Back to Top

STUDENT SERVICES

Learn more about our services, in-person hours and other resources.


Two students helping one another.

Disability Support Services at Anne Arundel Community College exists to ensure that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in educational and co-curricular offerings. We do this by providing reasonable and ethical accommodations consistent with ADA guidelines using an individualized, student-centered approach and modeling best practices through training, collaboration and engagement.

 Accommodations and services may include:

  • Note takers, readers and/or scribes
  • Testing accommodations
  • Books in alternative format
  • Sign language interpreters
  • Amplification systems
  • Computers equipped with software: Dragon Dictate, (voice recognition system for dictation), Zoom Text (system for enlarging test), Kurzweil Reader (system for scanning and producing text verbally), JAWS (computer screen reader)
  • Special parking areas equipped with curb cuts and ramps located close to classroom buildings (license tags for those with disabilities are obtained through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA)
  • TTY (telecommunications device for the deaf and hearing impaired)
  • Maryland Relay (800-735-2258 or 711)
  • CCTV (text enlarger)

Accessing Disability Support Services

All students must provide documentation of their disability to AACC and then meet with a Disability Support Services specialist.

Our office continues to provide support and services remotely.

Step 1: Gather and Submit Supporting Documentation

Make an appointment with a DSS specialist online or by emailing DSS@aacc.eduAt least four days before your appointment, submit your disability documentation by email to DSS@aacc.edu or fax to 410-777-4070.

Eligibility for accommodations and services from the Disability Support Services (DSS) office will be established when you present documentation of a disability:

Have your psychiatrist, psychologist and/or diagnosing physician submit a comprehensive evaluation report that diagnoses your disability along with the Disability Verification Form.

They will be required to provide documentation that:

  • Confirms diagnosis of your disability
  • Describes the difficulties and functional limitations in an educational setting because of your disability
  • Indicates the severity and longevity of the condition
  • Offers recommendations for treatment

Be sure the psychiatrist, psychologist or diagnosing physician is certified in the field of your disability and can be objective and relevant to the disability for which you are self-identifying. Challenges to the documentation will be made if a relative, immediate family member or friend of the family has conducted the evaluation.

If a comprehensive evaluation report that diagnoses your disability is not available, we still will require a completed Disability Verification Form from your psychiatrist, psychologist and/or diagnosing physician.

If you do not have documentation and do not have a resource for evaluation, call 410-777-1411 or email DSS@aacc.edu to make an appointment with the DSS office. The DSS specialists can provide you with evaluation referral resources.

Step 2: Submit Other Supporting Documentation

If you have secondary school information, such as an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan, email that information to DSS@aacc.edu.

Is documentation current and complete?

Written documentation and verification, including diagnosis of the disability and the appropriate tests administered, must be less than 3 years old so the DSS specialists can make the necessary decisions regarding accommodations. The nature of the disability will dictate the longevity of the documentation.

If the information is not a comprehensive evaluation or if the documentation is inadequate, a Disability Verification Form will be provided to the student and/or sent to the physician or other certified professional clinician to be completed and returned to DSS. 

Step 3: Meet with a DSS Specialist

On the day of your appointment, your Disability Support Services specialist will explain the accommodations and/or services available to you. DSS policies and procedures will be reviewed.

Step 4: Accommodation Notification Process

Once you meet with the DSS specialist and accommodations are established, notification emails will be sent to your professors listing your accommodations. A duplicate copy will be sent to your AACC email account for your records. You are responsible for contacting your professors to review your accommodations and discuss how they will be implemented.

Step 5: Renewing Accommodations

Continuing students must renew their accommodations request each term by completing the Accommodations Renewal form and returning it to the DSS office. No appointment is needed unless you are requesting different or additional accommodations.


Tuition Waivers

Learn more about Tuition Waivers for Students with Disabilities.

Questions?

We're here to help.

Disability Support Services

410-777-1411

Send Email

Disability Support Services Manual

In-Person Hours

Monday-Thursday
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

To schedule an appointment, call 410-777-1411 or go to our Bookings Calendar

Student Union (SUN) Room 140
101 College Parkway
Arnold, MD 21012

Our People

Dana Kieran, director
dmkieran@aacc.edu 

Kelly Sweeny, specialist
klsweeny@aacc.edu

Diane Tydings, student success specialist
dtydings@aacc.edu 

Mira Wachs, accessibility analyst
mawachs@aacc.edu