The Role of Disability Support Services (DSS): 

Disability Support Services (DSS) is dedicated to assisting students with disabilities accomplish their personal, scholastic and career goals by teaching academic and advocacy skills, by eliminating the physical, technical and attitudinal barriers that limit opportunities, and by promoting an awareness of the experience of persons with disabilities within social, political, and economic constructs. DSS is committed to providing all services and operating all programs in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. DSS envisions a future in which the elimination of barriers has been so effective and the acceptance of diversity so inclusive that the College, both as a facility and as a community, naturally accommodates students with disabilities through the application of universal design.

• Provides reasonable accommodations to qualified students with documented disabilities
• Provides DSS counselors on each campus to work with students to determine appropriate accommodations and arrange support services
• Assists the College to comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Stresses the development of self-advocacy and self-determination skills
• Maintains and protects the confidentiality of student records as required by law
• Assists the College community to understand the effects of disabilities and to eliminate the physical, technical, and attitudinal barriers that limit the range of opportunities for students with disabilities

Services: 

• Academic, career, and short-term personal counseling
• Assistance with admission, course selection and registration
• Interpretation and maintenance of students’ confidential documentation of disability
• Authorization of accommodations based on documentation of disability
• Assistance with classroom accommodations such as notetakers, readers, scribes, assistive listening devices (on loan) and sign language interpreters
• Arrangements for recorded texts through Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D)
• Accommodations Letters and liaison with faculty to arrange accommodations
• Arrangements for examinations, such as extended time or minimal-distraction environment
• Assistive technology including computers with disability-specific software and hardware
• Document conversion to alternative formats
• Liaison with external agencies such as the Division of Rehabilitative Services (DORS)
• Voter registration assistance and forms.
• Please note: The College Access Program (CAP) for students with language-based learning disabilities is available on the Rockville Campus only; all other services are available on all campuses