Frequently Asked Questions Disabilities Support Services (DSS)

• I have a disability. Where can I get money to pay for school?
  http://www.chattanoogastate.edu/Student_Services/disability/difinan.asp
   
• I think I have a learning disability. Can you test me for that?
  
  Chattanooga State does not provide evaluations for any kind of disability. Students must contact practitioners in the community and make arrangements to have assessments done, at the student’s expense.
   
• I had accommodations last semester. Have you contacted my instructors for this semester and made arrangements for accommodations with them?
  
  It is the student’s responsibility to contact DSS at the beginning of every semester to create accommodation plans for each class. DSS staff does not send out accommodation notices to instructors without the student’s participation.
• Where do I get a handicapped parking tag?
  
  Campus security assigns handicapped parking tags to students and staff who provide documentation from a medical doctor showing the need for handicapped parking.
   
• I received a special education diploma. What programs can I go into at Chattanooga State?
  
  Students with special education diplomas may be eligible to enroll in some of the programs in the Tennessee Technology Center. Potential students with disabilities must meet the same entrance requirements for any program of study as do all other students.
   
• What program do you have for students with disabilities?
  There is no “program” for students with disabilities; rather, students enroll in regular classes and academic programs just like any other student. Potential students with disabilities must meet the same entrance requirements for any program of study as do all other students. Our office works with the student and his instructors to arrange for accommodations that will remove the barriers to education that the disability might otherwise cause.
   
• I had unlimited time for tests in high school. Can I get that here?
  
  Untimed tests are not an option at this level. Generally speaking, students are granted time-and-a-half for tests, but this time may be extended, depending on the nature and severity of the impact of the disability on testing.
   
• I need someone to walk to class with me (sit in class with me to keep me on task, carry my books for me). How do you arrange for that?
  
  The college does not provide a personal assistant to students. If an assistant is needed, it is the responsibility of the student (or the student’s family) to make arrangements for hiring and paying for the services of the assistant.
   
• Do you provide tutoring?
  
  DSS does not provide tutoring to students. The college has tutoring available in the Mathematics Center and College Reading and Writing Center. In addition, Career Planning and Counseling arranges for peer tutoring in a number of the subject areas, such as science, foreign language, and computer technology. If a student needs an individual tutor, the student is responsible for making the arrangements for hiring and paying for the tutor.
   
• How do I get accommodations in my classes?
  
  By providing recent documentation of your disability that shows a substantial limitation in one or more major life activities. See http://www.chattanoogastate.edu/Student_Services/disability/pdf/Documentation%20Guidelines.pdf for more detailed information on documentation.