Accommodations Offered

Disability Support Services has a variety of accommodations available.

Depending on your individual situation, your accommodations plan may include one or more of the following products or services:

Deaf/Hard of Hearing

  • We can provide a sign language interpreter or the technology you need for meetings, discussions, or presentations. 

Visual Impairment

  • Assistive technology – We have products available to make reading easier for people with visual impairments, including screen readers, scanners, voice recognition software, magnifiers, and other similar technologies
  • Scribe, qualified reader and note-taker to help with taking notes or dictating exams

Academic Support

  • Reduce Distraction: Exams are usually taken in the Testing Center to reduce distraction. Students can also take their exams in the ADA labs if needed.
  • Extended test time – The student is allowed to use additional time to complete exams.
  • Note-taker or scribe – The student is accompanied to class and/or exams by a person or people through DSS who takes notes and transliterates dictated exams

Physical Support

  • Accessible furniture and equipment – The College provides specially-designed chairs, tables, or other furniture to each classroom when needed. Technology is also available, such as headphones, ergonomic keyboards, etc.

Emotional Support

  • The college has a counselor on staff to assist students who are experiencing emotional distress.

Psychological Assessment Resources

  • Although the College of Southern Maryland does not have professionals on staff who can perform assessments, we are happy to provide a list of local psychologists and medical providers in the region who can perform assessments and provide documentation for disabilities. According to the ADA and College policy, it is the student’s responsibility to pay for obtaining documentation of his or her disability.

Technological Services and Assistive Technology

CSM is committed to providing up-to-date assistive technology for its students. Please note: Some of these technological services are only available for use on campus. Please contact a DSS Coordinator for more information. Our various programs include:

  • Screen reading software – JAWS (Job Access With Speech): Software developed for people with visual impairments that prevent them from seeing content on a computer screen or using a mouse to navigate. 
  • Voice recognition software – Dragon Naturally Speaking: Allows the user to dictate and have their speech transcribed onto the computer without typing.
  • Screen enlargement software – ZoomText: Magnifies what's on the screen to make it easier to read
  • Scan and read software – Kurzweil: Text-to-speech software that reads scanned documents, image text, internet pages, and other digital files
  • Scanners: Digitizes any paper documents to read on the computer screen
  • Optelec: High-definition magnifier with screen to make books and documents easier to see
  • Scribe Pen: Records words written and diagrams and pictures drawn as well as audio

The Maryland Department of Disabilities can provide a variety of assistive technologies for free or reduced cost through the Technology Assistance Programs (TAP). Visit the Maryland state website for more information.

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