Student Accessibility Services

Forms

• Student Accessibility Services Consent to Release Information
• Request for Accommodations
• Disability Verification Form

How to Get Accommodations

Students wanting to receive accommodations for their Blue Ridge Community College classes must register with the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) office. Students need to provide SAS with disability documentation and complete the request for accommodations form and accommodation agreement form.

Accommodation Forms:
You can complete your request for accommodations either:

1. In person at the SAS office: Sink Building – 130 Eagles Reach Dr. Flat Rock, NC 28731 
2. Electronically via AdobeSign:
   • Request for Accommodations
   • Accommodation Agreement

Disability Documentation:
With regards to disability documentation, there are several options:

1. Have your treatment provider complete the SAS Disability Verification Form.
2. 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. 

Documentation can be submitted in-person at the SAS office (SINK 125), via fax: (828) 696-1405 or via email: access@blueridge.edu. Any documentation submitted to SAS is strictly confidential and will not be visible to or shared with any other Blue Ridge Community College faculty or staff.

Please note: An Individual Educational Plan (IEP) / 504 Plan from a public school may help establish a history of accommodations. However, it may not be 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 accommodations based on numerous diagnoses, including but not limited to: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Anxiety, Depression, Auto-Immune conditions, Visual Impairments, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 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

TalkCampus – An online, global mental health community for students

Safe, anonymous peer support. Connect with millions of students from around the world to talk about the ups and downs of life.
No judgement, just real conversations with a global community of students like you.

• Instant support, even at 2 a.m. in the morning
• Post, instant chat, groups, journalling & wellness
• Your anonymous safe place, with 24/7 real-time moderation
• Speak to a therapist right away if you are struggling

Use your normal student email to create a free account.
Student life can be tough, you don’t need to go it alone.

Download TalkCampus today

Screen Readers

A screen reader is a software program that reads aloud the text displayed on a computer or mobile screen.

1. NVDA(NonVisual Desktop Access)
   • NVDA is a FREE open-source screen reader software.
   • Requires download: Download NVDA for free.
   • Support for Windows Operating Systems, 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.
   • Ability to run entirely from a USB flash drive or other portable media without the need for installation.
   • Ability to run on Windows logon and other secure screens *including Respondus LockDown Browser.
2. Narrator
   • Hear what is on your screen with Narrator, Windows built-in screen reader.
   • To launch Narrator, press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter. To stop the narrator, press these keys once more. The Windows logo key is typically found on the keyboard’s bottom row of keys, either to the left or right of the Alt key.
   • To access Narrator settings, use the Windows logo key + Ctrl + N. Then, switch the toggle next to Use Narrator.
   • For more information see: Windows 11 Complete Guide to Narrator.
3. VoiceOver
   • Screen reader built into macOS.
   • To turn on VoiceOver, do any of the following:
     • Press Command-F5. If VoiceOver is on already, pressing the keys turns it off.
     • Use Siri. Say something like: “Turn VoiceOver on” or “Turn VoiceOver off.”
     • Go to System Settings, then click Accessibility in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down). Click VoiceOver, then turn VoiceOver on or off.
   • For more information see: VoiceOver User Guide.

Captions

1. Windows 11
   • Live captions automatically transcribe spoken content from any audio, even the microphone, so you can caption apps and even an in-person conversation.
   • To turn on live captions, do one of the following:
     • Turn on Live captions in the quick settings (to open quick settings, select the battery, network, or volume icon on the taskbar).
     • Turn on the Live captions toggle in the quick settings Accessibility flyout.
     • Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + L.
     • Select Start > All apps > Accessibility > Live captions.
     • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and turn on the Live captions toggle.
   • More information can be found in Microsoft’s support article: Use live captions to better understand audio.
2. MacOS
   • Live Captions gives you a real-time transcription of spoken audio, allowing you to easily follow the audio in any app, such as FaceTime or Podcasts, as well as live conversations around you. Audio is processed on device.
   • Turn Live Captions on or off:
     • On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Live Captions. (You may need to scroll down).
     • Turn Live Captions on or off.
   • More information can be found in the Mac User Guide: Get live captions of spoken audio on Mac.

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 MyCanvas. 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.

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.