Types of Disabilities

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) is a neurologically-based medical problem. ADD/ADHD is a developmental disability characterized by inattention, impulsiveness and sometimes hyperactivity.

Blindness/Visual Impairments

Approximately 80 percent of all legally blind individuals have some usable vision. To accommodate visually-impaired students, Seminole State offers adaptive equipment and software for use on campus. Students with visual impairments should sit at the front of the class.

Deafness/Hearing Impairments

Disability Support Services (DSS) is proud to support the educational goals of students who are deaf or hard of hearing through an array of services and auxiliary devices. Seminole State College employs only the highest quality professional interpreters and captionists, and strives to remain up-to-date on the latest technology for our students.

Communication is provided for hearing-impaired students in their preferred mode. Whether a student uses speech/lip-reading, signed English or American Sign Language determines the accommodation.

Locating interpreters often requires time. It is imperative that students requiring interpreter services register for classes and contact Disability Support Services as early as possible to prevent delays in the acquisition of an interpreter. 

Seminole State seeks to provide equal access to communication on campus and in the classroom. It is the College's goal to eliminate barriers wherever they exist. Students who need accommodations to access campus activities and programs must make timely written requests with Disability Support Services (a minimum of two weeks prior).

Helpful links for students:

• Sorenson Communications: Sorenson Communications offers a free video phone to anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing. Simply apply online.
• Center for Independent Living: Center for Independent Living is an excellent resources for students who need help with communication assistance outside the College, driver’s license training, tax prep help, school-to-work transition or advocacy outside the College.
• Vocational Rehabilitation (VR): VR helps the deaf, hard of hearing or disabled gain or retain meaningful employment. More services can be provided. For more information, visit the VR website.

Learning Disabilities (LD)

Students with learning disabilities (LD) have specific academic deficiencies that are related to dysfunction of the central nervous system. Learning disabilities may be acquired (e.g., loss of reading or speaking skills resulting from a stroke or head trauma) or developmental (i.e., the failure to acquire reading, writing or mathematics skills as a result of genetic factors or brain damage at birth). Students with LD who are in college have a demonstrated ability to utilize their cognitive strengths to compensate for their specific academic weaknesses. Often, students with LD need more time to process information (i.e., to determine what the test questions are asking and to formulate their responses).

Orthopedic/Mobility Impairments

Congenital conditions, accidents or progressive neuromuscular diseases can result in a variety of orthopedic/mobility-related disabilities. Such disabilities include paraplegia, quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, severe arthritis, amputation, multiple sclerosis, polio and post-polio, paralysis, cardiac conditions and stroke. 

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Head injury is one of the fastest growing types of disabilities, especially in 15-28 year olds. In more than 500,000 cases each year, people are reportedly hospitalized from head trauma. The life functions that may be affected include: memory, cognitive/perceptual communication, speed of thinking, communications, spatial reasoning, conceptualization, psychosocial behaviors, motor abilities, sensory perception and physical abilities.

Temporary Impairments

Temporary accommodations may be provided on a case-by-case basis as a courtesy service to students with temporary/transitory impairments so their enrollment can continue with minimal disruption. Temporary impairments (broken leg, broken arm, scheduled or emergency surgery) are not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), because this law applies to only permanent disabilities. A temporary/transitory impairment is an impairment with an actual or expected duration of six months or less. Documentation of the temporary impairment is required in order to receive courtesy services. Students with temporary impairment are encouraged to contact DSS and provide documentation addressing the length of recovery so that appropriate duration of accommodations may be determined. Please the see the Documentation page for more information.

Other Disabilities

Many students have disabilities that are less visible and do not fall into the other categories. They are, however, covered by Section 504/ADA. Often, prescribed medications may interfere with a student's ability to process information quickly or may impair his/her academic performance. Common side effects of medications are loss of concentration, drowsiness, fatigue, memory loss and shortened attention span.

Less visible disabilities include AIDS, asthma, cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, epilepsy, lupus, psychological disorders, renal-kidney disease and Tourette's syndrome.