Disability Services

Thank you for choosing Somerset Community College.  In order to help you be successful please review the following information that explains what you need in order to register with Disability Services.

Students must request accommodations from Disability Services to receive accommodations in the classroom. 

Somerset Community College does not have Individual Education Plans (IEP’s).  IEP’s and/or SSDI are not enough documentation to obtain accommodations.  We may not be able to provide all of the accommodations you were used to in high school; however, we do provide equipment for classroom use if necessary.

Items we are unauthorized to provide are listed below. We recommend contacting the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in Kentucky for assistance with these needs. They can be reached at:

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
275 East Main Street
Mail Drop 2-EK
Frankfort, KY 40621
Website: ovr.ky.gov

Phone: (502) 564-4440
Fax: (502) 564-6745
Toll-free: (800) 372-7172 (V/TTY)

Unauthorized Items

• Programs for the personal use
• Equipment for the personal use
• Personal assistants for personal needs
• Transportation to and from our campuses.

Accommodation Requirements for Students with Disabilities

A student needs a written verification of a disability.

Written verification of a disability can be accepted from:

• Medical Personal: Doctor Psychologist, Psychiatrist etc.
• A signed Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
• Therapist: Occupational, Physical, Speech, etc.

A letter is required which must be:

• Typed on the official letterhead of the diagnosing practitioner.
• It must show the license and/or certification of the practitioner.
• It must be a current letter or a recent evaluation. It is preferred that the evaluation should be with the last two years. For learning disabilities adult standards should be used.

The documentation of the disabilities should contain the following information:

• The nature of the disability. (A recognizable diagnoses)* 
• The date of the first diagnoses.
• Names of relevant test and the results.*
• Severity of the disability.
• The current method of treatment.
• Any recommendations that may help the student in the classroom.**

The questions are general question for all disabilities and depending on the disability you may not need to answer all the questions. The important information needed for all students is marked with * or **.

Once a disability is verified, the student will not need further verification of that disability.

For a student to receive accommodations, the student and staff of the Disabilities Office will discuss appropriate accommodations. The Disabilities Office will write a letter to the instructors stating the disability has been verified and the accommodations appropriate for that student. After the Disabilities Office and the student agree on the accommodations, the student will meet with the faculty members in each of his/her classes. The student and the faculty members will discuss and agree upon the implementation of the accommodations recommended by the Disability Office.

For more information regarding Somerset Community College’s Disability program, please contact:

Mary Petry
Disability Services Coordinator
Somerset Community College
(606) 451-6706 or 1-877-629-9722 ext. 16706 

Joe Cowan
Disability Services Staff
Wayne County
(606) 340-0064 or 1-877-629-9722 ext. 10064

Overview

The student and a staff member of the Disabilities Services will discuss appropriate accommodations. The Disabilities Office will write a letter to the instructors stating the disability has been verified and the accommodations appropriate for that student. After the Disability Service Staff member and the student agree on the accommodations, the student will meet with the faculty members in each of his/her classes. The student and the faculty members will discuss and agree upon the implementation of the accommodations recommended by the Disability Services.

If there is a change in the severity or if another disability other that the one reported is found, new documentation concerning that disability must be obtained. The student must report to Disability Services at the beginning of each semester they are taking classes so we can review the accommodations and if necessary make adjustments. The student will receive a new 504 plan letter for each semester and their current teachers will receive a copy of the new letter. We will send email to your student email account only. We will not send emails to any other email accounts for security reasons.