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DISABILITY SERVICES
The Office of Student Support Services serves as an advocate for students with documented disabilities to ensure equal access to the College. Various support services have been established to assist students according to their documented needs. Every effort is made to help students make a smooth transition to college and to succeed throughout their college experience. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Support Services prior to the beginning of each semester.
Applying for Accommodations
Rights and Responsibilities
Confidentiality
Resources
- Applying for Accommodations
Accommodations are provided not only on a case-by-case basis but also on a class-by-class basis. In other words, an accommodation that is reasonable in one class might not be reasonable in another. No accommodation will be provided if it compromises or alters essential elements or evaluation standards of a course.
Accommodations and services are considered to be classroom supplements. They are not intended to replace regular classroom participation or attendance. Additionally, accommodations are not a guarantee of a certain grade or of success in a particular class; rather they are for the purpose of providing equal access to an education for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are expected to fulfill all academic and course requirements and evaluation standards, as expected of all students.
Students with disabilities who require accommodations must seek assistance from the Office of Student Support Services in a timely manner. No accommodations will be established for any student by the Office of Student Support Services until that student has been accepted into the college. All students seeking accommodations should follow the following guidelines for accommodations:
- Contact the Office of Student Support Services set up an appointment.
- Mail, fax or bring in most current documentation of your disability.
- Assessment of need will be completed at the appointment. Interaction between the disability and the academic environment will be discussed to identify reasonable accommodations.
- Upon verification of disability, reasonable accommodations and other appropriate services will be established and reviewed with the student.
In order for a student to us their approved accommodations, they must submit a Semester Accommodations Request Form each semester to the Office of Student Support Services; ideally, these forms will be submitted at least one week prior to the start of the semester.
After the Semester Accommodations Request Form has been submitted, the Office of Student Support Services will prepare accommodations letters for students to deliver to their instructor(s). These letters will notify the instructor(s) of accommodations they are to be provided to the student. Students will need to meet with each instructor to review their accommodations and to discuss how they will be implemented in each class.
- Rights and Responsibilities
Students
1. Every student with a documented disability has the following rights:
- Equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities available through the College
- Reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case-basis.
- Appropriate confidentiality of all information pertaining to his/her disability with the choice of whom to disclose his/her disability to except as required by law.
- Information reasonably available in accessible formats.
2. Every student with a disability at Sowela Technical Community College has the responsibility to:
- Meet the College’s qualifications and essential technical, academic, and Institutional standards.
- Identify themselves in a timely manner as an individual with a disability when seeking an accommodation to Student Support Services and instructor(s).
- Provide documentation from an appropriate professional source that verifies the nature of the disability, functional limitations, and the need for specific accommodations to Student Support Services.
- Follow specific procedures for obtaining reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids.
- Provide instructor(s) each semester with the accommodation letters from Student Support Services in a timely manner.
- Communicate needs and concerns with Student Support Services and instructor, as appropriate.
- Make an appointment with instructors to facilitate privacy when requesting and discussing accommodations.
- Act as a self-advocate.
- Maintain the same responsibility for their education as non-disabled students including maintaining the same academic standards, attending class(exception: when consideration for absences is an approved accommodation), maintaining appropriate behavior, and providing timely notification of individual needs;
- Comprehend the course material and communicate that comprehension to instructor.
- Pay any costs associated with providing documentation necessary to receive accommodations.
- Have an open line of communication with instructors regarding any accommodation(s). Note: The communication between the student and instructor should not be limited to email unless agreed upon by both the student and instructor. If a student sends an email or leaves a telephone message for an instructor and receives no response from the instructor, open communication has not taken place.
- If the student fails to comply with these requirements, he/she will receive a written reminder of responsibilities in order to stress the importance of these requirements.
Disability-related information is treated as medical documentation, which is kept confidential, and is not released to anyone outside the accommodation process or direct chain of command with the following exceptions:
- When the student gives Student Support Services written consent to share disability-related information with the person(s) named on the release;
- When Student Support Services is required and/or permitted by the law and/or court order to release information;
- When the student is a direct threat to him/herself or others; and/or
- When the student makes a disability-related allegation, claim, grievance, appeal, or disclosure to the College’s attorneys for legal advice to or representation of the College.
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Note: Students with disabilities have a right to review their files. This can be arranged by scheduling an appointment with the Director of the Student Support Services (SSS). SSS does not provide copies of documentation. This information should be obtained from the originator of the documentation. SSS will retain a copy of all information within a student’s file for five (5) years. Once the student is considered inactive for five years, the file may be destroyed. When a student with a disability requests accommodations, he/she should understand that some disability-related information may be provided on a need to know basis to College personnel in order to ensure that the student will receive appropriate accommodations. In most instances, College personnel need to know only what accommodations must be provided to a student and that the student has been through the disability documentation review process in SSS. Otherwise, College personnel do not have access to information regarding a student’s disability.
Advocacy Center
1-800-960-7705
- Assist with issues related to accessibility of services and programs, disability and medical benefits, special education, vocational rehabilitation, housing rights, accommodations for persons with disabilities, protection from abuse and neglect and protection from institutional resident’s right.
Best Buddies
(225)226-1677 – www.bestbuddieslouisiana.org & www.ebuddies.org
- Mentoring and friendship program for people with intellectual disabilities.
- Free e-mail pen pal program.
Kay Dore’ Counseling Clinic at McNeese State University
(337)475-5981
Louisiana Assistive Technology
1-800-270-6185 or www.latan.org
- Medical and assistive equipment distribution program
- Loans, computers, and other assistance to individuals with disabilities
OCDD (Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities)
(337) 475-8045 Fax: 337-475-8045
Professional Counseling Specialties
(337)477-0079
The Psychology Clinic – Deridder
(337)462-2110
The Psychology Clinic – Lake Charles
(337) 474-2682 |
