Disability Support Services
HCC is committed to providing an accessible education and supportive learning environment for all students. A student, a or prospective student, with a disability may make an appointment with a counselor in the disability support services (DSS) office at any time for information and assistance. DSS counselors can assist a student through the application, advising and registration process. In order to receive academic accommodations, the student must provide appropriate documentation of the disability to this office. After an informational interview, the counselor and the student will discuss appropriate academic accommodations and sign an agreement. As a result of this, accommodation memos will be produced for each of the student's instructors. Every semester, the student will request accommodation memos online, the DSS office will produce them and they will be emailed to the student. Then the student will forward them to each instructor and have a discussion about how the accommodations will work in that particular class. Once this happens, the student can receive the accommodations. If requested, DSS counselors will assist in this conversation. All information provided will be kept confidential and will be used only to determine appropriate and reasonable academic accommodations.
Due to the difficulty of scheduling qualified sign language interpreters, it is highly recommended that students in both credit and non-credit classes needing interpreters work closely with the interpreter coordinator and complete early registration to give the college greater time to find an appropriate sign language interpreter. To request sign language interpreting services, please send an e-mail to hccinterpretingservices@howardcc.edu, call 443-539-8186 on the videophone or call (voice only) 443-518-3348. Interpreters are also available for college activities.
Services provided to students with documented disabilities include: advocacy, interpreters, notetaking assistance, test-taking accommodations, counseling, academic advising, and assistive technology. For further information regarding scheduling services, assistive technology, course substitutions, personal care attendants, service animals, the grievance process, or other concerns related to students with disabilities, please contact the DSS office at 443-518-1300 disabilitysupport@howardcc.edu, or in person in room RCF-302.
A noncredit student with disabilities who requires accommodations must e-mail workforce, career, and community education at hccinterpretingservices@howardcc.edu in a timely fashion, preferably at least two weeks before the first class begins, so that suitable assistance may be provided in a timely fashion. All information is kept confidential.