ADA Accommodations for Employees

Most members of the NOVA community are familiar with the Disability Support Services office. DSS counselors are available on every campus and to online students to assist those with disabilities to ensure equal access to educational opportunities. Employees and visitors with disabilities are also entitled to equal access. The College’s American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) Specialist, Donna Patchett, is the primary contact to request accommodations and overall access issues at NOVA.

If you are an employee whose disabilities or medical condition affect your ability to perform the essential functions of your job, contact the ADA Specialist at ada@nvcc.edu to request accommodations. You may be asked to provide documentation from your medical provider. The ADA Specialist will review the information you provide, and talk with you and your supervisor about your accommodation request and more.  At the conclusion of the process, they will provide a written summary, to include any approved reasonable accommodation(s), to you and your supervisor.

Note to those Planning Campus Events:
If you are planning an event that is open to the College community or general public, it is your responsibility to plan for the accessibility needs of attendees. Include a disability accommodation statement that invites participants with disabilities to ask for accommodations in advance of the event in all marketing and registration materials. A sample statement is, “If you require accommodations for a disability please contact [event sponsor] at least one week in advance at [email and/or phone number].” If you receive a request and need assistance in determining how to respond, please contact ada@nvcc.edu.

If you have a concern about accessibility at the College, such as an inaccessible door, bathroom, webpage or other issue, please email ada@nvcc.edu and it will be routed to those offices best suited to address the issue. The College is fortunate to have experts in accessibility in Facilities Planning, Support Services, Web Services and also Digital Media.

To request sign language interpreters or CART (real-time captioning) for a meeting or event, please email interpreters@nvcc.edu at least one week in advance. The college will do its best to fulfil requests with shorter notice, but cannot guarantee availability of interpreters.

If you need help making print materials accessible to blind or low vision individuals, please contact NOVA’s Assistive Technology Coordinator, at anmartin@nvcc.edu.
The DSS Director, Joan Ehrlich, and the ADA Specialist, Donna Patchett, are available to provide training to faculty/staff about their responsibilities and rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact us anytime to set up training.