Services are based on the individual need of each student and may include: ensuring a physically accessible environment; specialized academic advising; career counseling; supportive counseling; interpreters for students who are deaf or hard of hearing; specialized equipment (FM listening devices, TTY, adaptive computer hardware...); adaptive computer software (Dragon Naturally Speaking, Kurzweil 1000 and 3000, ZoomText, JAWS, MathType, Scientific Notebook...); recorded or electronic textbooks; enlarged, brailled or taped text; note taking; readers; writers/scribes; tutors; testing accommodations; and special parking permits.
In addition to these services, the DSS staff serve as liaisons with college faculty, staff and administrators, rehabilitation counselors, and other social service agencies. The DSS staff routinely work with community agencies on behalf of current and prospective students with disabilities. Regular contact is maintained with the Kentucky Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Office for the Blind, insurance or worker compensation case managers, rehabilitation centers, and adult education centers. Students are also assisted in transferring to other educational institutions and/or programs upon their request.
Full participation in the DSS program is encouraged from the initial admission contact throughout the student's academic career. Students are not segregated or labeled because of their disability but are encouraged to assume full responsibility in securing the reasonable accommodations needed for a particular academic program.
