Referral for Disability Services
Because they interact regularly and often with their students, instructors are many times the first to identify undocumented or unidentified students with disabilities. If you suspect a student may have a disability that is impacting his or her ability to perform well in your class, ask to talk to the student in private about his or her performance. Try to discover what the student’s barriers to success are and if the student experiences these in other classes or has in the past. Most students with disabilities that have been documented in their past will discuss with you at least some details of their disability at that point. Encourage the student to contact the Coordinator of Office of Disability Support Services at pamela.harrison@mac.edu to make an appointment to discuss eligibility and to see what accommodations might be available.
Some students with disabilities are not diagnosed until they are challenged by the rigors of college-level academics. A referral to the Office of Disability Support Services will help these students find resources for disability testing and evaluation that will provide a specific diagnosis and identify accommodations. Once the disability is documented the student may apply for disability services.
For more information, contact
Pamela Harrison,
Coordinator of Disability Support Services
ADA Compliance Officer
Jenkins Educational Complex (EC) Room 107
Email: pamela.harrison@mac.edu
Telephone: 217-479-7176
Fax: 217-479-7172
