Students with Disabilities

PROVIDING SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Services and reasonable accommodations are provided pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Alabama Community College System is committed to working with individuals with disabilities. It is a goal of The Alabama Community College System to ensure that students with disabilities have the programmatic and architectural accesses needed for integration into campus life.

All applicants must meet the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in programs and/or activities at Alabama Community College System institutions. Alabama College System institutions will not reduce standards in the grading and/or evaluation of students. Academic requirements that are determined by the respective college to be essential or fundamental will not be modified.

Alabama Community College System institutions strive to eliminate barriers to learning or participation in other institutional activities, and to provide the following services for students and faculty:

Screening of disability documentation
Determination of appropriate accommodations
Communication with faculty and/or staff regarding student needs
Referral to other available campus and/or community resources
Providing reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities requires an individual assessment of need and is a problem solving process. Specific accommodations depend upon the nature and requirements of a particular course or activity and the skills and functional abilities of a particular student. Appropriate accommodations may include:

Extended time on exams
Permission to tape lectures
Change in test format
Priority registration
Enlarged print/graphics
Textbooks on tape
Handouts of overhead materials
Cordless FM system

Removal of structural barriers
Class note taker
Use of a spell checker
Extra time for assignments
Alternative evaluation methods
Special parking
Text telephone

Students with disabilities are responsible for informing the college about the disability and the need for reasonable accommodation. This should be done prior to or upon enrollment at the college. Students must furnish adequate documentation of their disabilities from medical or other appropriate professionals in order to substantiate the need for services.

THE ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM CRITERIA FOR DISABILITY DOCUMENTATION

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 state that qualified students with disabilities who meet the technical and academic standards at Alabama Community College System institutions are entitled to reasonable accommodations. Under these laws a disability is defined as any physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity, a history of such an impairment, or the perception of such an impairment. Alabama Community College System institutions do NOT provide disability documentation for students. It is the student's responsibility to provide appropriate documentation to the college office responsible for handling the request and to request accommodation. Appropriate documentation is defined as that which meets the following criteria.

Health Condition, Mobility, Hearing, Speech, Visual Impairment
A letter or report from treating physician, orthopedic specialist, audiologist, speech pathologist, or ophthalmologist (as appropriate), including:
1. Clearly stated diagnosis
2. Defined levels of functioning and any limitations
3. Current treatment and medication
4. Current letter/report (within 1 year), dated and signed

Psychological Disorder
A letter or report from a mental health professional (psychologist, neuropsychologist, licensed professional counselor), including:
1. Clearly stated diagnosis (DSM-IV criteria)
2. Defined levels of functioning and any limitations
3. Supporting documentation (i.e. test data, history, observations, etc.)
4. Current treatment and medication
5. Current letter/report (within 1 year), dated and signed

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A comprehensive evaluation report by a rehabilitation counselor, speech-language pathologist, orthopedic specialist, and/or neuropsychologist (or other specialist as appropriate), including:
1. Assessment of cognitive abilities, including processing speed and memory
2. Analysis of educational achievement skills and limitations (reading comprehension, written language, spelling, and mathematical abilities)
3. Defined levels of functioning and limitations in all affected areas (communication, vision, hearing, mobility, psychological, seizures, etc.)
4. Current treatment and medication
5. Current letter/report (post-rehabilitation and within 1 year), dated and signed

Learning Disabilities (LD)
A comprehensive evaluation report from a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, school psychologist, learning disability specialist, or diagnostician, including:
1. Clear statement of presenting problem; diagnostic interview
2. Educational history documenting the impact of the learning disability
3. Alternative explanations and diagnosis are ruled out
4. Relevant test data with standard scores are provided to support conclusions, including at least: (a) WAIS-R; (b) Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised, including Written Language; (c) Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive Processing Battery to substantiate any processing problems
5. Clearly stated diagnosis of a learning disability based upon DSM-IV criteria
6. Defined levels of functioning and any limitations, supported by evaluation data
7. Current report (within 3 years of enrollment date), dated and signed
NOTE: High School IEP, 504 Plan, and/or a letter from a physician or other professional will not be sufficient to document a learning disability.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
A comprehensive evaluation report from a physician, psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, neurologist, or neurophysiologist, including:
1. Clear statement of presenting problem; diagnostic interview
2. Evidence of early and current impairment in at least two different environments (comprehensive history)
3. Alternative explanations and diagnosis are ruled out
4. Relevant test data with standard scores are provided to support conclusions, including at least: (a) WAIS-R; (b) Woodcock-Johnson Psycho educational Battery-Revised, including Written Language; (c) Behavioral Assessment Instruments for ADD/ADHD
5. Clearly stated diagnosis of ADD or ADHD based upon DSM-IV criteria
6. Defined levels of functioning and any limitations, supported by evaluation data
7. Current report (within 3 years of enrollment date), dated and signed
NOTE: High School IEP, 504 Plan, and/or letter from a physician or other professional will not be sufficient to document ADD or ADHD. Medication cannot be used to imply a diagnosis.