The Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation is committed to support inclusivity and accessibility for its programs and events that offer all students opportunities to participate. Reasonable accommodations are made as needed to adapt a program or event’s rules, policies, services, or environments to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate.
Accommodation requests fall into two categories: Industry Certification testing accommodations and game/event accommodations. Each category has a different timeline for processing, and requests must be submitted a number of weeks before the test or event, as follows.
- Industry Certification testing: minimum of 2 weeks before the test
- Game/event: minimum of 6 weeks before the event
Requesting an Accommodation
Coaches, parents, teachers, or other adults associated with a registered REC Foundation team may request an accommodation for a student team member by completing the RECF Accommodation Request Form. Approved requests are valid for the entire competition season. Note that this form is only to be utilized in cases where specific accommodations are needed. If you instead wish to inform an event host of circumstances involving a team or team member, you should contact the event host using the information provided in that event’s listing on RobotEvents.com.
This Accommodation Request Form is intended to help teams and families communicate their students’ unique needs to the REC Foundation to ensure that accommodations are made to serve the student in the best way possible. The information collected on this form will be reviewed to determine the appropriate accommodation(s).
The REC Foundation will review all accommodation requests, and reserves the right to deny requests that would fundamentally alter the character of a competition. The REC Foundation Accommodations Team will reach out to the requester within seven (7) days of submission.
Accommodations may be available based on a wide range of physical, mental, visible, and invisible impairments including, but not limited to:
- ADHD
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Chronic medical condition
- Deaf and/or hard of hearing (DHH) – please see the specific section below.
- Learning disability
- Mental health
- Mobility
- Neurological
- Orthopedic
- Visual
Specific accommodations vary, and will be based on the information submitted in the request.
Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing (D/HH)
Important Information: Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
Page 27 of this document states, "School districts must afford qualified students with disabilities an equal opportunity for participation in extracurricular athletics in an integrated manner to the maximum extent appropriate to the needs of the student. This requirement means that a school district must make reasonable modifications to its policies, practices, or procedures whenever such modifications are necessary to ensure equal opportunity, unless the school district can demonstrate that the requested modification would constitute a fundamental alteration of the nature of the extracurricular athletic activity.”
Based on page 27 of the Department of Education Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, school districts are legally obligated to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities to ensure their equal participation in extracurricular athletic activities. This obligation extends to the development, implementation, and monitoring of accommodations to ensure that students with disabilities have the same opportunities as their peers without disabilities to engage in these activities.
While the REC Foundation will allow an adult interpreter to be present at fields, judging interviews, and other designated competition areas, it is the team's responsibility to work with their school district to provide an ASL Interpreter for services at extracurricular events. It is also the team's responsibility to determine any specific local requirements or regulations regarding the use of interpreters. Please note that local laws and regulations can vary significantly depending on the state. If a team chooses to use a family member or other individual as an interpreter, they must ensure that such arrangements comply with all applicable local legal requirements.
Questions?
Please contact your REC Foundation Regional Support Manager (RSM). Reference our Support Map to find your RSM.