Current Student Forms | FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I obtain Access Center (disability) services?
All services for students with disabilities are on an individual basis, this ensures a student's specific disability needs will be accommodated reasonably and successfully. It is the student's responsibility to self-identify in the Access Center and provide documentation of their disability to the Access Center very early in their admission/acceptance process. Confidentiality will be maintained. It will be necessary to make an appointment in the Access Center to evaluate a student's needs and to become oriented with the services and accommodations provided according to a student's documentation. The Access Center has three offices. Students with disabilities on the Rome and Heritage Hall campus will be served at the Access Center - Rome (Wilma Maynard 706-802-5003). Students with disabilities on the Cartersville and Carrollton campuses will be served at the Access Center - Cartersville (Sheryl Ballenger 678-872-8100). Students with disabilities on the Marietta campus at SPSU will be served at the Access Center - Marietta (Diane Renfrow 678-915-5021).
Do I have to have an appointment to discuss my disability documentation or accommodations?Yes, since accommodations are based on your personal documentation an appointment is necessary to allow time to discuss your situation and provide time for the appropriate forms to be completed.
Is testing available if I think I have a disability?Students enrolled in a USG school are eligible to be tested through the Regents Center for Learning Disorders at Georgia State University for a fee. Testing can also be conducted by a private Psychologist or Psychiatrist if they follow the BOR criteria (http://www.gsu.edu/rcld/BORWEB/introduction.htm).
Will instructors give accommodations or extended testing time if I just tell them about my disability?Instructors do not provide accommodations for students with disabilities unless a student has followed the procedures for self-identifying and providing qualifying documentation to the Access Center. Once a student is approved for accommodations, the Access Center will provide the student with an Accommodation Letter to take to their instructors.
Who do I contact to request my Accommodation Letter to take to my instructors?Contact the Access Center to request your Accommodation Letter. This should be done before the semester or very early in the semester.
I have been approved for extended testing time through the Access Center.Testing Accommodations are approved by the Access Center, but administered by the faculty. Please discuss possible arrangements with your instructor. Instructors may proctor their own tests and provide extended time. The testing rooms in Rome, Cartersville, and Marietta are available to assist some faculty in providing this accommodation.
I have agreed to be a notetaker for a student with a disability in class. How do I get my notes copied?The Access Centers or the GHC main offices at the Cartersville, Marietta, and ATP campuses should allow volunteer student notetakers to make copies of their notes in the office. Neither the notetaker nor the student should be charged for the copies. The notetaker can deliver the copies to the student in the next class period.
Who do I talk to if I am not getting my accommodations?All concerns about accommodations should be discussed with the instructor and/or the Access Center.
Are employees of Georgia Highlands College accommodated through the Access Center?In regard to matters pertaining to compliance with provisions for the Americans with Disability Act, the Director of Human Resources has been designated as the institutional officer responsible for assuring compliance in matters relating to employment and employees. The Director of Disability Support has been designated as the institutional officer responsible for compliance with all other ADA requirements.
Please direct other questions about disability issues to:
The Access Center - Cartersville
Sheryl Ballenger, Director of Disability Support
sballenger@highlands.edu
678-872-8100 Voice
706-802-5123 TTY
678.872.8013 Fax