Read to find out how you will know
if there are people with disabilities needing accommodations in
your class and what procedures you will follow to respond to the
needs.
Invite Accommodation Requests
In your first class hour, announce that students
with disabilities who may need accommodations are invited to
contact you after class by email or during office hours. Print
this information in your syllabus. In this way you give students
"permission" to approach you with their needs in a
confidential manner. In addition you set a welcoming, accessible
tone to your teaching style.
Respond Confidentially and Promptly
Handle accommodation requests with the utmost
confidentiality. Information that a student does or does not
have a disability is not part of public information (Family
Rights and Privacy Act, FRPA). Every effort must be made to
treat the student who needs accommodations with the same dignity
and courtesy shown to all other students in your classroom.
As much as is possible, requests for special help (such as announcements
to solicit a volunteer to make copies of class notes) should
be made without identifying the student with a disability in
front of the whole class. State and federal law mandates confidentiality
requirements. Secondly, handle student requests as promptly
as possible. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation
Act, Section 504, require a timely response.
Refer to DSPS
You will refer the student to DSPS after
s/he has made the request (phone X2364, email dspshelp@sbcc.net,
FAX 805 884 4966, office SS160, or DSPS website application).
The student is required to present medical, psychological, or
psychiatric documentation to a DSPS faculty member. The DSPS
faculty members are designated by SBCC to review the documentation
to determine whether or not it verifies not only a disability
but also a current functional limitation. Furthermore, the DSPS
faculty members determine whether or not the requested accommodation
has legitimacy in relation to the documentation.
Follow-up with Student and DSP
Follow up with your student by asking what
were the results of their meeting with DSPS. You may also wish
to follow up with the DSPS faculty member who met with the student.
This is the student's opportunity to practice self-advocacy
skills and explain his/her educational support service plan.
If the DSPS faculty member determined the student has a legitimate
disability-related need, the student would have received information
about procedures for not only receiving reasonable accommodations
in your class but also using support services in DSPS. The reasonable
accommodation may be the use of an auxiliary aide (such as a
sign language interpreter for a deaf student or a writer for
a student with orthopedic disabilities). In this case, the DSPS
service provider will send a courtesy email or memo informing
you that an auxiliary aide will be present with the student
in class. The student is responsible for informing you of all
other approved accommodations (such as extended time on tests
or the use of screen reading or voice recognition software).
The student should present a DSPS written authorization for
each accommodation.
Maintain Academic Standards
You must maintain academic standards. Require
the student to meet all specific competencies and technical
abilities. Reasonable accommodations provide an opportunity
for the student to have equal access. The goal is to provide
a method for the student to demonstrate to you that they have
met your fundamental academic requirements. If, after reasonable
accommodations have been made, the student lacks the ability
to meet your course objectives, then he or she is not "qualified"
to receive a passing grade. To compromise standards or "water
down" the requirements would not assist the student to
acquire a competitive degree. You are not required to waive
or lower standards solely on the basis of disability. To do
so would be disrespectful and discriminatory. However, substituting
an equivalent requirement or changing the methods of meeting
the requirement should be considered as methods to provide the
student an equitable chance of success. Persons with disabilities
wish to be held to SBCC's academic standards and receive honest
feedback about their skills and talents.
Ensure Program Access
DSPS will assist you by providing most approved
accommodations. DSPS test accommodations services ensure a quiet,
monitored environment for extended time on tests. DSPS alternate
media services ensure that your videos are captioned for students
who are deaf, your text Brailled on request, books recorded
on audiotape, or printed media enlarged. DSPS auxiliary aide
services ensure hiring and coordination of sign language interpreters,
real-time captioners, writers, or sighted guides. DSPS faculty
members will assist you with assuring access to your online
or physical teaching environment. DSPS faculty members will
provide advice for the design of websites, online curriculum,
ergonomic furniture, classroom layout, lab equipment, or renovations
to facilities. The most successful way to ensure program access
is to discuss with the student what his/her needs are. No two
students are alike.
Provide Grievance Procedure
If you, the student, and the DSPS faculty
member are not in agreement regarding the accommodation, you
and the student will contact the SBCC Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) Coordinator in the DSPS office. The ADA Coordinator
will review the grievance procedure with the three parties and,
if necessary, will notify an ad hoc academic accommodations
administrative committee to begin a formal SBCC review procedure.
Some students may confide in you regarding discrimination on
the basis of disability. If the student wishes to file a formal
complaint, please refer the student to the Dean of Educational
Programs, SS 111, X2352. The Dean will assist the student with
following SBCC's established Non-Discrimination Policy and Grievance
Procedures.
More than 1,000 students with disabilities
are enrolled at SBCC. Approximately 10% of your students will
be using some form of accommodation. I encourage you to celebrate
such diversity and appreciate the opportunities that are supported
by civil rights legislation. You are in the business of teaching
all students the skills they need to be independent functioning
members of our society. You are providing your students with the
knowledge and opportunity to assert their civil rights in our
democracy. I wish you luck and hope to see you in our DSPS office
or chat to you on the phone to answer your questions and discuss
the needs of your students.
