|
|
Disability Support Services - Information for Students and Community |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Information for students How to Obtain Assistance from Disability Support Services Procedures to Obtain Services Once Eligible Reporting Guidelines for Documenting Professionals Required Documentation to Become Eligible for Disability Support Services
Policies, Procedures, and Responsibilities of the College
Testing Accommodations Arranging for Entrance Test (COMPASS) Accommodation Arranging for GED Test Accommodations
Some examples of auxiliary aids or services provided by DSS include:
Services NOT provided by DSS:
Be a qualified student with a disability. To be eligible for disability related services, students must have a documented disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the ADA and Section 504, a person has a disability if s/he has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities (walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working). Disabilities covered by legislation include (but are not limited to):
Provide documentation. Students requesting academic accommodations through DSS are required to provide current documentation of a disability from a qualified professional, which (1) verifies the existence of the disabling condition, and (2) states the functional limitations of the disability. Complete an intake interview. Students with disabilities requesting academic accommodations are required to complete an intake interview with the Director of DSS. Please contact Jean Carlson, Accommodations Coordinator at: (253) 833-9111, ext. 2318, Paula Burns, Director of DSS at: (253) 833-9111, ext. 2646, or by TDD at: (253) 288-3359 to schedule an appointment. Procedures to Obtain Services Once Found Eligible Each quarter a student is requesting academic accommodations from DSS, s/he needs to stop by Disability Support Services and complete a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) Request Form and attach a copy of his/her class schedule. In turn, DSS will provide Letters of Accommodation for the student to give to each of his/her instructors. These letters indicate which accommodations the student has qualified for and are intended to begin communication between the student and his/her instructor. Accommodations rely on a collaborative partnership between DSS, the student with the disability, and the instructor. It is the student's responsibility to meet with instructors at the onset of the quarter to discuss accommodations. If the student is concerned about meeting with an instructor, the Director of DSS will meet with both the student and instructor to facilitate a discussion of the accommodations. Please click here to download the LOA procedures overview. (MS Word) Although a qualified student who submits acceptable documentation of his/her disability is eligible for accommodations at any point in a given quarter once the intake interview has been completed, some accommodation notices (e.g. interpreting services, text in alternative format [Braille, e-text], textbooks on audiotape, enlarged print, etc). require substantial advance (15 to 30 working days or more). Therefore, it is the responsibility of the prospective or enrolled student to give sufficient early notice of such accommodation to DSS each quarter the student is enrolled in order to ensure timely coordination and availability of equipment, items, and/or services. A good time to begin planning for accommodations for an academic quarter is early in the registration period for the quarter. Reporting Guidelines for Documenting Professionals The documenting professional is responsible for providing a written report which:
Required Documentation to Become Eligible for Disability Support Services Documentation of a disability must be generated by a medical or professional expert in the related field of disability and submitted in writing to Disability Support Services where it will be kept in a separate, confidential file. (Note: The cost and responsibility for providing this documentation shall be borne by the student.)
Please click on the disability
for GRCC guidelines for that particular disability, or please
see our
General Guidelines.
The documentation should be current and include a description of the disability, names and results of tests administered (if appropriate), and a statement of how the disability impacts the student in an educational setting. For Learning Disabilities, the following guidelines are appropriate:
GRCC does not provide diagnostic testing for learning disabilities. The DSS office can provide you a list of LD evaluators and diagnosticians, however, we do not make any recommendations or referrals to any one specific person or company. PLEASE NOTE: IEP's or ITP's, and 504 Plans DO NOT meet documentation requirements, but may be included as part of a more comprehensive assessment battery as described in this document. Additionally, individual "learning styles", "learning differences", "learning problems" and "academic problems" in-and-of themselves do not constitute a learning disability. Please click here for more information how college is different from high school. If there should be any questions regarding appropriate documentation, please contact DSS at: (253) 833-9111, ext. 2631. Students are responsible for requesting assistance for a disability from DSS and providing, at his/her own expense, acceptable documentation that diagnoses the disability and supports requested accommodations. Students are responsible for requesting accommodations in a timely manner. Every quarter a student is requesting academic accommodations from DSS, s/he needs to come to Disability Support Services and complete a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) Request Form and attach a copy of his/her class schedule. In turn, DSS will provide Letters of Accommodation for the student to give to each of his/her instructors. These letters indicate which accommodations the student has qualified for and are intended to begin communication between the student and his/her instructor. Students will also be asked to sign a Student Responsibility form, which outlines their basic responsibilities regarding accommodations implementation. Students are responsible for being their own self-advocates. Students must: (1) meet personally with each of their instructors and provide a Letter of Accommodation (2) discuss and work with each instructor to determine the best method of providing accommodation(s) in specific situations/classes. Students are responsible for honoring all deadlines for accommodation requests. Students are responsible for contacting DSS in a timely manner when problems or questions arise about their accommodations or academic progress. Arranging for Entrance Test Accommodation Prospective or admitted students requesting accommodations for the placement test (either COMPASS or ASSET) must provide DSS with documentation that supports the need for accommodation (e.g. reader, scribe, use of calculator, etc). Such documentation needs to be provided to the DSS Director in advance of the placement testing date. Five (5) working days are recommended to allow for assessment and coordination of services. After documentation has been provided, and appropriate time allowed for assessment and coordination, contact DSS to schedule an appointment to take the placement test with accommodations. Note: The COMPASS assessment helps place you in the proper reading, writing, and math course. It is not a pass or fail test. Arranging for GED Test Accommodations Students requesting accommodations for the GED test should make arrangements to meet with the GED Chief Examiner to obtain necessary guidelines and paperwork. The GED Chief Examiner, Jean Carmack, can be reached at the following telephone numbers:
Main number: (253) 833-9111,
ext. 2652 The e-mail for Jean Carmack is: jcarmack@greenriver.edu. The GED testing procedures are exact and follow rigid federal and state standardized requirements; GED testing procedures require that certain forms need to be completed by a qualifying professional. Please see the GED Testing Service Web site for more information. You will need to request one of the following forms from the GED Chief Examiner:
Request for Testing
Accommodations - Learning and Other Cognitive Disabilities
(PDF)
Request for Testing
Accommodations - Attention/Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(PDF)
Request for Testing
Accommodations - Emotional/Mental Health
(PDF)
Request for Testing
Accommodations - Physical/Chronic Health Disability
(PDF) You may also want to print out the Checklist for Completing the Testing Accommodation Request Form(s) (PDF) to help guide you through the process. The Green River DSS office does not have the authority to assess documentation. However, the DSS Director can assist the student with this process. Documentation needs to be provided to the GED Chief Examiner and the DSS Director in advance of the placement testing date. Ten (10) working days are recommended to allow for accommodation arrangements after the certifying professional has completed the documentation and it is on file in the GED and DSS offices. |
Paula Burns, Director,
Jean Carlson, Program
Lindbloom Student Center,
Main number:
Greater Eastside:
Tacoma: TDD: (253) 288-3359 FAX: (253) 288-3471 |
|||||||||||||||
| Last updated on: 09/21/2009 |
| Copyright© 2009 Green River Community College. All rights reserved. | |
 |
Contact |
