Center on Disability Student Handbook
The Center on Disability
The Center on Disability provides accommodations and support services to all qualified students with disabilities attending Community College of Philadelphia to ensure their access to the College's academic programs, activities and services. Services are provided with the intention of assisting students to achieve maximum independence. The Center has a staff that includes a director, two counselors, disability resource assistant, disability aides and other support staff. Additional learning disabilities specialists provide tutoring services through the College's Learning Lab facilities. The Center On Disability is located in Room M1-22 (on the first floor of the Mint Building). Our phone number is 215-751-8050 (voice or TDD).
College Admission
Community College of Philadelphia has an open admissions policy; however, admission to certain curricula is selective and may have additional requirements and criteria that must be satisfied prior to being considered for program acceptance. All new students must take the College placement test to determine their skill levels in writing, reading and math. However, students who have successfully completed college-level English composition and/or math at another institution or have attained high SAT scores in one or both of these areas, may be waived from taking corresponding portions of the placement test. Test results sometime indicate that students are not academically prepared to take college-level studies. In these cases, the College reserves the right to require students to take developmental coursework or to limit the number of courses in which they may enroll.
Once the Office of Admissions has received the student's admission application, he or she will receive a placement test date in the mail. Students requiring special accommodations for placement testing should call the Center On Disability to arrange for assistance as soon as they receive notice of their placement testing appointment.
If a student has already taken the College placement test without the appropriate accommodations for which he or she may be entitled, it is important to contact the Center On Disability to arrange for a retest as soon as possible.
In order to receive accommodations, students will be required to provide the Center On Disability with documentation of their disabilities.
Registration
After placement testing, new students will be scheduled to meet with a counselor in order to review their test results and to select and schedule classes for the semester. Once this process is complete, the student will take her/his registration form to the registration counter located on the ground floor of the Bonnell Building. At the registration counter, students will receive an official copy of their roster. The roster will display the time and day of each class, as well as the amount and due date of tuition. Shortly before classes begin, students will be mailed a new copy of their roster, which lists the locations of the classrooms.
Payment of Tuition and Fees
Students can pay their tuition with cash, check, credit card, money order or financial aid if eligible. The Financial Aid office and the Cashier's office are both located on the ground floor of the Bonnell Building. Students seeking to obtain financial aid support must apply once every academic school year. They should apply for financial aid during the spring semester prior to the following school year. The deadlines for submitting financial aid applications for a particular school year are indicated in the College catalog and on the financial aid application form. It is important that students apply well before the start of the school year, since it can take at least six to eight weeks for a financial aid application to be processed. Students may apply for the Pell Grant (federal), PHEAA grant (state), National Direct Student Loans and Work-Study with one application form.
Some students may be eligible for financial assistance from the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) or Office of Blindness and Visual Services (BVS). To find out more about these services, students can talk to their high school counselors or to the counselor in the Center On Disability during their initial admissions interview.
Students have the option to electronically process their Financial Aid Applications in the College's Welcome Center. Students wishing to send their Financial Aid Forms electronically can go to the Welcome Center, Room Ml-17, located on the first floor of the Mint Building, to preregister for a Computerized Financial Aid Application Processing Session.
Students eligible for financial aid must go to the Financial Aid Office with their roster before the semester payment deadline noted on their roster. Students who are not using financial aid may take their rosters to the Cashier's window and make payment with cash, check, credit card or money order. If paying by mail, it is suggested that payments be made by check or money order.
Student ID Cards
All students are required to have a College photo identification card. There is a $10 one-time charge for the photo ID card. The cost of the card will be included in the first semester bill for on-campus students; off-campus students will be required to pay for the ID card at the time the card is issued. There is a $10 fee for each replacement of a lost ID card.
Bookstore
The bookstore sells required textbooks as well as school supplies. Special assistance to use the bookstore can be arranged through the Center On Disability.