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The Board of Trustees of Community-Technical Colleges and all of the colleges under its jurisdiction are committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity and full participation for people with disabilities in the Community-Technical Colleges. To that end, this statement of policy is put forth to reaffirm our commitment to ensure that no qualified person be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity on a community-technical college campus or in the central office of the Board of Trustees.
The Board recognizes that a physical or functional impairment is a disability only to the extent that it contributes to cutting the person off from some valued experience, activity or role. Higher education is, therefore, especially important to people with disabilities, since it aims to increase every student’s access to valued experiences, activities, and roles. Improving access for students and employees means removing existing barriers that are physical, programmatic and attitudinal. It also means taking care not to erect new barriers along the way.
The efforts of the Community Colleges to accommodate people with disabilities should be measured against the goals of full participation and integration. Services and programs best promote full participation and integration of people with disabilities when they complement and support, but do not duplicate the regular services and programs of the college.
Achieving the goal of full participation and integration of people with disabilities requires cooperative efforts within and among higher education institutions. The Board of Trustees will work with the Board of Governors to achieve a higher level of services and appropriate delivery methods at all Connecticut Community Colleges.
This statement is intended to reaffirm the Board’s commitment to affirmative action and equal opportunity for all people and in no way to replace the equal opportunity policy statement.
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