Loyalist College Policy Concerning Persons
with Special Needs

Introduction:
The Ontario Human Rights Code (1980) stipulates that every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to services, goods and facilities, and to occupancy of accommodation and employment, "without discrimination because of handicap". Loyalist College, in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, will make every reasonable effort to provide both an accessible environment and appropriate support services for members of the College community with special needs. The College actively accommodates those with special needs, and initiates this process in the area of services, goods and facilities.

Policy:
Loyalist College recognizes its responsibility to those students, faculty and staff with special needs. It undertakes to ensure access to its academic programs and physical facilities, short of undue hardship, while protecting the academic integrity of the College.

Rights and Responsibilities:
The College acknowledges that the individual members of each group identified above have both rights and responsibilities, the respective recognition and exercise of which will be essential to the implementation of this policy.

The implementation of the above policy will be based upon awareness of need Therefore, it will be the College's responsibility to ensure that its faculty, staff and students are aware of special needs programs, services and facilities, as well as of their rights and obligations under the various pieces of legislation in this area. Equally, it will be the responsibility of members of the College with special needs to make appropriate officers and offices of the College aware of those needs and of their implications.

Please note that, in this document, the phrase "special needs" is used to denote the needs of those persons who have a handicap as defined in the Ontario Human Rights Code, 1981.