OSD FAQs

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities. These support services might be appropriate and reasonable accommodations, such as sign language interpreters, readers, scribes, etc., or the support services may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, and/or career counseling. The OSD also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify. The OSD does not offer disability evaluation and/or testing services, scholarships, or payment of personal expenses.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 define disability as "a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities." Learning is considered a major life activity.

When applying to NCTC, you may go through the regular admissions procedures and register during early or regular registration. If you need assistance, the OSD can assist with admission and registration, however, there are no special admission procedures. When taking the TSI Assessment, THEA, or other standardized test, you can contact the College Board to receive accommodations on the test. The OSD Coordinator can assist you in applying for accommodations.

If you have not taken the STAAR, TAKS, the SAT, or the ACT and scored in the range of NCTC's admission requirement, you must take the TSI Assessment test for admission to NCTC. You don't have to pass the test, but you do have to take it. However, if you do not pass the test, you will be required to enroll in developmental education courses or potentially Adult Basic Education courses.

If you are planning to enroll in one of NCTC's certificate programs, you will not be required to take the TSI Assessment.

The TSI Assessment test is administered on all NCTC Campuses through Testing Services, however, NCTC is not an accommodation site for the TSI Assessment. This means that you will need to apply for accommodations through the College Board. The OSD Coordinator can assist in the application process.

You must make requests for accommodations at least one week in advance. You will also need to submit documentation of your disability to the OSD Coordinator, to determine the appropriate accommodations for the test. Please contact the OSD Coordinator for more information at (940) 498-6207

To receive accommodations, you will need to meet with the OSD Coordinator or Advisor either before the semester begins or some time during the semester. The OSD Coordinator or Advisor will conduct an intake session and request documentation of your disability to determine what accommodations will be most appropriate for you.

To contact the OSD Coordinator on the Corinth Campus call (940) 498-6207

To contact the OSD Specialist on the Gainesville Campus call (940) 668-3300

The OSD will assess your documentation and let you know if it is acceptable or unacceptable. For the most part, documentation should be current (within the past three to five years). It should be from a certified professional in the medical field, psychological field, or educational field, include a diagnosis, show a medical history of the disability, and it should list the functional limitations resulting from the disability.

After assessing your documentation, the OSD will determine the most appropriate accommodations for you. We can provide sign language interpreters, readers and/or scribes for tests, extra time on tests, an alternate testing environment, electronic texts and/or books on tape/CD, note taker services, registration assistance, adaptive technology services, etc.

The OSD is a resource for tutoring services, disability information, learning styles evaluations, community resources, study skills and time management resources, and various college services.

The IEP, albeit a valuable resource, cannot be used as documentation. NCTC will accept the Comprehensive Evaluation from the high school, provided it is complete, contains testing information, and is current.

If you are over the age of 18, you are legally recognized as an adult. The OSD staff will meet with the student for an intake session to discuss accommodation requests and/or disability-related services. OSD staff are happy to answer parents' questions after the intake session is complete. However, we encourage students to have an open dialog with their parents. Parents may be an excellent source of support.

Students with physical disabilities are encouraged to register with the OSD every semester, so they can evaluate your class schedule and make sure all classes are scheduled in accessible buildings.