Office of Disability Services and Resources - Gadsden State Community College

A student navigating campus in a wheelchair

Gadsden State Community College serves a diverse community by offering quality academic education, workforce development and adult education opportunities that are accessible and affordable. Toward that end, the College fully supports and seeks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title II and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Gadsden State strives to create a welcoming environment for all students and will work in good faith with faculty, staff and students to provide access and reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities.

The Disability Services and Resources Office is located in the Joe Ford Center, Suite 102 on the College's East Broad Campus. We encourage students, visitors and employees with disabilities to contact us to discuss accommodation needs at 256-549-8462 or ADA@gadsdenstate.edu.

Student Resources

A health sciences student wearing a hearing aid using a stethoscope

Parent Resources

Faculty/Staff Resources

About Disability Services and Resources

The Disability Services and Resources Office (DSR) offers coordination of accommodation needs, disability-related information, assistive technology services, sign language interpreting and transcription services for academically related purposes. DSR does not offer disability evaluation and/or testing, tutoring, personal expenses, attendants or scholarships.

Vision

A campus community in which students with disabilities are equal members without barriers.

Mission

The Gadsden State Disability Services and Resources Office interacts and collaborates with faculty, staff, and students to achieve an equitable learning environment for students with disabilities;

Guiding Principles

Disability Services and Resources exercises these principles to promote an environment where disability is seen as a valued aspect of the College community:

Access – Accessibility is achieved when all students can fully participate in the educational opportunities, activities, and services offered by GSCC.
Collaboration – Individuals from across campus come together to meet the needs of GSCC's community of learners.
Excellence – We strive to establish best practices through leadership in addressing barriers to access and furthering the global conversation on disability in higher education.

FAQ

What constitutes a disability?

A disability is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities. Learning is an example of a major life activity. If you have a mental or physical condition, a history of such a condition, or a condition which may be considered by others as substantially limiting, you may have a legally defined disability.

What does substantially limiting mean?

According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, substantially limiting is defined as being unable to perform a major life activity, or significantly restricted as to the condition, manner, or duration under which a major life activity can be performed, in comparison to the average person or to most people.

What is a major life activity?

According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a major life activity is defined as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

The ADA Amendment Acts of 2008 expanded this list to also include eating, sleeping, standing, lifting, reading, bending, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. In addition the ADAAA also includes major bodily functions (e.g., “functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions”).

What are academic adjustments?

Appropriate academic adjustments create an equal access to education, as long as it doesn’t require a substantial change in an essential element of the curriculum. This is determined by the institution. Such modifications may include an adjustment in the amount of time allowed to complete a degree, substitution of degree requirements, and adaptation of the manner in which specific courses are conducted.

Beneficial websites

ADA.Gov — Information and technical assistance on the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Alabama Association on Higher Education and Disability — Alabama AHEAD is a state affiliate of the international organization, the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). Alabama AHEAD is committed to the principles of equal access and full participation of students with disabilities in postsecondary education, and promotes excellence in the provision of accessibility services through professional development and support.

Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services — Created by the Alabama Legislature in 1994, the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) is the state agency that serves people with disabilities from birth to old age through a “continuum of services.”

Association on Higher Education and Disability — AHEAD is a professional membership organization for individuals involved in the development of policy and in the provision of quality services to meet the needs of persons with disabilities involved in all areas of higher education. At this time, we boast more than 2,800 members throughout the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Japan and Greece.

DO-IT Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology — The DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through technology and education. It promotes awareness and accessibility—in both the classroom and the workplace—to maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities and make our communities more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive.

Job Assistance Guide for People with Disabilities — Published by the Thunderbird School of Global Management, this guide provides tools, articles, and support networks aimed at helping individuals with disabilities find meaningful employment, along with advice on navigating job searches and building successful careers.

Learning Ally — Learning Ally is a national non-profit dedicated to helping students with print disabilities, including blindness, visual impairment and dyslexia. Learning Ally improves the way students learn at home and in the classroom.

Learning Disabilities Association of American — LDA Visualizes a World in Which: all individuals with learning disabilities are empowered to thrive and participate fully in society; the incidence of learning disabilities is reduced; and learning disabilities are universally understood and effectively addressed. LDA’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities and to reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations.

Protecting Students With Disabilities — An important responsibility of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability against students with disabilities. OCR receives numerous complaints and inquiries in the area of elementary and secondary education involving Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794 (Section 504). Most of these concern identification of students who are protected by Section 504 and the means to obtain an appropriate education for such students.

College Advice for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Guide for Job Seekers & Workers with a Disability

A Study on the Top Cities for Workers With Disabilty

Guide For People With Disabilities: Programs For Low-Cost Internet, Mobile Plans, And Digital Literacy

Accessibility and Digital Security Guide

Website accessibility

Gadsden State Community College is committed to providing all information on its website in an accessible format to everyone. If you find any problems that prevent access, please contact us using the contact information below. Let us know the nature of your accessibility problem, and we can provide any inaccessible content in an alternative format.

Gadsden State Community College does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. Our website aims to align with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, developing electronic information for equitable access to individuals with disabilities that is comparable to that provided for individuals without disabilities. We have adopted the criteria for accessibility of online content outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and documented as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

Copies of all materials are available in large type upon request. Also, the content of this website will be read to any person making the request.

Other websites in the college web space, or those of individuals and specific groups that might be public or private, are not included under our legal mandate although we encourage all employees and groups to make all web content accessible.

If you have difficulty accessing any part of the website while using adaptive technology, have accessibility suggestions, or need an alternative format for any content, please contact the ADA Coordinator at 256-549-8462 or ADA@gadsdenstate.edu.

Facility accessibility

Individuals (visitors, employees, students) with mobility impairments should contact the ADA coordinator or contact on or nearest their campus to obtain information regarding limitations to physical accessibility of some buildings and programs and to obtain accommodations as needed. Students with mobility impairments are encouraged to contact the ADA coordinator before completing their academic schedules.