Accessibility Services

Accessibility Services (formerly Disability Support Services) assists students with qualified Physical, Learning, Sensory, Cognitive, and/or Psychological disabilities by identifying and coordinating reasonable accommodations for equal access to academic programs and activities.  

You are welcome to visit the Accessibility Services (AS) office at any time. It is recommended that you come to AS to discuss services and academic accommodation before taking the College Placement Test (CPT) or once you have registered for classes. Our office is located in the Manspeaker Building (2000), please check-in or contact the Welcome Center in room 2314. Services provided are available to students on main campus as well as the Riverview and Columbia Education Centers, as well as Stafford Creek Correctional Facility.

Section 504 and ADA, Section 508

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibit discrimination against students with disabilities. These laws state that no qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program, activity or services of any public entity. The 1998 amendment to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act specifically addresses equal access to electronic and information technology.

A student may have a physical and/or mental impairment, which may not be directly observable. The laws define a person with a disability as any person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing and learning. Some of the disabilities covered by legislation include AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, head injuries, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, psychiatric disorders, speech and visual impairments.

Grays Harbor College, as a public institution of higher education which receives federal assistance, is legally bound to prohibit discrimination in the recruitment process, the admission process and the educational process of students with disabilities.

Washington State RCW 28B.10.912 states "Each institution of higher education shall ensure that students with disabilities are reasonably accommodated within that institution. The institution of higher education shall provide students with disabilities with the appropriate core service or services necessary to ensure equal access."  Core Services include but are not limited to: early registration, textbooks in alternative format or alternative classroom accessibility, readers, scribes, note-takers, access to adaptive technology, etc.

Students with documented disabilities are entitled to receive approved modifications, appropriate academic adjustments or auxiliary aids that will enable them to participate in and have the opportunity to benefit from all educational programs and activities at Grays Harbor College.