Human Rights Code

Students and employees have a right to learn and work in an accessible and accountable environment. The College will make every effort to accommodate the particular needs of individuals with disabilities provided that:

The accommodation does not give rise to undue hardship, which would include:

• Altering the essential requirements of the program or course.
• Threatening the integrity of contracts of employment by significantly altering essential job requirements or responsibilities.

Where students or employees require accommodations, they fulfill their obligations by identifying their needs for accommodation, the reasons for them and the informationnecessary to assist the College in determining the nature of the accommodation required

The College will monitor admissions policies and procedures to ensure that students with disabilities who are otherwise academically qualified are not excluded for reasons irrelevant to the essential requirements of the programs for which they are applying or in which they are enrolled.

The College will monitor employment postings to ensure that they reflect the essential requirements of the positions posted and do not contain any descriptors which directly or indirectly classify or indicate qualifications by prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Human Rights Code.

The College will strive to ensure that its facilities are physically and technologically accessible, within the limits of physical and financial resources.

The College is responsible for providing accessible learning and working environments that include:

1. The promotion of awareness of accessibility legislation and the elimination of biases or negative

attitudes towards persons with disabilities,

2. The provision of accommodations involving a collaborative process which recognizes the

responsibilities of all of those involved:

o Student Success is responsible for coordinating and implementing provision of appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities.

o Human Resources is responsible for coordinating and implementing provision of accommodations for employees with disabilities in accordance with relevant legislation and/or collective agreement requirements.

A wide range of services may be available to those students who identify themselves as requiring assistance. It is important for the College and the student to start working together as early as possible to develop a plan for successful pursuit of educational goals.

In order to receive accommodation for a temporary or permanent disability, students are required to provide Accessibility Services with sufficient and appropriate supporting documentation.

Documentation requirements vary according to the specific disability. Student must submit the Accessibility Services Application and indicate the services and accommodations which would benefit them.

They must include supporting documentation, which is to come from a professional who is qualified and competent to provide the required information and able to provide an objective opinion and evaluation, must:

• Outline the impact of the disability (the specific medical diagnosis is not required)
• Provide a detailed explanation of the functional impact of the disability on the pursuit of postsecondary education;
• Indicate whether the disability is temporary or permanent; and
• Indicate any impact any medication may have

The documentation is not adequate for determining the most effective accommodation for each student’s unique needs if it contains only generic information (e.g.: “visual impairment,” “hearing impairment,” or “learning disability”).

Accessibility Services will review the application and define the most relevant Academic Accommodation Plan with the student.

Click to Access the form Accessibility Services Application