Fort Valley State University

Director, Alfred N. Conteh
Secretary, Audrey A. Quichocho
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.
Location: Health Services Center, Rooms 2, 3, 4.
Telephone Numbers: (478) 825-6357/6744
Fax Number (478) 822-1067

The Differently Abled Services Center (DASC) is administratively a part of the Department of Student Affairs. The mission of the Differently Abled Services Center is to increase retention for students with learning disorders by ensuring equal treatment, opportunity, and access for persons with impairments and/or disorders. The center provides support services which assist students with learning disorders in the attainment of their academic as well as personal potential.

Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act define a Differently Abled person as someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. Such a person must have a record of the impairment or regarded as having such impairment.

Fort Valley State University will grant reasonable accommodations and provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services to ensure all qualified students achieve access to its programs and services.

Among the services provided are the following:

• Advocating with and for students with learning disorders on campus and in the community
• Promoting and initiating institutional initiatives to ensure
• complete environmental access to students with learning disorders and physical impairments.
• Distributing accurate information about learning disorders and serving as a liaison and resource for those who study the sociological, psychological, and environmental aspects of the culture of people with learning disorders.
• If feasible, a quiet environment for exams.
• Extended test/exam time, usually time and a half, but up to twice the typically allotted depending on individual diagnosis.
• Individual academic, personal and vocational counseling
• Individual tutorial services
• Note taking
• Registration assistance
• Communication with faculty about learning disorder needs
• Peer support groups for the development of academic strategies and psycho-social adjustment.
• Computer resources for additional academic development.
• Taped books where available
• New student orientation assistance
• Community referrals
• Family consultation with approval of the student
• Faculty and staff consultation