Gateway Community College is committed to promoting equal access to education for students with disabilities in an environment that respects and values their differences and encourages self-advocacy and self-determination.
Prospective Students
Students with disabilities who are interested in attending Gateway Community College are encouraged to contact Toni Page, the Learning Disability Specialist in the Student Disability Services Office (SDS Office) prior to completing their admission application. Students are advised to provide the SDS Office with as much lead time as possible in order to ensure accommodations are in place for the beginning of the semester.
Procedure for New Students
To initiate accomodations a student must:
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Identify with the SDS Office
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Provide Documentation
Step 1: Request An Appointment
- Contact the Student Disability Office to schedule an interview and informational appointment
- Send documentation of student's disability to the SDS Office prior to the appointment.
- Complete student interview form and bring to your appointment
- The student and the Learning Disability Specialist will discuss students documentation, eligibility for services and accomodation needs.
- An appointment to assist with admission and registration may be made prior to an accomodation appointment
Step 2: Accomodation Appointment
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After registering for classes the student meets with the Learning Disability Specialist to discuss specific accommodation needs for the semester and completes required letters for professors.
- A study strategy appointment may be scheduled at this time; however, these appointments are on a first come, first serve basis.
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Students Served
The Student Disability Services (SDS) Office provides services for students with documented disabilities, including, but not limited to learning disabilities, sensory impairments, mobility/orthopedic, chronic health-related disabilities.
A student with a mental health disability should contact Kellie Byrd-Danso in the Counseling Office for assistance.
Please note that the SDS Office does not provide services under the IDEA; therefore, the SDS Office does not provide a special education curriculum. We do provide reasonable accommodations on an individualized basis, unless such accommodations fundamentally alter the essential nature of a course or program of study.
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Services Include
Course selection registration, and orientation assistance; accessibility information; study skills assistance, when requested; identification and provision of course and testing accommodations and auxiliary aids; provision of sign language interpreters, readers, note takers, and scribes; equipment loans -CD players, AlphaSmart laptops, etc.; liaison between faculty and college departments.
Note: The Student Disability Services Office does not provide personal assistance or equipment, i.e. transportation to the College, homework assistance, tutoring, typing services, hearing aides, etc.
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Eligibility for Services
The SDS Office requests current documentation of a student's disability from a qualified professional, which includes the name and address of the professional. The documentation must establish the existence of a disability, the need for accommodation and suggested accommodations. Additionally, documentation for the various disabilities should include the following:
- Learning Disability: A comprehensive psycho-educational test battery that includes a diagnosis and a statement of academic limitations based on the disability and a current copy of an IEP.
- Mobility/Orthopedic or Chronic Health-Related Disability: A statement of the disabling condition(s); functional limitations; degree and range of functioning for a chronic or progressive condition; and prescribed medications, dosages, schedules, and side effects.
- Hearing Impairment/Deafness: An audiological examination that includes a diagnosis with etiology, degree, type, configuration of loss, and functional limitations.
- Visual Impairment: An eye examination that includes a diagnosis, visual acuity, and functional limitations.
- Mental Health Disability: A diagnostic report stating the DSM IV diagnosis and the measurements/procedures used for the diagnosis; characteristics and functional limitations of the individual; and prescribed medications, dosages, schedules and side effects.
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Student Disability Services and ADA Staff
Toni Page, Learning Disability Specialist
Long Wharf Campus, Room 152
(203) 285-2234
tpage@gwcc.commnet.edu
Amy Napierski, Learning Disability Specialist
Long Wharf Campus, Room 151
(203) 285-2251
anapierski@gwcc.commnet.edu
Robbin Airault
(203) 285-2231
rairault@gwcc.commnet.edu
For Mental Health Disabilities
Kellie Byrd-Danso
Counseling Office
Long Wharf Campus, Room 113
(203) 285-2094
kdanso@gwcc.commnet.edu
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It is the policy of Gateway Community College that no person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise discriminated against under any program, including employment, on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex age, national origin, ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, genetic information, marital status, mental disability, genetic information, marital status, mental retardation, sexual orientation, learning disability, pregnancy, physical disability, including, but not limited to blindness, or prior criminal record, political beliefs, or veteran status.