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Special Needs
The Department of Special Needs Services provides academic support to GCC students who have documented disabilities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. The Department of Special Needs Services ensures GCC students receive appropriate accommodations which allow for academic success. Any questions regarding Section 504 or the ADA can be answered by Dennis Cook, Director of Special Needs Services, 856-415-2281,
e-mail - dcook@gccnj.edu .
Students who are interested in receiving special accommodations and/or auxiliary aids need to provide documentation specifying a disability. The documentation provided should include the following information: a diagnosis of a current disability, the date of the diagnosis, how the diagnosis was reached, the credentials of the professional, how the disability affects daily activities and/or how the disability affects academic performance. We also ask our students to fill out an information packet. To receive an information packet in the mail, please fill out the form located on the request packet link. More information about our accommodations can be found in the Department of Special Services Student Manual. Anyone interested in receiving a manual can stop by the Instructional Center, room 425. The Student Manual is also available online in Adobe Reader format by clicking here.
GCC students who have disabilities are not required to register with the Department of Special Needs Services. Registering with the department is done on a voluntary basis. Students with disabilities are encouraged to register with the department as soon as possible so they may take advantage of the special accommodations and auxiliary aids to which they are entitled. Special accommodations include but are not limited to: extended time on tests, a separate room to take tests, tests taken orally, tests taken with a reader, and tests taken with a scribe. Auxiliary aids include but are not limited to: note takers, tape recorders, talking calculators, large display calculators, Franklin® Spelling Ace, AlphaSmart® portable word processors, Kurzweil® software, JAWS® software, Inspiration® software, and Braille printers. More information about adaptive technology can be found on the technology link. Students are responsible for identifying which accommodations and auxiliary aids they require for academic support.
Students who register with the Department of Special Needs do so on a confidential basis. There is nothing in the student's transcript which indicates the student is registered with the department. The student's disability is not disclosed to the student's instructors. However, if the student needs accommodations in the classroom, letters are sent to the instructors notifying them the student is registered with the department. It is the student's choice whether or not to disclose the specifics of their disability to their instructors. Any questions regarding confidentiality, accommodations and auxiliary aids can be answered by calling the Department of Special Needs Services at 415-2265. Many questions can be answered by visiting the frequently asked questions link. You may also want to visit our links page and our staff page.