Disability Support Services
Mandate/Mission Statement
Cape Fear Community College will be responsible for assuring that students with disabilities have equal, effective and meaningful access to all programs, goods and services through the use of nondiscriminatory policies and procedures, and the provision of reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services as indicated necessary by the functional limitations of a qualified disability.
Authority
Services are provided in compliance with The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its attachments, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
Location
The main office of Disability Support Services is located in Room A215 in the Galehouse building at the downtown campus. The mailing address is 411 N. Front Street, Wilmington, NC 28401. Contact information is as follows:
Susan Dermid, Coordinator
Send email Phone: 910-362-7012
Gwen Morris, Assistant Coordinator
gmorris@cfcc.edu Phone: 910-362-7158
Fax: 910-362-7080
Disability Support Services is also located in Room 100D in the McKeithan Center at the north campus. To ensure availability, please call the downtown office to make an appointment if you must be seen at the north campus location.
Disability Defined
A disability is an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity(ies). The major categories of disabilities that Disability Support Services provides accommodations for (but are not limited to) the following:
- Visual Impairment
- Hearing Impairment
- Physical/Mobility Impairment
- Learning Disability
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Chronic Medical Condition (i.e., asthma, seizure disorders, neurological condition)
- Psychological/Psychiatric Condition
Student Responsibilities
To qualify for disability support services, students must furnish up-to-date documentation of their disabilities (click on this section for more information regarding documentation requirements), and must make disclosures of their requests for reasonable and effective accommodations to Disability Support Services. If classroom adaptations, interpreters, or academic aides are necessary to participate in class, advanced notice of 4 weeks is required to coordinate such services.
Students are also encouraged to apply for support services through the N.C. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the N.C. Commission for the Blind and/or the Veteran's Administration, etc. Additional medical/psychological evaluations may be requested if current documentation is not up-to-date or if accommodations requested are not supported by the documentation. Students will receive an accommodation checklist from Disability Services. Based on the students documented needs, and it will be their responsibility for communicating eligibility for these or other reasonable accommodations confidentially to their instructors via this form. No accommodations will be provided without these forms being distributed to instructors.
Files in the Disability Support Services office are purged on a continual basis. Since documentation of a disability is usually not considered current after a period of five years from the initial eligibility date, all files that exceed five years old are destroyed. Students who wish to reapply for services after the five-year limit must furnish updated documentation of their disability with associated current functional limitations and requests for accommodations.
Services
Services may include, but are not limited to:
- Personal, academic and career counseling
- Accommodations for class requirements
- Accommodations for testing
- Interpreter support services
- Academic aid support services
- Priority registration
- Auxiliary aids such as assistive listening devices, camcorders, video enlargers, computer hardware software support equipment
- Coordination of all disability support resources
- Student advocacy
- Transfer/transition services
- Elevator priority, if needed
- Note takers
- Tutoring through the LRC Learning Lab
- Books in alternative formats
Personal Attendant
Cape Fear Community College makes every reasonable effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. In keeping with this commitment, personal attendants who accompany individuals with disabilities documented through Disability Services will be allowed entrance into the classroom. Students must sign and file with Disability Services a copy of the Personal Attendant Policy.
Parking
Parking is available on the contiguous Wilmington streets via the use of North Carolina DMV handicapped parking placards/tags and in designated areas in CFCC parking lots. Temporary accessible parking may be provided via documentation of need to the CFCC Business Office.
Service Dogs
Service dogs are permitted with appropriate documentation of certification and need.
Grievance Procedure
Grievances based on discrimination, accommodation issues and/or denial of services based on disability are to be filed initially with the Coordinator of Disability Services at A215 in the Galehouse building. If this action does not result in satisfaction of the problems within the standards of CFCC's policies and procedures and/or the standards of the class/curriculum, then students may appeal decisions under the guidelines of the General Grievance Procedures outlined in the Student Catalog/Handbook.
Seizure Disorders
Students with a history of seizures may request CFCC to follow protocol other than 911/EMS intervention in the event of a seizure at school. They must register with Disability Services and file a written, signed order for alternative responses. This personal response protocol will not rule out use of EMT services if the student's medical needs exceed alternate procedures management levels.
Evacuation Procedures
In the event of fire or other physical threat, students with ambulatory disabilities are to go with or without assistance to the nearest stairwell area. Faculty and staff will assist with evacuation management efforts until such time as the Wilmington Police and Fire Departments arrive on scene to assist in student evacuation from the building. Elevators are not to be used for evacuation by any persons. Emergency evacuation devices for non-ambulatory persons are located at the upper levels of the stairs in the "N" and "L" buildings, and the Student Development office in the McKeithan Center.
TTYs
There are three Teletypewriters for deaf students available in the following locations:
Downtown Campus: Galehouse Bldg. room A-215 (Disability Support Office) 910-362-7098
"L" Bldg. 2nd floor (Learning Resource Center) 910-362-7284
North Campus: McKeithan Center (Learning Resource Center) 910-362-7551
Support Resources (Equipment)
Support resources include, but are not limited to the following:
- Remote keyboards in computer labs
- Adjustable height tables
- Portable lecterns
- Video-eye magnification equipment
- Zoom text capability in all computer hardware units
- Kurzweil 3000 scanner/reader with (10) additional read only stations
- Romeo Embosser hardware and Duxbury for Windows software for Braille translation
- JAWS for Windows audio software for word processing and internet applications
- Raised line stylus equipment for tactile expressions
- FM assistive listening systems
- Trackball mouse units
- Keyboard splitters for dual keyboard utilization
- VCR and camcorder equipment
See also the list of available Assistive Technology resources.
Interpreter Guidelines
I.D.E.A. and A.D.A
Please note the similarities and differences between high school accommodations under I.D.E.A. and the post-secondary accommodations under A.D.A.
Temporary Disabilities
Although providing services and accommodations for persons with temporary disabilities is not the responsibility of the Disabilities Support Services office, and is not guaranteed by The Americans with Disabilities Act, whenever feasible, we will assist students dealing with the inconveniences that may accompany acute medical conditions. Services and accommodations are generally limited to contacting instructors, getting assignments/notes, helping with make-up exams, arranging for withdrawals/incompletes and assistance with accessible parking. These types of accommodations are approved at the discretion of the instructors and/or Department Chairs. Please be aware that absences are not exempted by disability. For more information, please contact the Disabilities Support Services Office.