Ensuring Equal Access & Full Participation for All

SMCC is committed to providing accommodations and special services to our students with disabilities. If you have a disability, we can provide you with tools to help level the playing field and be successful.

On this page:

Meet With Us

If you have a disability, our experienced staff will:

  • Meet with you and provide you individual attention.
  • Perform a comprehensive intake interview and review your disability documentation, the nature of your disability and your area of study so that we can fully understand the challenges you face.
  • Work out a plan to deal with recognized challenges, attempting to put you on the same footing as your peers. This may mean extra time for testing, help with note-taking, quiet areas for testing, ASL interpreter services or other things depending on the nature of your disability.
  • Work with you in an open, friendly and respectful way. You will still have to meet academic expectations, but we will ensure that you will have reasonable access to the programs and services at the college.
  • Provide reasonable accommodations for the Accuplacer test.

Disability Services Resources

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA)

The ADA is one of America’s most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life — to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in state and local government programs and services. Modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin – and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the ADA is an “equal opportunity” law for people with disabilities.

To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.

Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973

No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

For more information on the ADAAA, visit the ADA website or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission webpage.

For information on transitioning and preparing for postsecondary education for people with disabilities, visit the Department of Education website.