The Department of Special Services provides academic support to GCC students who have documented disabilities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. The Department of Special Services ensures GCC students receive appropriate accommodations which allow for academic success. Any questions regarding Section 504 or the ADA can be answered by Dennis Cook, Director of Special Services, 856-415-2281, e-mail - dcook@gccnj.edu .

GCC students who have disabilities are not required to register with the Department of Special Services. Registering with the department is done on a voluntary basis. However, students who are interested in receiving special accommodations must first register with our department.  There are three steps to registering with our department:

1. Complete and submit our Student Profile form.

This can be done online by clicking on Student Profile Form link.

1. Submit documentation to our office specifying student’s disability. 

In order to receive support services, the student must provide our office with documentation specifying his/her disability.  The documentation provided should include the following information:  a diagnosis with a written evaluation of a current disability, the date of the diagnosis, how the diagnosis was reached, the credentials of the professional, how the disability affects daily activities and/or how the disability affects academic performance.  By clicking on the following links, you can download a Special Education Records Release Form and/or a Medical Release Form to present to the student’s appropriate medical/educational care professional.

1. Contact our office to arrange a meeting with a member of our staff.

This meeting should be set up after the Student Profile Form and proper documentation have been submitted to our office and after student has completed the college’s basic skills placement entrance test. At this meeting, a plan of accommodation will be decided upon.  (Click on Special Accommodations for Placement Testing to determine whether student should arrange his/her placement test through our office or the placement testing office) 

Students desiring accommodations are encouraged to register with the department as soon as possible, so they may take advantage of any special accommodations and auxiliary aids to which they are entitled. Special accommodations include but are not limited to: extended time on tests, a separate room to take tests, and tests taken orally or with a reader or with a scribe. Auxiliary aids include but are not limited to: note takers, tape recorders, large display calculators, and Kurzweil® and JAWS® software.  More information about adaptive technology can be found on the technology link. Students are responsible for identifying which accommodations and auxiliary aids they require for academic support.

Students who register with the Department of Special Services do so on a confidential basis. There is nothing in the student's transcript which indicates the student is registered with the department. The student's specific special need is not disclosed to the student's instructors. However, if the student needs accommodations in the classroom, letters are sent to the instructors notifying them that the student is registered with the department. It is the student's choice whether or not to disclose the specifics of their special need to their instructors. Any questions regarding confidentiality, accommodations and auxiliary aids can be answered by calling the Department of Special Services at 856-415-2265. Many questions can be answered by visiting the frequently asked questions link. You may also want to visit our links page and our staff page.