Disability Services
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is committed to providing educational opportunities to all students. KCTCS Accessibility/Disability Services Representatives ensure that students with documented disabilities have equal access to all areas of a post-secondary education as required by the guidelines of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Students with Disabilities Policy Statement
Students with documented disabilities requiring individualized accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Representative at their Home College. Once the student has contacted the Disability Resource Representative at the Home College, that Representative will communicate with the student's instructors and/or the Disability Resource Representative at the Delivering College in order to coordinate and/or provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to the student.
KCTCS Accessibility/Disability Services Representatives
- Ashland's Disability Services
- Big Sandy's Accessibility Services
- Bluegrass's Accessibility Services
- Elizabethtown's Accessibility Services
- Gateway's Accessibility Services
- Hazard's Accessibility Services
- Henderson's Accessibility Services
- Hopkinsville's Accessibility Services
- Jefferson's Accessibility Services
- Madisonville's Accessibility Services
- Maysville's Accessibility Services
- Owensboro's Accessibility Services
- Somerset's Accessibility Services
- Southcentral's Accessibility Services
- Southeast's Accessibility Services
- West Kentucky's Accessibility Services
Accommodations
If you have a diagnosed disability and need accommodations, each college in the KCTCS System has specialized services to help you with your specific situations. Contact the Accessibility/Disability Services Office at your home college for accommodations specific to your needs.
- Access to course materials
- Alternative forms of textbooks
- American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter services
- Assistive technology
- Closed captioning
- Extra time to complete assignments or exams
- Exams needing to be read orally, dictated, or typed
- Note taking
- Quiet space for taking tests
- Readers
- Recording lectures
- Scribe services
To request accommodations, students should following the steps below, in the order listed.
- Contact the KCTCS Accessibility/Disability Services Office at your college for specific instructions.
- Provide appropriate documentation of your physical, mental, health-related and/or learning disability.
- Submit an Accommodation Request.
- Schedule a meeting with the Accessibility/Disability Services Representative to discuss individual needs and develop a plan for appropriate accommodations.
- Once approved for services and an accommodation plan is created, the Accessibility/Disability Services Office will send letters of accommodation(s) to you and your instructors.
- During the semester, if any changes are made to your course schedule or your accommodations need adjustment, contact your college's Accessibility/Disability Service Office.
- Prior to the next semester, contact Accessibility/Disability Services to ensure accommodations continue.
Reminders
- Connect with the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) early to determine eligibility to receive the testing needed for disability documentation and assistance with purchasing assistive technology.
- Accommodation requests should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. However, you can request accommodations at any time. Keep in mind, untimely requests may result in delayed accommodations. Some accommodations (such as American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services and electronic textbooks) require more notice and should be requested several weeks before the semester begins.
- Accommodations are not retroactive; they start after your instructors have received your letter of accommodation(s). Accommodations can be used on coursework from that point forward.
- If you feel comfortable talking with your instructors, you may want to schedule a meeting with your instructors to discuss the implementation of the assigned accommodation(s).
As a Dual Credit student your college level courses may be at a high school, college, or online. If your course is located
- At a high school and taught by a high school teacher, your high school will provide accommodations according to your Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan.
- At a high school, college, or online and taught by a college instructor (or adjunct instructor) - the college Accessibility/Disability Services Office will provide accommodations. Contact your college's Accessibility/Disability Services Office to request accommodations. See the section above, "How Do I Request Accommodations?"
Accommodations offered by colleges could differ significantly from those offered by high schools. Colleges are not required to provide the types of accommodations that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans in K-12 offer.
Resource Guide
If using assistive technologies, you may need help with some of the applications used within your courses. Keep this Student Accessibility Resource Guide handy.