Disability Support Services

The role of the Disability Support Services Office is to provide physical and programmatic accommodations to persons with documented disabilities. This is carried out within the overall goals and mission Seattle Central Community College and Seattle Community College District's Policy and Procedure 387 Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities . The Disability Support Services (DSS) Office offers consultation to faculty, staff, and classified employees of the college for the purpose of designing accommodations that provide equal access to otherwise qualified students regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation.

To be eligible for disability-related services, students must have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the ADA and Section 504, a person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities (walking, standing, seeing, speaking, hearing, sitting, breathing, and taking care of oneself).

At the Seattle Central Community College Campus, Disability Support Services is the designated office that obtains and files disability-related documents, certifies eligibility for services, helps determine academic adjustments, and consults for the provision of such accommodations. Academic adjustments are provided to ensure access to all community college courses, programs, counseling, activities, and facilities. Disability Support Services provides or arranges a variety of auxiliary services to the community college, such as interpreting services (District wide), assistive technology, exam modifications, and academic assistance. Auxiliary requests such as Brailing, books on tape are to be requested at least 6 weeks in advance. There may be a delay in services if less notification is given. Request for interpreting services with less than four weeks notice for on-going classes can result in delayed services. At least 3 business days are required for special requests/one time services. Therefore, all inquiries and requests from any student, faculty or staff member for interpreting services must be referred to the DSS Office of the college at which the class or activity is located.