RCC Names New Director of Disability Services

Carmen Mercedes Diaz of Pomona has been promoted to the position of director of Disability Services at Rockland Community College.

Since September of 2009, Diaz served as assistant director. She has been a licensed clinical social worker for the past 13 years providing individual, family and group psychotherapy in school based, outpatient mental health and college settings.  Previously, she also served as the unit administrator for the Children and Adolescent Unit at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Prior to RCC, Diaz was a college counselor/supervisor at Lehman College Counseling Center in New York, where she worked collaboratively with disability services providing psychological counseling to students and clinical supervision of counseling staff.

At RCC, Diaz is responsible for promoting compliance with federal and state regulations regarding access for students with disabilities in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Her duties include ensuring that qualified students with disabilities have equal access to all  programs and working with students and their families to help student's succeed.

RCC says there are about 500 students who have identified themselves as needing services from the office of Disability Services at the college.

Diaz has a Master of Science degree in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Psychology from New York University, according to RCC.