Disability Support Services

1. Provide proof of disability. New DSS students must self-identify and provide proof of disability when requesting accommodations or seeking services. Your documentation must support the accommodation requested and provide information on how your documented disability will impact your learning or college experience. If you have a medical or physical disability, then we will ask for a letter from your doctor or provider. If you have a learning disability or processing disability, then we will ask to see a psychological report with recommendations. You can submit documentation to DSS@pgcc.edu. You can also request accommodations electronically by logging into Accommodate (Click Here) and uploading your documents. For general questions and to attend an orientation, send an email to DSS@pgcc.eduor contact Lynne S. Dean-Colfack at 301-546-0838 or Adamsols@pgcc.edu.
2. Attend a New DSS Student Orientation. This orientation is separate from the New Student Orientation (NSO) for the college as it will specifically focus on helping students with disabilities learn about the role of our DSS office, how to request accommodations at the college, and how to engage faculty regarding academic accommodations. It will also speak to using self-advocacy as a tool in college. Contact the Disability Support Services office at 301-546-0838 or DSS@pgcc.edu to receive a list of our virtual and in-person orientation dates.
3. Register and pay for your classes. Once you have registered and paid for classes, forward a copy of your paid tuition bill to Disability Support Services at DSS@pgcc.eduat least one month prior to the beginning of classes.  If you are receiving financial aid, kindly submit a copy of your registration statement as this will also show your course registration. Students are encouraged to take a manageable courseload. 
4. Request a DSS Intake meeting. Students are required to have an intake meeting to discuss how their disability will impact them at college, their role as a student, and learn about college resources. DSS staff with work with the student to determine their eligibility for services and accommodations. Documentation of disability will be key for this meeting and subsequent discussions. Students can request a virtual or in-person meeting by contacting the DSS office at 301-546-0838 or emailing DSS@pgcc.edu.
5. Sign their DSS Services Procedure Form. Students will also need to have a signed DSS Services Procedure Form on file prior to receiving services (click here to review) and submit it to DSS@pgcc.edu. This form will further outline specific DSS protocols for students with disabilities regarding their disability at the college and engaging faculty.
6. Receiving an Accommodation Letter or Student/Faculty Accommodation Form. Once a student has been determined to be eligible for services as a student with a disability and has completed our intake process, an accommodation letter will be sent to their professors. This accommodation letter or form will highlight the recommended or approved accommodations. The student and professor will discuss their approved accommodations based on their syllabus and departmental expectations. This is the final process, and this process will occur each semester.

Returning DSS students can request accommodations electronically by logging into Accommodate (Click Here) and completing the steps. For other questions or disability-related advising, they can call the office at 301-546-0838 or email Adrienne Moore at thomasad@pgcc.edu or Thomas Mays at maysto@pgcc.edu. 

• Psychological report (full write-up) with recommendations
• Woodcock-Johnson Battery-Revised (full report preferred)
• Neuropsychological evaluation
• Psychological report (full write-up)
• Letter from a doctor (with diagnosis, functional limitations, and educational limitations)

Read the full Documentation Guidelines here.

Note: Academic accommodations are designed to provide each student with equal access in the classroom and do not change the academic standards, requirements, and code of conduct required of all students. Academic accommodations are not retroactive and will begin once a student has completed the intake process and eligibility for services has been determined.

For students who are recent high school graduates, there are some important differences between high school and college in the provision of support services and accommodations.

• Students will be moving from entitlement to services (mandatory accommodations) to eligibility for services (having to request accommodations). This means that it is likely that students will not receive all of the accommodations they enjoyed in high school. However, they will have many support services available to them on campus such as tutoring, academic advising, and mentoring. Students will also be expected to read and write at high levels, increase their independence, ask for support (self-advocacy skills), and seek out resources. Resources available at Prince George's Community College include the library (Accokeek Hall); the tutoring, writing, and grammar center (Lanham Hall, Room 114A); the math assistance lab (Bladen Hall, Room 108); and various computer labs throughout campus.
• Students will be viewed as adults responsible for decisions regarding their academic program and use of services. Students will be responsible for notifying the Disability Support Services office (Lanham Hall, Room 101A) as to the nature of their disability and work with DSS staff to identify appropriate accommodations. Students may call the DSS office to set up an initial interview appointment with the DSS program director or counselor after they have registered and paid for classes. Additionally, they have a right to a private and confidential meeting without the presence of a parent or guardian.
• Students are responsible for providing all documentation supporting their disability, particularly in cases where the disability is not obvious. The college does not offer a psychoeducational assessment to establish the existence of a learning disability. It is very important that students keep copies of any psychoeducational testing results done in high school.
• Students who are requesting a sign language interpreter or note-taker services must contact DSS one month before classes start. The student must have already registered and paid for classes at the time they make the request. Note: Services will not be scheduled until courses have been paid in full and verified by a show of a paid tuition bill. Failure to follow the above process could delay the provision of a requested accommodation.
• Because federal law requires confidentiality of student records, DSS staff cannot release to parents information regarding a student's grades, attendance, use of support services, etc., unless the student has given the college written permission to do so.
• DSS does not provide personal care attendants to students for liability reasons. Personal needs that necessitate an attendant are the responsibility of the student.
• Academic accommodations are not retroactive and will begin once a student has completed the intake process and eligibility for services has been determined. 
• Note: Students may experience a delay in receiving auxiliary services (i.e., interpreting, note taking, recorded textbooks, etc.) for both credit courses and classes if they register late and do not provide adequate documentation to support reasonable accommodations. 

Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis after consultation with the DSS program director or rehabilitation counselor specialist. Possible services may include:

• Academic, personal, transfer, and career counseling to students;
• Sign language interpreters (staff and contract interpreting agencies);
• Note-taking services;
• Wheelchair accessible desks/tables;
• Extended test time and alternate testing locations (quiet environment);
• Permission to tape record class lectures;
• Recorded textbooks, as needed;
• Support services to students with visual, physical, sensory, and psychological disabilities;
• Referrals to community agencies; and
• Use of adaptive technology.

Download the Disability Support Services Procedures form.