:: Plain Talk

• Student Privacy
• Rehabilitation Act
• Americans with Disabilities
• FERPA

:: Student's Right to Privacy

Disability related information is kept confidential.

Students must sign an Information Release Form in order to release information to pertinent individuals. This form is only available through the Support Services Office. (top)

:: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is generally regarded as the first "civil rights" legislation for persons with disabilities on the national level. Included within the, various sections of that Title is a call for nondiscrimination in federal agencies (Section 501), and the establishment of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Section 502). Of direct importance to the postsecondary community are 503 and 504.

Section 503

Section 503 mandates nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in employment, institutions, and entities that receive federal financial assistance. Although Section 503 is not an affirmative action statute (i.e., there is no requirement to give preference in employment to qualified persons with disabilities), there is a mandate to actively encourage application and consideration for employment of disabled candidates.

Section 504

Section 504 is a program access statute. It requires that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be denied access to, or the benefits of, or be subjective to discrimination by any program or activity provided by any institution or entity receiving federal financial assistance. It is the Section 504 mandate that has promoted the development of disability support service programs in colleges and universities across the country over the last 15 years. Subpart E of Section 504 deals specifically with this mandate for institutions of higher education. While it does not require that special educational programming be developed for disabled students, it does require that an institution (public or private) be prepared to make appropriate academic adjustments and reasonable accommodations to policies and practices in order to allow the full participation of students with disabilities in the same programs and activities available to nondisabled students.

Section 504 states students in higher education must have equal access for:

1. Admissions into all programs
2. Participation in all courses
3. Participation in integrated setting(s)
4. Full use of equipment in the classroom
5. Modification of academic requirements
6. Be supplied with auxiliary aids
7. Comparable housing
8. Financial assistance
9. Benefits of job placement
10. Physical education and athletics
11. Counseling and guidance
12. Use of facilities

Source: Jarrow, Jane E. (1992). Title by Title. Columbus, OH: Association on Higher Education And Disability.

:: Americans with Disability Act

It is the Policy of Texas State Technical College‑Harlingen to provide employment and promotion opportunities in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and State of Texas Statues.

Title I

Title I covers nondiscrimination in employment activities. It requires that employers not discriminate on the basis of disability in the recruitment, hiring, retention or promotion of employees. Employment opportunities must be made available when it can be shown that, with or without reasonable accommodation, the individual can successfully perform the essential functions of the job.

Title II

Title II of the ADA is divided into two subparts. Subpart A requires that state and local government entities and programs be made accessible to persons with disabilities, thus Texas State Technical College honors Title II-Subpart A. Subpart B covers transportation and requires that public transportation systems be made fully accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.

Title III

Title III covers the accessibility and availability of programs, goods, and services provided to the public by private entities. Although the act uses the term "public accommodations," it is used in the context of use by the public, rather than operation by a public entity. By definition, a public accommodation is privately owned, operated and/or offered.

Title IV

Title IV requires that telecommunication services be made accessible to persons with hearing and speech impairments, and have specific reference to the development of telecommunications relay systems and closed captioning technology. It has no direct relationship to institutions of higher education, as all appropriate mandates for communication access referring to postsecondary settings are contained in Titles II and III.

Title V

Title V of the ADA contains a miscellaneous provision that applies to all of their titles as well--in other words, employers, state and local government entities, and public accommodations covered by Title I, II, and III are also covered by the provision of Tile V.

Source: Jarrow, Jane E. (1992). Title by Title. Columbus, OH: Association of Higher Education And Disability. (top)

:: Student Privacy - Ferpa [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]

It is the Policy of the college to respect the privacy of students; therefore, only lists and labels containing names of students with directory information will be made available to members of the public.

Certain information concerning students is considered to be open to the public upon inquiry. This public information is of two types:

1. Directory Information; and,
2. Other Public Information not included in the TSTC Directory.

Directory Information includes all the following:

• local address;
• telephone number;
• electronic mail address;
• home town;
• college;
• curriculum;
• year in school; and,
• enrollment status.

Other Public Information includes all the following:

• mailing address;
• date and place of birth;
• dates of attendance at TSTC;
• expected date of graduation;
• names of advisers, awards and academic honors;
• TSTC degree(s) and date(s) awarded
• previous educational institutions attended, degrees received, dates of attendance, full- or part-time status
• participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.

Public information will be released by the registrar to anyone upon inquiry, unless students have requested that their information not be released. A request to have public information withheld should be made at the Office of the Registrar, 214 Alumni Hall. If the request is granted, the registrar will notify the appropriate university offices.

This directory information will be provided on a time-available basis for the cost of producing the information. Directories are also available in the bookstores for those persons needing directory information. Directory information is available on the World Wide Web using the on-line phonebook; and from printed directories, which may be purchased at the bookstores.

In complaince with the "Family Educational Rights and Pirvacy Act of 1974," Texas State Technical College gives notice that the following Director Information will be released upon request and with the approval of the appropriate administrator, unless the student requests in writing that this information be withheld from public disclosure:

With the exception of the information noted above, all student records are considered to be confidential and are open only to university personnel; to offices and agencies carrying out their accreditation and audit functions of university programs; to persons in compliance with a judicial order; to organizations conducting studies for or on behalf of educational institutions or agencies for the purpose of developing, validating, or administering predictive tests, administering student aid programs, and improving instruction; and to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons.