DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS

To assist UTI in evaluating requests for accommodations, students with disabilities who seek modifications must provide documentation of the reported disability to the Director of Student Services. Students should provide the Director of Student Services with:

1. Copies of any IEPs and Section 504 or other individualized plans. The Student Services Department will evaluate these documents on a case-by-case basis; however, additional and more current documentation may be required; or
2. Signed and dated certification that is on letterhead from an appropriately licensed health care provider, which (a) describes any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity; (b) identifies the major life activity(ies) impacted; (c) describes how the impairment affects the student’s ability to participate in UTI’s courses, programs, services, and/or activities; and (d) specifically describes any accommodation or modification recommended and the relationship between the requested modification and the impairment.

If UTI requires additional documentation, the Student Services Department will notify the student. Upon request, students may be required to provide the Director of Student Services or designee with the following from an appropriately licensed or credentialed professional that is on letterhead, dated, and signed:

• An evaluation by an appropriately licensed or credentialed professional stating the nature of the impairment and the current impact of the impairment on the student’s ability to participate in postsecondary educational programs and services (also known as “functional limitations”).
• A list of recommended accommodations for the student and an explanation of the relationship between the requested accommodations and the impairment.

Students bear the cost of obtaining this documentation. Some students may not need documentation if the disability is permanent, observable, and stable. Documentation provided must be current, generally, less than three years old. For conditions that are more permanent, documentation may be less recent. However, more current documentation may be required for chronic or changing conditions. Please consult with the Student Services Department about the need for, and appropriateness of, documentation.

Requests for certain accommodations such as note takers, sign language interpreters, and course materials in alternative format may take several weeks to fulfill. Students should obtain necessary documentation 6-8 weeks in advance of the applicable start date to avoid delays in participating in UTI’s programs and activities.

UTI will give primary consideration to the auxiliary aid or service that a student requests but may decide to provide alternative aids or services if they are effective. In addition, an effective alternative may be provided if the requested auxiliary aid or service would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program, or activity.

STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING AND ARE REQUESTING ACCOMMODATIONS

An IEP or Section 504 plan generally will be sufficient to establish the need for accommodations. However, additional information may be required to determine the appropriate accommodations to be provided. The Student Services Department will make this determination on a case-by-case basis. Upon request, students should provide documentation to support a request for accommodations from appropriate professionals qualified to diagnose and treat hearing impairments, such as audiologists, otolaryngologists, and other speech/hearing specialists. Documentation should be on letterhead and include:

• The credentials of the professional providing the evaluation;
• A diagnosis of deafness or hearing loss and a statement regarding whether the student’s hearing is static or changing;
• A discussion of the student’s condition and current level of functioning, and how it may impact her/him in a postsecondary educational environment;
• Specific recommendations for accommodations in the academic setting that explain how the recommendations are related to the student’s current functional limitations; and
• A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to diagnose the student and a narrative summarizing the evaluation results (for students with permanent, lifelong impairments such as deafness, documentation may not need to be as recent).

UTI delivers conceptual topics effectively through web-based training experiences, including video lectures, technology-enabled live student/instructor interactions, and online threaded discussions. Qualified individuals with a disability may require auxiliary aids and services to afford equal access and provide an equal opportunity to benefit from this method of education. Captioning, for example, may be necessary and required to make audio and audiovisual information and communication accessible.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING MANUFACTURER-PAID TRAINING PROGRAMS

Students attending Manufacturer-Paid Training Programs are eligible to request disability-related accommodations by following the procedure outlined in the ADA/504 policy, unless otherwise noted in this paragraph. To request an accommodation, UTI graduates who have an existing accommodation plan should contact the CTG Manager of Support Services at 1-800-859-7249 or mperez@uti.edu. The Manager of Support Services will review the accommodation request on file as well as the accommodation plan prepared previously. An individualized evaluation of the student’s needs and the nature and requirements of the manufacturer-paid training program will occur to determine the accommodations the student is eligible to receive, and to ensure that the student remains eligible to receive previously-granted accommodations. The Manager of Support Services will review the plan with the student, including any necessary modifications. As described above, students are responsible for providing the plan to the instructor. Students entering these programs from other schools and UTI graduates who do not have a prior accommodation plan must submit an accommodation request and required paperwork to the Manager of Support Services as outlined in the ADA/504 policy.

SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY

Service animals assisting persons with disabilities are welcome in areas open to the public on UTI’s campuses. A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with disabilities. In some instances, similarly trained miniature horses may qualify as service animals. Examples of work or tasks that service animals may perform include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, reminding a person with a mental illness to take prescribed medications, or alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure. If necessary to determine what service a dog provides, UTI staff may only ask: (1) whether the dog is a service animal required because of a disability and (2) what work or task the dog has been trained to perform. UTI staff will not ask about the individual’s disability, require medical documentation, documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task. UTI may require additional information with respect to miniature horses.

Service animals may be excluded from UTI’s premises if the animal is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or the animal is not housebroken. A service animal must be kept under control by a harness, leash, or other tether, unless the person is unable to hold those, or if such use would interfere with the service animal’s performance of work or tasks. In such instances, the service animal must be kept under control by voice, signals, or other effective means. The person with the disability may remain on campus without the animal if the animal is excluded for the aforementioned reasons. Service animals in training are welcome on UTI's campuses in the same manner, and subject to the same requirements as service animals that are fully trained.

UTI will allow support animals on its campuses on a case-by-case basis. Support animals are used by individuals with disabilities for emotional support, well-being, or comfort. Because they are not individually trained to perform work or tasks, support animals are not service animals. Students who request to have a support animal on campus must submit the request in writing to the Student Services Department and provide appropriate supporting documentation upon request.

Support animals can be excluded from UTI’s premises if the animal is out of control or the animal is not housebroken. They can also be excluded if the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others that cannot be mitigated by reasonable modifications of policies, practices, or procedures, or the provision of auxiliary aids or services. A support animal generally must be kept under control by a harness, leash, or other tether, unless the person is unable to hold those, or if such use would interfere with the service animal’s performance of work or tasks. If such means cannot be used to control the animal, the support animal must be kept under control by voice, signals, or other effective means.

Questions regarding service animals should be directed to the Student Services Department. Individuals in Florida, Massachusetts, and North Carolina are also covered by their respective state law definitions of "service animal."