Accommodations provided at Jackson State are determined using federal guidelines and best practices. Federal guidelines on disability accommodations at colleges and universities are not the same as those for high schools. Colleges do not have to make adjustments that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program, or activity, or that would result in a significant financial or administrative burden. Accommodations that a student receives at Jackson State or any other college might be quite different than those provided in high school.
Because each student and each class are different, accommodations can be different between students and classes. Examples of some common accommodations follow.
Test Accommodations
Alternate test accommodations are available when results from the usual testing method are likely to reflect a student's disability rather than their level of achievement. Test accommodations are arranged on an individual basis considering the nature of their disability, test format, and a sense of what is fair and reasonable for the circumstances. Students who most frequently use test accommodations include those with learning, visual, motor, hearing, and psychological disabilities.
Students requesting testing accommodations must complete the process to register with the JSCC Disability Resource Center (DRC), obtain an accommodation form from the DRC, and discuss the accommodations with each instructor. This process should be completed at the beginning of the academic term, but no less than one week prior to a test date.
Test accommodations are coordinated by the DRC staff, individual faculty member, and the testing staff in the Academic Assistance Center (AAC). Testing in the AAC should be scheduled at least 36 hours in advance whenever possible.
Test accommodations may include:
- Extended time
- Low stimulus environment
- Large print
- Reader or text-to-speech technology
- Scribe
Auxiliary Aids
Auxiliary aids include interpreters, readers, note-takers, alternate-format educational materials, recorders, or other software or equipment needed by some students to ensure equal educational opportunity. The DRC is responsible for arranging appropriate aids when requested by students with sufficient advance notice. The college pays for academic aids deemed necessary for a student's educational access if they are not available from another source; however, it does not pay for personal aids such as attendant care or individually prescribed devices of a personal nature.
Academic Adjustments
The DRC is responsible for assisting qualified students with modifications and adjustments to allow academic access and ensure that requirements do not discriminate on the basis of a disability. Requirements that are essential to the program of instruction and therefore cannot be adjusted are not considered to be discriminatory.