Welcome to the Student Accessibility Services Office at Blue Ridge Community College!
At Blue Ridge Community College, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all students. Our Student Accessibility Services Office (SAS) plays a crucial role in ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities, support services, and resources.
Mission Statement:
Our mission at the Student Accessibility Services Office is to empower students with disabilities to achieve their academic and personal goals by providing equitable access, support, and advocacy within the Blue Ridge Community College community.
Services are provided in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its attachments and the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended in 2008 (ADAAA).
Services:
Student Accessibility Services offers a range of services and accommodations to eligible students, including but not limited to:
- Academic accommodations, such as extended test-taking time and note-taking support.
- Accessible course materials, including textbooks in alternative formats.
- Assistive technology resources and training.
- Individualized counseling and support.
- Liaison services with faculty and staff to ensure accommodations are implemented effectively.
- ASL interpreters
Please note: students must register with Student Accessibility Services in order to receive academic accommodations. Students can register at any time. However, accommodations are not retroactive so students are encouraged to register prior to classes starting.
Contact Us
Carolyn Levine
Student Accessibility Services Coordinator
(828) 694-1813
Fax: (828) 696-2446
access@blueridge.edu
View Student Accessibility Services Office Hours
How to Get Accommodations
To register with Student Accessibility Services, students must provide SAS with disability documentation and complete the request for accommodations form.
- You have the option to submit your request for accommodations either in person at our office (SINK 125) or you can download the Request for Accommodations Form and send it via fax: (828) 696-2446 or via email: access@blueridge.edu.
- Have your treatment provider complete the SAS Disability Verification Form.
Or
- Submit copies of documentation that you already have. For example: Psychological Evaluation, CCA, Physician’s Notes, Inpatient/Discharge Summaries, Letter from your treatment provider, etc. For additional information on the required documentation, please contact the SAS office.
- Documentation can be submitted in-person at the SAS office (SINK 125), via fax: (828) 696-2446 or via email: access@blueridge.edu
Please note: An Individual Educational Plan (IEP) / 504 Plan from a public school may help establish a history of accommodations. However, it is not adequate on its own to document a disability.
Once documentation is received, SAS reviews it to ensure it supports the accommodations requested.
Documentation must support the accommodations requested! SAS will contact you if additional documentation is needed to support the accommodations you have requested.
- A diagnosis does not guarantee eligibility for every accommodation requested.
- Students can qualify for the same accommodations with different diagnoses:
- E.g. students can qualify for extended time on tests diagnosed with ADHD, Learning Disability, Anxiety, etc.
If it has been more than 3 business days since you have submitted documentation to the SAS office and you have not heard from a member of our staff, please contact us at (828) 694-1813 or access@blueridge.edu.
After your documentation is reviewed, SAS will contact you to schedule a meeting to develop your accommodation plan.
- Students are not considered to be registered with SAS until completion of this final meeting.
- Students will receive their accommodation letter at this meeting.
- Meetings are offered in-person, virtually, or over the phone.
Student Resources
Screen Readers and Reading Support Tools
Snap&Read + Co:Writer
All Blue Ridge students now have access to valuable learning tools provided by Don Johnston, a leading company in learning technology. Snap & Read is a reading assistant providing easy-to-understand text, study tools, and translation. Co-Writer has word prediction, speech recognition, and language support. Students are encouraged to utilize these tools free of charge by using their Blue Ridge credentials.
To access these learning tools, go to snapandread.com or cowriter.com.
Snap&Read Language Translation Quick Card
Co:Writer Language Translation Quick Card
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
NVDA is a FREE open source software screen reader software. Download NVDA.
- Support for popular applications including web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, email clients, internet chat software, music players, and office programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel
- Built-in speech synthesizer supporting over 55 languages, plus support for many other 3rd party voices
- Reporting of textual formatting where available such as font name and size, style and spelling errors
- Automatic announcement of text under the mouse and optional audible indication of the mouse position
- Support for many refreshable braille displays, including input of Braille via braille displays that have a braille keyboard
- Ability to run entirely from a USB flash drive or other portable media without the need for installation
- Easy to use talking installer
- Translated into more than 50 languages
- Support for modern Windows Operating Systems including both 32 and 64 bit variants
- Ability to run on Windows logon and other secure screens
- Announcing controls and text while interacting with gestures on touch screens
Tutoring
- Blue Ridge Community College’s Student Success Centers (SSC) provide academic support and tutoring to Blue Ridge Community College students in curriculum and developmental courses through the use of one-on-one instruction, peer and instructor tutoring, computerized instruction, and workshops. A Student Success Center instructor is always available, during Student Success Center open hours, to provide assistance.
- Outside of Blue Ridge’s hours and for added flexibility, all curriculum students on all campuses can receive free online tutoring through ThinkingStorm,. This live tutoring service is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
- How to Access:
- Log in to myCourses. Find the link to ThinkingStorm inside a course or in the footer under “Student Success.”
or - Log in to ThinkingStorm with Blue Ridge username and password.
- Log in to myCourses. Find the link to ThinkingStorm inside a course or in the footer under “Student Success.”
- How to Access:
Other Resources
- American Disabilities Act
- Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
- Accessibility: Apple Computer, Inc. offers information about Macintosh technology solutions for disabled children and adults.
- The Learning Disabilities Association of America: The Association’s publications state that the LDA “advances the education and general welfare of children and adults of normal or potentially normal intelligence who manifest handicaps of a perceptual, conceptual, or coordinative nature.”
- NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
- NC Division of Services for the Blind
- NC Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Student Accessibility Services Student Handbook
- Student Rights, Responsibilities and Grievance Process
- Student Accessibility Services FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
- Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
- SAP & Work-Life Services
- Youth Villages: Youth Villages provides a range of services in North Carolina including intensive in-home programs Intercept® and Multisystemic Therapy (MST), as well as LifeSet and High Fidelity Wraparound program models.
- Vaya Health: Managed Care Organization (MCO) for Western NC. Vaya manages services for people with behavioral health (mental health and substance use), I/DD, and TBI diagnoses.