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A Parent Guide to Disabilities Support ServicesDisabilities Support Services (DSS) is a voluntary, confidential support service for Chattanooga State students with documented disabilities. DSS provides services in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under these two federal statutes, the rights and responsibilities of you and your student differ from those that are provided under IDEA, the laws that defines services and support while your student is in K-12. For a good discussion on the differences between IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA, see The Law After High School.How DSS WorksStudents who anticipate that they will need any kind of disability-related support in their classes or other campus activities should contact DSS as soon as they are ready to apply to Chattanooga State. They should make an appointment to meet with one of the professional staff members in the office so that person can answer any questions, and provide additional information about accommodations to the student.Students must provide documentation of their disability so a staff member can review it and make informed decisions on whether or not there is a qualifying disability present, and what accommodations would be appropriate for that disability. It is important to know that students who received services under IDEA while in K-12 may not be eligible for services at the postsecondary level. The disability must impose a substantial limitation to one or more major life activities. A good example of the differences between K-12 and postsecondary services would be Jeff, a student who has Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). Jeff has been taking medication to control the symptoms of his AD/HD for several years and it works very well for him. He is able to stay focused in class, take his own notes, and can finish his assignments and tests in a normal length of time. In high school, Jeff would qualify for services because of his diagnosis of AD/HD, and he might be allowed to take extra time on tests and to take his tests in a separate location from the rest of his classmates. In college, Jeff would probably not be eligible for services because the medication is effective for him and because he is able to function in the classroom much the same way as his non-disabled peers. This is why it is important for the student to provide us with the most current documentation possible, so the staff can make decisions based on where the student is right now in terms of managing his disability. Current documentation means evaluations that have been completed within the last five years. Some conditions, such as psychological/psychiatric disabilities, require that documentation be even more recent, within the last year, since those conditions can change quickly. Chattanooga State does not provide testing for disabilities on our campus, so it may be necessary to make an appointment with a doctor or psychologist in the community to get the necessary documentation If the student does have a qualifying disability, the staff member will discuss accommodations that are appropriate for each class in which the student is enrolled. Students need to remember that this is a process they must go through each semester they are enrolled, since classes change and the student’s needs change. Please remember that students with disabilities must meet all of the requirements for their courses that their non-disabled peers do. Assignments and homework are not shortened, reading selections must still be read, and deadlines must be met. If a student cannot or does not meet the requirements of his courses, he will receive grades that reflect his lack of progress. Parents’ RoleOne of the most difficult things that parents have to do is to let their children grow up and to assume responsibility for making decisions for themselves. At the postsecondary level, students are legal adults, and take on the roles that others have been playing in their lives for a number of years. This is different from K-12, where parents and teachers make many decisions about services and programs for the student all along the way. One of those decisions is whether the student wants to register with DSS as a student with a disability. It is his choice, but you can certainly have input into the decision. One of the deciding factors may be that it is the policy on our campus that accommodations cannot be provided until the student registers with DSS as a student with a disability. DSS works with the student on how to discuss accommodation needs with an instructor, but instructors do not provide individual accommodations to a student until the student has given an accommodation request form to each of his instructors. This form lets the instructors know that the student is registered with DSS and has provided the necessary documentation to verify that a disability is present.Unless a student gives us permission to do so, we cannot provide any information to parents about a student’s progress in his classes. In most cases, we do not have access to that information anyway, but the student’s right to privacy is protected because he is the person legally responsible for that information. You can certainly talk to your student about waiving that right so that you can make inquiries; you are probably paying the bills, after all! But until the student signs a waiver form giving you permission to ask those kinds of questions, the College cannot provide you with any information. We encourage you to be involved with your student, and to ask him for the answers to the questions you might have. Be supportive and concerned, but not enabling. Students need to be empowered, not rescued. Help your student to work through the maze that college often presents, but recognize when it is time to let go.
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