adapts news

Welcome to ADAPTS at Georgia Tech. This site has recently been redesigned to accommodate your needs. Please feel free to browse the many programs we offer here. We also ask for feedback so we can further serve you.

important stuff

Brand new opportunities to work with ADAPTS have opened up and are usually available one month after the fall semester.

Smithgall Student Services Building

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the mission of the ADAPTS Office?

The purpose of the ADAPTS Office is to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to all programs and activities offered at Georgia Institute of Technology. Our goal is to foster the full and self-directed participation of persons with disabilities in post-secondary education, including students, faculty, staff and visitors. Comprehensive support services and accommodations are available to encourage and enable them to take full advantage of Georgia Tech's educational, social, and cultural opportunities.

What does the ADAPTS Office do?

The ADAPTS Office provides services to students with disabilities to assure access to all facets of the Georgia Tech community. The ADAPTS Office offers evaluation of students with disabilities, referral, adaptive technology, information on accommodations, interpreter services for Tech students, and testing facilities.

What defines "disability?"

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a disability is a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

What defines "substantially limits?"

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 defines substantially limiting as being unable to perform, or restricted from, a major life activity as a result of the disability, regardless of duration, condition, or manner in which the major life activity may be performed.

What are academic accommodations?

Suitable accommodations create equal opportunity to education for all Tech students, so long as it does not require a major change in the essential element of the curriculum. Examples of accommodations include extended time on exams, interpreters for students with hearing impairments, and adaptation in the manner in which the class is conducted.

How do students with disabilities apply to Georgia Tech?

All students, regardless of ability, apply to Tech in the same manner. The law prohibits asking information regarding disability and that information is available only to the ADAPTS Office through the choice of the student whereby they must provide acceptable documentation of disability. There are no special admissions procedures for applicants with disabilities.

What defines acceptable documentation?

Acceptable documentation includes, but is not limited to, testing done by a licensed psychologist used to obtain a DSM-IV criteria, doctor defined functional limitations, or a specific diagnosis. Documentation must be within 3 years of the student's application for assistance. The ADAPTS Office is responsible for determining what accommodations, if any, are appropriate for each specific disability.