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BECAUSE A DISABILITY ISN’T ALWAYS A VISIBILITY

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES

Catalog Subti t le

Disabil i ty Support Services Updated August 2011

Disability Support Services

TTTABLEABLEABLE OFOFOF CCCONTENTSONTENTSONTENTS

Table of Contents

New Student Welcome Letter 3

Introduction 4

Disability Law and Higher Education 5

About Disability Support Services 7

Student Checklist 10

Testing Accommodations 12

Student ID 13

Student Email 13

PIN 13

Parking 14

Student Financial Aid 14

Scholarships 15

Contact 16

Notes 17

Dear Student: On behalf of the entire staff in Disability Support Services, we want to congratulate you on your recent choice to attend Gulf Coast State College. We want to let you know that our office and staff are dedicated to ensuring that each student has access to all educational opportunities offered at Gulf Coast State College. As you know self-advocacy and self determination skills are critical to a successful experience for all college students. The Disability Support Services staff members are committed to working with you as a student to help you attain your educational goals. With this as part of our guiding philosophy, our staff would like to get to know you as a student and member of the Gulf Coast College community. If you want to receive academic accommodations while studying at Gulf Coast State College, you will need to work closely with DSS staff and your professors/instructors to help make sure that everything you need in terms of support and/or accommodations are in place and ready when you begin classes. 1. Please contact the DSS office to let us know that you wish to use our services. You may contact Linda Van Dalen at Ext. 3834 or Diane Randall at Ext. 4852. They will meet with you to review your class schedule and determine the accommodations that will be provided. 2. Letters will be sent to your professors informing them that you are registered with DSS and that you will be receiving certain accommodations. 3. Our staff can assist you with developing study skills, organization skills and learning strategies. They also provide tutoring in specific academic areas including Math, Reading and English. Contact the Learning Managers at Ext. 6071 or Diane Randall at Ext. 4852 to schedule assistance in these areas. 4. If you want to take your tests with DSS, please let us know as soon as possible. Bring your syllabi to the DSS office as soon as classes begin. Our staff will make a copy and log the dates so that we can obtain a copy of each test from your instructors. Also, it is very important to let your instructors know that you wish to take your tests with DSS. 5. Please plan to attend the DSS Orientation Meeting in the Fall Semester. You will meet our staff and other students who are in the DSS program. As soon as the date is set, we will let you know. 6. Feel free to call our office if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to help your time at GCCC be as successful as possible! Sincerely,


SSSERVICEERVICEERVICE FORFORFOR SSSTUDENTSTUDENTSTUDENTS WWWITHITHITH DDDISABILITIESISABILITIESISABILITIES

Gulf Coast State College encourages the enrollment of

students with disabilities and recognizes their special needs;

thus the Disability Support Services program at GCSC is

comprehensive in the services offered and the range of

disabilities served. Its focus is academic support through

human support services and technology to help students

reach their potential. The college endeavors to provide equal

access to a quality education by providing reasonable

accommodations to qualified individuals. To promote

academic success, we offer a wide range of assistance

and support services. Services include but are not limited to

assistance in course registration, information about and referrals to campus and community

services, academic and personal counseling, learning specialists, testing accommodations,

readers, note takers, interpreters, listening systems, and adaptive equipment. Students who

have a disability requiring special assistance should contact the Office of Disability Support

Services.

Gulf Coast State College has developed and implemented policies and procedures for

providing reasonable course substitutions for eligible students with disabilities. Students who

may be eligible for substitutions are those who have documented visual impairments, hearing

impairments, or specific learning disabilities. Documentation must be provided to substantiate

that the disability can be reasonably expected to prevent the student from meeting requirements

for admission to the institution, admission to a program of study, entry to upper-division, or

graduation.


DDDISABILITYISABILITYISABILITY LLLAWAWAW ANDANDAND HHHIGHERIGHERIGHER EEEDUCATIONDUCATIONDUCATION

The two pieces of legislation that are considered primary in protecting the rights of students

with disabilities in postsecondary education settings are Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. These are civil rights laws that protect the

rights of people with disabilities to participate fully in the programs and activities of public

entities—including postsecondary institutions. These laws further require that postsecondary

institutions make reasonable accommodations to provide students with disabilities equal

opportunities to participate. "A person with a disability" is defined by the Americans with

Disabilities Act as having “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or

more of the major life activities of such individual; a record of such an impairment; or being

regarded as having such an impairment.” In both Section 504 and the ADA , physical access

and program access are covered.

Accommodations provided in a postsecondary education setting may include academic

adjustment and auxiliary aids and services. Academic adjustments are changes such as:

Reduced course loads

Course substitution or waiver

Extra time on exams

Provision of exams in a reduced-distraction setting

Extension of time to complete assignments

Extension of time allowed for degree completion

Permission to tape record classes

Information obtained is a product of Project PACE, a program of Disability Support Services at the University of

Arkansas at Little Rock


BBBECAUSEECAUSEECAUSE AAA DISABILITYDISABILITYDISABILITY ISNISNISN’’’TTT ALWAYSALWAYSALWAYS AAA VISIBILITYVISIBILITYVISIBILITY………

The Disability Support Services Program offers a variety of services and expert assistance to

allow students with special needs to get the most out of their college education. If you have a

disability and feel that you can benefit from any of the services that the program offers, please

contact us. We are eager to meet and assist you during your course of studies at Gulf Coast

State College.

Auxiliary aids and services may include but are not limited to:

Materials on tape, in Braille, or in large print

Note takers

Interpreters

Readers

Talking calculators

Open and closed captioning

Voice synthesizers

Raised-line drawings

Assistive listening devices

Institutions are not required to provide accommodations that “fundamentally alter” the

requirements or nature of the program or activity, create a safety risk, or create an undue

administrative or financial burden.


WWWHATHATHAT ISISIS THETHETHE OOOFFICEFFICEFFICE OFOFOF DDDISABILITYISABILITYISABILITY SSSUPPORTUPPORTUPPORT SSSERVICESERVICESERVICES??? We offer learning centered academic support and provide equal access to quality education. Our program is free and offers comprehensive services to meet the needs of a wide range of disabilities. We are responsible for counseling, planning, and coordinating programs and support services. Our mission is to assist students in reaching their academic potential and achieving their educational goals. The college encourages the enrollment of students with disabilities and recognizes their special needs. Students who have a disability that requires special assistance should contact the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS).

WWWHOHOHO ISISIS EEELIGIBLELIGIBLELIGIBLE??? If you have a disability that is documented, you may be eligible for our service. Eligible disabilities include learning disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, speech impairments, physical impairments, chronic illness and/or emotional/psychological impairments. If you believe you have a disability, even if it is not documented, you should contact the Office of Disability Support Services to determine your eligibility for the program. WWWHENHENHEN SSSHOULDHOULDHOULD I RI RI REQUESTEQUESTEQUEST SSSERVICEERVICEERVICE??? If your documented disability affects your academics or your ability to participate in college programs, and you believe accommodations would be helpful, bring your documentation to the Office of Disability Support Services as soon as possible. If you suspect you have a disability or have questions or concerns about your eligibility , you should contact our office immediately. HHHOWOWOW DDDOOO I RI RI REQUESTEQUESTEQUEST SSSERVICESERVICESERVICES???

Students who choose to disclose their disability to receive accommodations must complete the Student Disability Information Sheet and Release of Information forms, which are available in the Office of Disability Support Services. In addition, students must provide documentation of their disability. Because requirements vary according to disability, please contact our office for your individual documentation requirements.

WWWHATHATHAT AAABOUTBOUTBOUT CCCONFIDENTIALITYONFIDENTIALITYONFIDENTIALITY??? All documentation given to the Office of Disability Support Services will be kept confidential. This information will only be used for aiding you, the student, in achieving your fullest potential while at Gulf Coast State College. Staff members sometimes need to work with your instructors to arrange accommodations.


WWWHATHATHAT SSSERVICESERVICESERVICES AREAREARE AAAVAILABLEVAILABLEVAILABLE??? Reasonable, appropriate accommodations are based on your documented needs. The Office of Disability Support Services routinely offers a wide variety of student—oriented workshops on study skills, transfer tips, and many other subjects. In our office you will also find a wide variety of equipment, software, and educational supplies. Some of the items available for checkout include but are not limited to:

Franklin Spellers Micro and Standard cassette recorders Calculators (talking, scientific, & standard) Large-print dictionaries Large-print thesauruses Video collection Audiocassette collections Book bags on wheels Adjustable foot rests


In addition, we offer a wide range of services, which include, but are not limited to:

For Students with Visual Impairments Adaptive Equipment Assistance with library materials Enlargers Materials in alternative format Note taker and/or scribe Registration assistance Reader Referral to recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic for textbooks on tape Testing accommodations, i.e. readers, scribes, alternative format, adaptive

equipment, and/or extended time Tutorial assistance

For Students Who are Deaf or Hearing Impaired: Access to TDD equipment Assistive listening devices Note taker Priority classroom seating Registration assistance Sign language interpreters Testing accommodations Tutorial assistance When possible, course outlines, lecture notes, and list of technical terms


1. 1. 1. Contact Disability Support Services (DSS)—Identify yourself as a new student who qualifies for DSS services.

2. 2. 2. Schedule an appointment with DSS staff to discuss your personal career goals and the accommodations you will need.

3. 3. 3. Provide documentation of your disability to the DSS office. This can be done either by requesting the information yourself or by signing a release form and allowing the DSS office to request the information for you.

4. 4. 4. Discuss the types of accommodations used successfully in high school and what accommodations you will need in college.

5. 5. 5. Submit an admission application to GCSC. This can be done by requesting an application package or via the GCSC web site. — www.gulfcoast.edu

6. 6. 6. Take the college placement test. (Check with the DSS coordinator or a counselor in the Counseling Center to see if the placement test is needed.)

7. 7. 7. Attend a summer freshman orientation if you are beginning classes in the fall semester.

Students who are working with the Office of Disability Support Services and who are NOT FIRST TIME students at Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) need to follow steps

8-13 EACH SEMESTER they attend GCSC.

SSSTUDENTTUDENTTUDENT CCCHECKLISTHECKLISTHECKLIST


8. 8. 8. Check dates for advising and registration and meet with your academic advisor. If you have any scheduling problems, a member of the DSS staff will be available to assist you.

9. 9. 9. Let t he DSS office know you have registered and provide them with your class schedule.

10. 10. 10. Begin classes on the scheduled date. If you need additional accommodations that have not been discussed with DSS, please let us know immediately. Some accommodations may take additional time to arrange.

11. 11. 11. Attend a DSS orientation (fall semester only). This will be for new and returning students. This orientation will provide updated information concerning DSS student needs and procedures.

12. 12. 12. The DSS office will send a letter making your instructors aware that you qualify for DSS services. In order for there to be better communication with your instructors, speak with your instructors at the beginning of each semester concerning the accommodations you will need. (This includes your intent to take your exams with DSS.)

13.13.13. Provide a DSS staff member a copy of the syllabus for each course you are registered for in order to schedule test dates.


TTTESTINGESTINGESTING AAACCOMODATIONSCCOMODATIONSCCOMODATIONS

If you are testing with DSS, please make sure that you provide a learning specialist a copy of the syllabus for each course you are registered for. If your syllabus does not provide test dates, notify a learning specialist of the dates and times of your test at least three (3) working days prior to the test date. All tests will be taken the same test date and test time as the class unless prior approval has been given. (If you have questions please check with the DSS coordinator.)

FINAL EXAMS: You must register with a DSS staff member for all final exams you plan to take with DSS at least one (1) week prior to the final exam. Even if you have provided DSS with a syllabus, you must register to take your final exam with DSS. This is extremely important to ensure that your exam is administered at the proper time.

DSS STAFF MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE DURING THE SEMESTER TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, COUNSEL, AND HELP WITH PROBLEMS.


GCSC SGCSC SGCSC STUDENTTUDENTTUDENT IDIDID All currently enrolled students will need to get a Student Photo ID. The ID’s will have the

student’s ID# printed on the front under the student’s picture and encoded on the magnetic strip

on the back . Without a Student ID students may be turned away from various places on campus

as well as campus functions.

Photo Student ID cards are available in the E.A. Gardner Advising Center located in the

Enrollment Services Building on the main campus. Other locations include: the main office at

the Gulf/Franklin Center and the GCSC office at Tyndall Air Force Base. Students must present

current photo identification (driver’s license or military identification) and a current registration

receipt that shows the student’s ID number to have the photo ID taken. There is no charge for

the original ID card; however, a fee is incurred for replacement cards.

SSSTUDENTTUDENTTUDENT EEEMAILMAILMAIL

All currently enrolled students at Gulf Coast State College have a student email account

through the college’s email system. New students will be given an email account the day after

their admissions application is processed. This is the official form of communication at

GCSC. Please remember to check your email periodically to receive important information.

For more information, visit the college website (www.gulfcoast.edu), under Current Students

and click on Student E-mail.

PPPINININ

Your GCSC Personal Identification Number (PIN) is used to access your academic records on

the *State of Florida, Florida Academic and Counseling Tracking for Students

(www.facts.org) web system. This PIN number is also used for WEB registration. For new

students, a default PIN number (month/year of birth i.e., 0587) is assigned when the student

applies to GCSC. When your application for admission has been processed You will be

required to change your default birth month/year PIN to a unique 4-digit PIN of your

choosing.

Information on how to apply for and obtain a PIN is located on the college website

(www.gulfcoast.edu), under Current Students and click on Oasis/Web Registration for the

PIN information form.


PPPARKINGARKINGARKING

Effective with the 2009 fall semester, all vehicles on the GCSC Panama City campus, the North

Bay Center, and the Gulf/Franklin Center will be required to display a parking decal or

temporary permit, as appropriate. The cost of the first decal or permit is included in the

student’s fee and additional decals are available for fee-paying students at a small additional

cost. Parking decals are administered by SAB.

SSSTUDENTTUDENTTUDENT FFFINANCIALINANCIALINANCIAL AAAIDIDID

Gulf Coast offers a variety of financial assistance for students. Students may apply based on

financial aid need or merit. Financial assistance may be awarded from one or any combination

of federal and state grants; part-time employment; institutional, state, and private scholarships;

and student loans. Information and applications are available on the college website at

www.gulfcoast.edu or contact the financial aid office in the Student Union East.

SSSCHOLARSHIPSCHOLARSHIPSCHOLARSHIPS

GCSC FGCSC FGCSC FOUNDATIONOUNDATIONOUNDATION SSSCHOLARSHIPSCHOLARSHIPSCHOLARSHIPS The Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships for GCSC students in its 42

year history. In addition to two-year Honors Scholarships for students having just graduated

from high school, the college provides scholarships for students who have demonstrated

academic excellence, have academic potential or specific talents, and students with

demonstrated financial need.

The application process for the GCSC Foundation Scholarship is quick, easy, and free! Visit

www.gulfcoast.edu/STARS and enter the requested information. This is your permanent

account and may be accessed at any time online. Log on to your student account to view which

scholarships your are interest in and submit your applications. The application dates are

January 1 to March 1 of each year. Any application received after the deadline will be kept on

file and deemed as late. Scholarships are awarded annually.

The Foundation Office is located on the second floor of the Administration building. For more

scholarship information, please visit the Foundation webpage on the GCSC website, or

www.gulfcoast.edu/foundation, or please call 850-872-3810.

CCCOUNCILOUNCILOUNCIL FORFORFOR EEEXCEPTIONALXCEPTIONALXCEPTIONAL CCCHILDRENHILDRENHILDREN SSSPECIALPECIALPECIAL NNNEEDSEEDSEEDS SSSCHOLARSHIPCHOLARSHIPCHOLARSHIP

(CEC)(CEC)(CEC) Applications for this scholarship are available from Linda Van Dalen or Leigh Bailey. Due date

for this scholarship is March 23rd.

The CCCAREERAREERAREER CCCENTERENTERENTER, located in the Student Union East building, has a listing of other

possible scholarships.

If you will be attending another college or university in the fall, check with that institution on

possible scholarships.



The coordinator, counselor, learning specialists and tutors are located in the

Student Union East building. The interpreters and assistants are located in the Student Union West building in Room 80 and Student Union East building Room 63.

OOOFFICEFFICEFFICE HHHOURSOURSOURS Monday — Friday

8:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m.

SSSIGNIGNIGN LLLANGUAGEANGUAGEANGUAGE IIINTERPRETERSNTERPRETERSNTERPRETERS Kiki Hendrix Interpreter 769-1551 ext. 3365 Sandra Thompson Interpreter 769-1551 ext. 6071

Florida Relay 711

LLLEARNINGEARNINGEARNING SSSPECIALISTSPECIALISTSPECIALISTS Elaine Poston Learning Specialist 769-1551 ext. 4849 Kristi Krutchek Learning Specialist 769-1551 ext. 4854 Holli Mast Learning Specialist 769-1551 ext. 3342 Phillip Joiner Learning Specialist 769-1551 ext. 5884

OOOFFICEFFICEFFICE OFOFOF DDDISABILITYISABILITYISABILITY SSSERVICESERVICESERVICES SSSTAFFTAFFTAFF::: Linda Van Dalen Coordinator 872-3834 Diane Randall Co-Coordinator 769-1551 ext. 4852 Tamara Nguyen Student Services 769-1551 ext. 3243

Email: http://dept.gulfcoast.edu/dss/Email: http://dept.gulfcoast.edu/dss/Email: http://dept.gulfcoast.edu/dss/

Blog: www.dssofgcsc.wordpress.comBlog: www.dssofgcsc.wordpress.comBlog: www.dssofgcsc.wordpress.com


NNNOTESOTESOTES

5230 West Highway 98 Panama City, FL 32405

Phone: 850-872-3834 Toll Free: 1-800-311-3685 ext. 3834

E-mail: http://dept.gulfcoast.edu/dss/ Blog: www.dssofgcsc.wordpress.com

Disabi l i ty Support Ser vices

Other forms of this catalog (i.e. an enlargement) may be obtained through the

Office of Disability Support Services in the Student Union East.

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