Accessibility Services/ADA

Services for students needing accommodations

Southern Union State Community College complies with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Accessibility Services are available to those qualified students with disabilities who meet the technical and academic standards at Southern Union State Community College and who are entitled to reasonable accommodations. It is the student’s responsibility to request accommodations before needed and to provide appropriate documentation to the ADA Coordinator to receive support through Accessibility Services.

ADA Coordinators can meet virtually via Zoom or in-person.  Please note that you must apply for accommodations, present appropriate documentation, and allow time for processing before the service is needed. 

Opelika Campus and Online students: Joseph Halsey,  jhalsey@suscc.edu or 334-745-6437, Extension 5354 

Wadley Campus: Tiffanie Character,  tcharacter@suscc.edu or 256-395-2211, Extension 5154 

Valley Campus: Robin Brown, rbrown@suscc.edu  or 334-756-4151, Extension 5204 

Accommodations Requests for New Students

  1. Please complete the Request Form.  Students must also provide appropriate documentation from a professional stating the type of disability and recommendations for academic adjustments. The documentation should be dated within three years of enrollment. Please review the documentation criteria as listed in the Criteria for Disability Documentation.
  2. Schedule an appointment to meet with the ADA Coordinator on the campus where you are registered to discuss your need for reasonable accommodations.
  3. After being certified to receive reasonable accommodations at the College, the ADA Coordinator will provide an Accommodations Packet which will include an accommodations memo that lists the reasonable accommodations to be provided, along with other documentation the instructor is required to sign.
  4. At the beginning of each term of enrollment, the student must request an accommodations packet for the new semester. 

The student should present the Accommodations Packet(s) to their instructor(s) during the first week of class. Students who choose not to self-identify as a student needing accommodation when they begin classes as Southern Union do not forfeit their right to identify themselves and to receive accommodations at a later date. However, instructors are not obligated to provide accommodations or services for students with disabilities until students are registered with Disability Support Services and have an initial consultation with their instructor(s) about their request for accommodations.

The ADA Coordinator assigned to each campus is available to assist students when issues arise concerning their accommodations. 

Preparing for your first year in college? Check this out: 

COLLEGE PREPARATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES HANDBOOK (REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION)

 

  1. Click here to complete a Request for Accommodations form. This can be printed from the Southern Union State Community College web page on the ADA/Special Needs page, or picked up from a DSS office on the campus where the student plans to attend.
  2. You can request your accommodations provided by your prior school along with any medical documentation be forwarded to DSS from the institution that provided you with the academic accommodations. You will have to sign a release of information with the sending institution before any documents are forwarded to DSS. Once documentation is received, the student will need to make an appointment with the ADA Coordinator to discuss the accommodations needed and procedures for students with accommodations.
  3. The ADA Coordinator will make a determination of the Accommodations needed and will provide an Accommodations Packet which will include an accommodations memo, that lists the reasonable accommodations to be provided, along with other documentation the instructor is required to sign. This may take up to 48 hours.
  4. Once the student receives the Accommodations Packet, it is their responsibility to meet with their instructor to request accommodations and to discuss how accommodations will be implemented for the course.
  5. Report any problems with accommodations with your ADA Coordinator.

Examples of accommodations include, but aren’t limited to:

  • a liaison with faculty and staff
  • classroom adaptations
  • private testing
  • extended time for testing
  • note-takers
  • oral exams
  • captioning
  • visually assistive computer software

To request accommodations for events or services provided by Southern Union State Community College on any of its campuses, please contact the ADA Coordinator for the campus where additional services will be needed.

After meeting with your student(s) to discuss testing accommodations, you will be able to schedule students for testing in RegisterBlast. This will require students to adhere to the scheduled appointment time for their assessment(s) and require greater accountability for them as well.

To get started, use the first link below to create an account.

Enrollment page for professors:

www.registerblast.com/susccstudentdevelopment/professor/enroll

After your account is approved, use the link below to log in and watch the tutorial video under the Knowledge Base link on the left about scheduling your exam. Then set up the test for your student.

Professor Portal (for professors):

www.registerblast.com/susccstudentdevelopment/professor/login

If you have any problems using RegisterBlast, please email either Joseph Halsey at jhalsey@suscc.edu or Sarah Ledbetter at sledbetter@suscc.edu.