DISABLED STUDENTS RESOURCE CENTER (DSRC)

• Process of receiving services through the DSRC

Note: All services are provided on a request-based basis. This is one of the biggest differences between IDEA (covering K-12 education) and ADA (for college and beyond). For more information, please see linked document: Differences in Disability Accommodations for K-12 Services versus College Services

1. See a counselor
To receive services, a student must meet with a DSPS counselor and provide verification of disability. This can take many forms, but is often done via an IEP or 504 plan. Diagnostic tests through English 116 are also acceptable, as is medical documentations from the relevant medical professional. If none of these verifications are available, still make an appointment with a DSPS counselor, and they will work with you to see if verification can be done through some other means.

2. Request services
Once the counselor and student have meet and determined what accommodations would be appropriate, given the individual student need, it is now up to the student to follow through with the necessary steps to receive those accommodations. In many cases this is extra time on tests, shared notes, or textbooks converted into accessible media. The various services each have their own needs, such as for alternative testing, an alternative test request form being submitted in a timely manner. Best practice is two weeks, but the minimum time to process the request is one week. Adjunct instructors are sometimes only on campus once a week, and so time to get the request to them once it is entered into the DSRC testing calendar is required.

3. Follow through
The best support staff can't help the student succeed if they don't do their part. Following through on test requests, alternate media requests, counseling appointments, and other aspects of DSPS services is vital for the student to benefit from the support structures in place here at Chabot. As an instructor who sees the student on a regular basis, the part you play can be simply following through with them that they have seen a DSPS counselor and requested their appropriate services.

• Process of alternative testing

Alternative testing falls under Step 2 from above.

1. After seeing a DSPS counselor and determining eligibility, a student submits an alternative testing request to the DSRC.
To receive alternative testing, a student must submit an alternative test request form, in a timely manner. This request form has two sides, and is printed on a goldenrod sheet of paper. Side A is filled out by the student (personal information, class and testing information, and accommodations requested). It is then submitted to our office, where it is reviewed and added to the testing schedule, and then sent forward to the instructor. The default delivery location is in faculty mailboxes in building 200, but can also be directly to the faculty's office, or division mailbox. If faculty have a preference, that can be indicated to us for future deliveries.

2. Instructor indicates parameters of test
Once receiving the request form with the student's request information, the instructor fills out Side B with the information specific to the test. This includes whether the test is open or closed book, whether notes are allowed (and what kind, such as size of note paper, single or double sided, etc.), whether a calculator is permitted, and other instructions. It is very important to realize that we will work directly from what is written here. If it is not written down on the request form, or noted in an email to our testing staff, we do not allow it. This can lead to frustration on the part of the student if the instructor told the class a particular aid would be allowed, but forgot to write it on the testing form for the DSPS student. All instructions need documented.

3. The test is administered in a distraction-reduced environment in a DSRC space
After filling out Side B of the request form, the instructor will return the request form, with the test, to our office. Most instructors will walk the form and test to our offices (Building 2400), but some instructors prefer to email their test to us, which is perfectly acceptable, as long as two rules are followed: A) Include the same information in the email about the test as requested on Side B of the form, and B) if you are a Mac user make sure to save and send the test to us as a .doc or .pdf file, NOT a .pages file. We do not have an Apple computer to open .pages files in our center. Once we have received the test, the student will then come in at the designated time, and take the test in a distraction-reduced environment (usually our testing lab, but occasionally in one of our overflow locations, when necessary). Testing in our center is remote video and audio monitored, or with an in-person proctor (such as during finals or when using alternative locations). If we have multiple student taking the same exam, they will be split up as best as possible, occasionally in different rooms.

4. Once completed, the test is returned to the instructor
Once the student finishes the test, it will be returned to the instructor for grading. This can happen in multiple ways. Many instructors simply walk to our office and pick up the test, some prefer to have it returned via the same method it was delivered, and a few like to have the test scanned and emailed to them as a PDF. This is especially popular for finals when many instructors leave directly after their class ends. As long as you indicated on the bottom of Side B of the request your preferred return method, we will try to ensure it is done in your requested manner.

Service Resources

www.3cmediasolutions.org
 - Grant funded captioning solution for instructors. Extremely user friendly - after creating an account, instructors simply send in a digital video file and get back a captioned version in a few days. Allows quick and easy compliance with legal requirements for captioning of videos for classes.

www.remind.com
 - Quick and simple way to communicate with students, send out reminders and notices, and keep track of all conversations.

Information Resources

www.cccaccessibility.org
 - State Chancellor funded web resource to understand needs, promote awareness, and address best practices in terms of web and document accessibility.

ADA information regarding service animals
 - Breakdown of the rights of service animals, where they are allowed, and what is required.