Services for Students with Disabilities

A photo of a graduate in a wheel chair

The Services for Students with Disabilities Office (SSDO) provides academic accommodations for students with documented disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Services encompass the provision of assistive technology, note-taking, sign language interpretation, transcription, and dictation. Students seeking accommodations must be enrolled in classes at South Suburban College. SSC students with a documented permanent or temporary disability are encouraged to self-identify and request accommodations through the SSDO.

Application Process and Student Guidelines (Updated 8/04/2022).

Accommodations are individualized based on the nature of a student’s disability(s). Accommodations may not be the same as those received in a prior educational setting. The SSDO considers the student’s disability, history, experience, request and the unique characteristics of courses, programs, and requirements when determining appropriate reasonable accommodations. Examples of accommodations include:

  • Adaptive equipment
  • Assistive technology (Kurzweil 3000, JAWS)
  • Exam proctoring in a distraction-reduced environment
  • Extended time on exams
  • Preferential seating
  • Real-time captioning
  • Tape-recorded lecture

Virtual services are available for SSC students, if you need assistance from the Services for Students with Disabilities Office please call (708) 596-2000 ext. 2572 or email DisabilityServices@ssc.edu

The office does not provide personal attendant care or services of a personal nature; nor does the Office provide equipment or devices of a personal nature.

Student Responsibilities

A student who has not registered for classes for one or more semesters must contact the SSDO, at least thirty (30) days prior to the start of any semester (Fall, Spring or Summer) to notify the SSDO of the student’s intent to return to South Suburban College and the need to resume their academic accommodations. The interactive process will be reviewed at this time.

Rocky Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund

SSC was saddened to learn of the passing of former student Rocky Clark. Rocky, just 28 years old, died on January 5, 2012, at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. Rocky was paralyzed from the neck down after a spinal cord injury in 2000. His injury was a result of a tackle that occurred during a football game at Eisenhower High School against Oak Forest. He spent the next eleven years nearly prone in a wheelchair.

Rocky Clark began as a freshman at SSC in the spring of 2004 and last attended in the spring of 2007. While most freshmen take walking and even breathing for granted, Rocky was in and out of the hospital. He was the first recipient of the Walter Payton Scholarship. He maintained good grades and a positive attitude, despite the loss of his youthful energy, mobility, and independence. Rocky was a quiet presence for the importance of open enrollment, accessible public spaces, and services for students with disabilities. School isn’t always about the prospect of future employment–it is often about an age-appropriate experience developing the mind and nourishing the spirit.

The Rocky Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2012 to assist students with disabilities at SSC. Awards are distributed year-round as funds permit. Candidates must initiate contact with the SSC Foundation Office in order to demonstrate special needs, complete the application process, and grant permission for student records to be reviewed.

Information about the Rocky Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund