Access Services

• Mental health disabilities (increasing across all US colleges)
• Anxiety, Depression, P.T.S.D.
• A.D.D./A.D.H.D.
• Dyslexia learning disabilities
• Processing disorders
• Autism
• Physical disabilities
• Chronic health disabilities
• Vision and hearing disabilities

Back to top

College level accommodations are intended to level the academic playing field for adult learners with disabilities. Accommodations:

• Do not guarantee success, but instead provide access
• Do not provide specialized instruction that is common within IEPs and 504 Plans;
• Do not modify college curriculum;
• Do not replace mastery of course and/or program outcomes, and;
• Are not retroactive

College Readiness for Students with Disabilities - For parents and educators

Getting Ready for College - Student One Pager

Back to top

• Each quarter, approximately 300 students are registered with Access Services and are eligible to receive accommodations.  
• The majority of students with disabilities at Tacoma Community College have non-apparent conditions, such as mental health challenges, learning disabilities, ADHD, chronic and acute medical conditions, and neurological disorders.  
• Remarkably, students who utilize Access Services are retained at a higher rate than their peers without disabilities, demonstrating the positive impact of our accommodations and support in promoting academic success. 

Back to top

The purpose of medical documentation is to help establish the presence of disability and need for accommodation services. TCC Access Services office works to follow AHEAD’s guidance on documentation guidelines. For more information, visit the AHEAD website. 

Students who do not have access to educational or medical records, reports and assessments created by health care providers, school psychologists, teachers, or the educational system, will be asked to fill out and return the disability declaration form to Access Services staff. This form is required and needs to be filled out prior to meeting with your accommodation specialist.

Sources and Forms of Documentation 

Acceptable sources of documentation for substantiating a student’s disability and request for particular accommodations can take a variety of forms: 

Primary Documentation: Student’s Self-report 

The student is a vital source of information regarding how he or she may be “limited by impairment.” (xi) A student’s narrative of his or her experience of disability, barriers, and effective and ineffective accommodations is an important tool which, when structured by interview or questionnaire and interpreted, may be sufficient for establishing disability and a need for accommodation. 

Secondary Documentation: Observation and Interaction 

The impressions and conclusions formed by higher education disability professionals during interviews and conversations with students or in evaluating the effectiveness of previously implemented or provisional accommodations are important forms of documentation. Experienced disability professionals should feel comfortable using their observations of students’ language, performance and strategies as an appropriate tool in validating student narrative and self-report. 

Tertiary Documentation: Information From External or Third Parties 

Documentation from external sources may include educational or medical records, reports and assessments created by health care providers, school psychologists, teachers, or the educational system. This information is inclusive of documents that reflect education and accommodation history, such as Individual Education Program (IEP), Summary Of Performance (SOP), and teacher observations (xii). External documentation will vary in its relevance and value depending on the original context, credentials of the evaluator, the level of detail provided, and the comprehensiveness of the narrative. However, all forms of documentation are meaningful and should be mined for pertinent information.

Back to top

In order to ensure sufficient time to make provisions for appropriate accommodations and auxiliary aid(s), students must request to activate accommodations in a timely manner. Ideally, renewal requests are completed before the start of the new quarter, or within the first week. Students not yet registered with Access Services must first complete a confidential intake appointment with a staff member to discuss and determine reasonable accommodations. 

Some accommodations take longer than others to implement. Below is a list of services and timeline for requests in most circumstances. If a request is submitted after the relevant deadline, Access Services will make every reasonable effort to activate but completed timeline may be adjusted based on submission date. 

Accommodations can be approved and activated throughout the quarter, but are not retroactive. Untimely requests may result in delay, substitutions or the inability to fulfill the request(s). 

1. Alternative Textbook Materials: It can take up to 3-6 weeks to locate required materials. Please submit textbook requests as early as possible. 
2. If other accessible instructional materials are required, such as video captions or other materials in Canvas, allow up to 5 business days. 
3. Assistive Technology and training: Please allow up to 5 business days for required tools and training to be provided. 
4. Communication Access: If you require A.S.L. or C.A.R.T. services please submit your request and class schedule as early as possible, ideally before the start of the quarter. 
5. Advance notice of 48 hours is required for individual requests such as events, tutoring sessions, meetings with professors, etc. 

Back to top

AIM Videos

• Request Approved Accommodations and View Student Message Center
• Request Alternative Format Textbook Materials

AIM Guides

• Request Approved Accommodations Instructions (.docx)
• Request Alternative Format Instructions (.docx)

Back to top