Accessibility Services

Accessibility Services

Accessibility Services provides accommodations to the learning environment for students with speech, hearing, visual, physical, mental health and neurological disabilities as well as chronic health conditions, acquired brain injury and temporary disabilities.

When you meet with us, we will discuss eligibility for services and specific accommodations to support you during your time at Emily Carr.

Our priority is to get to know you, to determine relevant accommodations, and to suggest helpful strategies and resources while you study. Understanding your needs helps us build a learning environment that is accessible and supportive.

New Accommodation Requests need to be submitted at least 4 weeks in advance. Requests submitted without this advance notice may not be implemented in time; services, equipment, and funding applications take time to process.

Please allow 2-3 business days when you are renewing an existing Accommodation Notice.

To register with Accessibility Services, follow these steps:

1. Complete the Accommodation Request form (click the "Accommodation Request" button below to download the form).
2. Review our eligibility and documentation requirements for information on the type of documentation you will need to submit.
3. Send your Accommodation Request form and eligible documentation to Accessibility Services by email or fax. If sending by fax, please email us to let us know the document has been sent.
4. Once your documentation has been received and reviewed, our Accessibility Resource Coordinator will contact you to set up an appointment. This will help us learn about your education history, your past use of accommodations and your disability as it affects you in a learning environment.
5. Lastly, an Accommodation Notice will be developed that you can share with instructors who will work with you to implement your accommodations.

Documentation may be submitted to Accessibility Services by email or fax. If sending by fax, please email us to let us know the documentation has been sent.

Email: accessibility@ecuad.ca

Fax: 604 630 4574

To be eligible for accommodations, you'll need to provide recent documentation, completed by a qualified medical professional, that shows how your disability affects you in a learning environment.

With the exception of Learning Disabilities, documentation must be current to three years. Learning Disability (LD) assessments may be current to 5 years. If the LD assessment was completed after the age of 18, it is considered good for life.

If you don’t yet have documentation or need more recent documentation, have the medical assessor complete the university’s Functional Limitations Assessment form.

Click the "FLA Form" button below to download the university’s Functional Limitations Assessment form.

If your documentation is current, you can submit it along with the Consent to Collection/Disclosure of Information form. This will allow us to consult with your medical assessor if additional information is required.

Click the "CTC/DOI Form" button below, to download the Consent to Collection/Disclosure of Information form.

At this time, all documentation may be submitted to Accessibility Services by email or by fax. If sending by fax, please email us to let us know the document has been sent.

Email: accessibility@ecuad.ca
Fax: 604 630 4574

Your Accommodation Notice outlines the specific accommodations that you are eligible for based on your medical documentation. To request accommodation from your instructor(s), you will need to provide your Accommodation Notice to them.

Accommodation Notices are specific to one semester. For each semester that you would like an Accommodation Notice you will need to submit a renewal request.

Click the "Accommodation Renewal" button below to download the Accommodation Renewal Request form.

When your Accommodation Notice is ready, it will be emailed to your Emily Carr email address as a password protected PDF. To request accommodation, send your instructor(s) an introductory email with your Accommodation Notice attached. This email is meant to open a conversation around your accommodations and how they may be implemented in the class.

We request that you copy Accessibility Services on your introductory email (accessibility@ecuad.ca). This will let us know which instructors you have shared your Notice with and who we can speak to about your specific accommodations, if any questions arise. You do not need to copy us on any other communications with your instructors unless you wish to include us in a particular discussion.

Accommodation Notices do not work retroactively. This means that your Accommodation Notice is activated at the time that you provide your Notice to your instructor via email. It will not address any issues (attendance, assignment extensions, etc.) that pre-date you sharing your Notice.

Exam accommodations are accommodations that pertain to the environment, format, and testing method for tests and exams.

If you have been approved for exam accommodations and wish to use them, you must make arrangements with your instructor(s) directly. Please be sure to give ample notice to your instructor when making your request.

Note-taking is a service provided to eligible students who are registered with Accessibility Services with a documented disability. Notes are only shared with those students who are approved for the service by Accessibility Services and are not available to the general student body.

Note-takers are enrolled Emily Carr degree students who provide this academic service by taking clear and detailed notes and submitting them to Accessibility Services for distribution. This service helps to provide equal access to lecture materials for all students.

Accessibility Services will send out a call for note-takers via email to students who are registered in courses for which a note-taker has been requested.

REQUESTING A NOTE-TAKER

If note-taking services is one of your approved accommodations, you can submit your note-taker request via email, to accessibility@ecuad.ca. Once we have received your request, a call for note-takers will be emailed to the class. If a note-taker is confirmed for the course, you will start to receive notes via your Emily Carr email from Accessibility Services.

Please note that we cannot guarantee that a note-taker will be found for every course in which a note-taker is requested. If it is getting late in the semester and you are concerned that a note-taker has not been found, consider consulting with your instructor to see if they can assist or contact Accessibility Services to discuss other options.

If there are any problems with your notes (e.g. they are incomplete or hard to understand), please contact Accessibility Services right away. You may want to periodically review the notes you receive with your instructor to make sure they are providing you with adequate information for the course.

Remember that notes are intended to supplement lectures, not replace them, and all students receiving note-taking services are expected to attend all classes unless otherwise excused. If there is a change in your schedule and you drop or withdraw from a course for which you are receiving notes, you are expected to inform Accessibility Services immediately.

The student’s diagnosis, if known, and any documentation verifying a disability are confidential. Accessibility Services will not disclose such information to any person without first obtaining the student’s prior consent in writing, unless disclosure is required in compelling circumstances involving risk of harm to self or others.

To arrange an accommodation, it is understood that Accessibility Services may consult and share information to the extent necessary with:

• other accommodation service providers (e.g. notetakers, interpreters);
• University administrators; and
• faculty and staff at the University.

Collection and disclosure of personal information is governed by the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Accessibility Services will collect and, if necessary, disclose only that information required to develop and implement appropriate and reasonable accommodation for a student, and shall disclose such information only to those persons requiring such information to assist with development or implementation of such accommodation.

The collection and disclosure of personal information as articulated by the preceding paragraph shall be undertaken only with the prior written consent of the student requiring accommodation.

If you have a permanent disability and are also applying for a student loan, we recommend that you complete an Appendix 8 Request for Permanent Disabilities Programs (see StudentAidBC links below). This will allow you to apply for non-repayable grants and bursaries as well as grants for services and equipment.

Once your permanent disability status has been approved, you will not be required to re-submit proof of your disability unless specifically requested.

If you need assistance with the form, please contact us at accessibility@ecuad.ca

Assistive Technology British Columbia (ATBC) provides assistive technology resources to make learning and working environments usable for people with disabilities.

Centre for Accessible Post-Secondary Education Resources (CAPER-BC) provides accessible learning and teaching materials to students and instructors who cannot use conventional print because of disabilities.

Post-Secondary Communication Access Services (PCAS) is a province-wide service to support students with hearing loss.

Disability Awards is a portal to awards and scholarships for students with disabilities studying at Canada's colleges and universities.

Appendix 8 Request for Permanent Disabilities Programs

Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities helps part-time or full-time students with permanent disabilities with the cost of education.

Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for students with Permanent Disabilities helps part-time or full-time students with permanent disabilities pay for exceptional education related costs for services and equipment.

Grants and Scholarships

Full-time Student Funding

Part-Time Student Funding