Mission Statement

The Office of disABILITY Support Services is a comprehensive educational supprt services unit providing counseling, instructional services, specialized equipment, access facilitation, accommodation services, and other professional assistance to qualified students with disabilities. These students may benefit, as a result, from full access that will lead to improved independence, personal responsibility, problem-solving skills, self-awareness, communication, knowledge utilization, physical well-being, interpersonal relations, and a better understanding of the world of work, lifelong learning, and an appreciation for life.

History

Prior to 1975 when this college began documenting its disability services, there were few students with disabilities (SWD) who requested “specialized” services. When those occasions arose, counselors within the Counseling Department arranged them when possible. The passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, specifically Section 504, and the subsequent American With Disabilities Act in 1990 significantly changed the way colleges deliver their programs to their SWD. Besides program delivery issues, these laws opened the “doors” to post-secondary education to ever-increasing numbers of students with significantly more severe medical and psychological conditions.

As the number of SWD with increasingly more complex needs grew, so too did the necessity for staffing and a facility that could address the multifarious needs of both the College and its students. With the reorganization of the College Student Services program in Academic Year 1982-83, the role and scope of the disability services program has evolved into the present-day unit known as disABILITY Support Services (dSS). Two years ago, the unit's name was changed to reflect its emphasis on students' abilities rather than their disabilities.