Access Center

The Access Center is committed to assisting students with disabilities in obtaining equal access and opportunity to all programs and activities of Georgia Highlands College. The Access Center coordinates support services, provides education for faculty and staff, and serves as an advocate for the student. The Center also assists the student in developing independence and responsibility

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), guarantee persons with disabilities protection from discrimination based on disability. These laws, as pertaining to post-secondary education, protect qualified students (one who meets all the academic and technical standards of admission) in the areas of admission, recruitment, academic requirements, financial and non-academic services.

Students who have been accepted for admission to Georgia Highlands College and have a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity are entitled to nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodations. Following are some of the disabilities accommodated at Georgia Highlands College: mobility impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, learning disorders, attention deficit disorder, acquired brain injury, psychological disorders, and chronic health conditions.

Students at Georgia Highlands College must meet the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the program of study. Incoming students with apparent course work deficiencies due to a disability should contact the Director of Disability Support in the Access Center at (706) 802-5003. Consideration may be given to the substitution or modification of certain course requirements while not detracting from the intent and quality of the educational experience. Such substitutions or modifications must be approved by the Director of Disability Support, Department Chair, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the curriculum committee through a deliberative process.

How to receive accommodations:

Once accepted, the student must self-identify in the Access Center in order to receive services. The student must provide documentation of the disability from a qualified professional. An intake interview is conducted so that the student and the Access Center staff can discuss individual needs and determine appropriate accommodations. The Board of Regents has established criteria in regard to documentation of cognitive disabilities such as learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder. These criteria are available from the Access Center or on the Regents Center for Learning Disorders website:

http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwrld/index.htm

For more information about the Access Center and services for students with disabilities, please call (706) 802-5003 V or (706) 802-5123 V/TDD or visit our website at http://www.highlands.edu/accesscenter.

Course Substitution - CPC Foreign Language

Consideration may be given to the substitution or modification of certain course requirements while not detracting from the intent and quality of the educational experience. Such substitutions or modifications of the CPC foreign language requirement are possible for students with learning disabilities with recommendation from the Georgia Board of Regents’ Center for Learning Disorders or an outside recommendation provided that it meets the Georgia Board of Regents’ Center criteria for documentation or for students with hearing impairment. Once a CPC foreign language substitution is recommended, approval must be granted by the Georgia Highlands College Director of Disability Support, Program Advisor, and the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Georgia Highlands College ascertains that the point of learning a foreign language is not just to learn a spoken language but also to learn another culture and/or way of life. Georgia Highlands College options that fulfill this premise are American Sign Language courses. Permission for substitution of American Sign Language as a substitution in Foreign Language requirements could be granted to students with the aforementioned qualifying disabilities. If granted, the student should be allowed a substitution in Foreign Language requirements and be made aware of the following statements and provide signature of their informed consent:

Georgia Highlands College has agreed to substitute our normal foreign language requirement based on your disability.

You have been advised that this substitution is only applicable at Georgia Highlands College and is not binding on any other college within the University System.

You understand that a course substitution may ultimately affect further studies at other colleges and universities including graduate studies.

Once approval is granted and the student has been made aware of the statements and provided signature of informed consent, the Registrar will be notified of the allowed substitution by the Director of Disability Support. It is the student’s responsibility to register for the approved substitute ASL course(s) to fulfill CPC Foreign Language substitution credit.