SAS Resources Available - All Services Described
DSPS Resources Available - Supportive Services
These supportive services are available to qualified students who, due to the educational limitations of a disability, require reasonable accommodations to assure access to activities at Cerritos College.
Aide / Writer
Hourly employees accompany disabled students to classes to provide assistance as needed
in the educational environment on a very limited basis.
Alternate Text
Students unable to access printed information are provided with materials in alternative
formats. Braille or large print for the blind, captioning for the hearing impaired
and screen readers for the severely physically disabled are all available.
Coordination, Inter-Program
Students who receive services and/or instruction at multiple D.S.P.S. locations will
receive whatever coordination is necessary in order to facilitate the delivery of
these multiple offerings.
Counseling/Academic
Very general academic advising is available from the certificated Specialist. All
specific course planning and academic advisement issues are referred to a college
academic counselor or seen by the part-time D.S.P.S. counselor funded by Matriculation.
Counseling/Personal
Counseling for personal issues is available on a "short-term only" basis from the
Specialist and Counselor. Personal counseling appointments can also be arranged with
other college counselors, faculty members, and Department of Rehabilitation counselors.
Counseling/Vocational
Disability-related vocational counseling is available from the Specialist on an individual
appointment basis. For more general vocational counseling issues, students are referred
to the College Career Center, or to the COUN-2 classes.
Disability Management
Disabled students may receive assistance from the Specialist in the form of "active
problem solving" for the purposes of addressing various issues and situations they
may encounter which might create disability-related barriers to their success in the
instructional programs of the College.
Elevator Access / Speed Pass
Students who have disability-related needs for access to elevators may be issued a
speed pass on a "long-term loan" basis. Additionally, students who use wheelchairs
are advised of the college emergency evacuation policies at the time of initial intake.
Equipment
Various items of special equipment are available, either for use in the Centers or
for loan on a daily or "all term" basis, subject to availability. Students who need
to purchase their own special equipment will be assisted in doing so, as well. Examples
of such equipment include Braille typewriter, print magnifier, closed circuit television
devices, talking-scientific-graphing calculators, digital & cassette recorders and
RFB&D cd & four-track players.
Evaluation, Intake
Students who make initial application for services and/or instruction from D.S.P.S.
are referred to the Centralized Intake process for preliminary paperwork, except when
the need for services is immediate and cannot reasonably be delayed until Centralized
Intake is available. Following the Centralized or "Walk-in" intake, the student is
scheduled for the following Extended Intake appointments, as needed: Placement Test
Assistance, Academic Advisement, Disability Management with Specialist, Service Initiation
with Service Facilitator, and other appointments, as appropriate.
Evaluation, LD/DDL
Students with learning limitations are evaluated via protocols established by the
Chancellor's Office to authorize their receipt of services for the educational limitations
of their disabilities.
Evaluation, Other Disability
Verification of Disability involves the acquisition of records from outside sources
to provide at least a Diagnosis, and ideally Functional Limitations, as well. When
these records are not available, attempts are made to verify disabilities by the following
means: Visual Observation by the College Specialist/Director, Referral to the Campus
Health Services Physician or Nurse, In-house Assessment, if applicable or referral
to the Department of Rehabilitation for services which include medical and psychological
evaluation.
Evaluation, Other Special
Students with complicated disability related functional limitations will receive other
various forms of highly individualized special evaluation in order to provide necessary
information regarding the most appropriate services and/or instruction.
Evaluation, Language/Hearing
Specialized assessment of both expressive and receptive communication limitations
primarily takes place in the Instructional Support Center, please contact Mary D'Ettorre
(562) 860-2451 x2352.
Financial Aid Liaison
Students who are requesting financial assistance through the Financial Aid Office
can be assisted in making primary and follow-up contacts with that department. Clients
of the Department of Rehabilitation may also be assisted with temporary fee waivers
while awaiting Bank Drafts.
Illness Notification
If a disabled student is unable to attend a class due to illness and cannot reach
the instructor, the staff will relay the message. If the student is to be absent for
an extended period, the staff will attempt to serve as liaison between the instructor
and student (notes, assignments and exams may be relayed back and forth).
Instructional Materials
Students who need special instructional materials due to their disability may have
these produced and/or provided in the Centers. These may include re-formatted worksheets,
unbound workbooks, simple raised-line drawings, etc.
Liaison, Community Agencies
Students can receive assistance in contacting and interacting with various off-campus
organizations and offices. Examples of typical contacts include Social Security Administration,
In-Home Support Services, Regional Centers, Independent Living Centers, therapists
and various other agencies and professionals who assist persons with disabilities.
Liaison with the Department of Rehabilitation is a more formalized service, which
ranges from referral of new students to a counselor from that agency to counselor
contacts regarding student progress and meetings with the client and D.R. Counselor,
for various reasons.
Mobility Assistance
Blind students and those who use wheelchairs can be assigned student hourly employees
to serve as guides or "pushers" on campus, on an intermittent or short-term basis
only and approved by their specialist.
Newsletter
All students receive the DSPS newsletters, as well as the periodic Enrollment Newsletters. Visually impaired students are able
to receive all newsletters in either large print, Braille or cassette tape form, as
requested.
Note-taking Assistance
If use of carbon copies of other students notes is not feasible then hourly employees
may be assigned to do in class writing for disabled students who, for any number of
reason, are unable to do so themselves.
Orientation to Campus
Blind students and those with very severe mobility impairments may request a personal
orientation to the campus, including the locations of ramps, accessible phones, restrooms,
and other special features, as needed. There is also a tactile map in the Santa Barbara
Building which blind students may use for self-orientation.
Parking Assistance
Upon request, D.S.P.&S. facilitates students’ applications for DMV Parking Placards.
Medical verification of disability requiring such parking must be on file. During
the DMV application process, qualified disabled students will be assisted in obtaining
a two-week parking permit from Campus Police, for use in student or staff parking
lots only. Parking in Blue Curb (disabled) Parking on campus without a Disabled Plate/Placard
and student permit will result in a substantial fine.
Placement Test Assistance
Students who need disability-related accommodations with test taking may be scheduled
to take the College placement tests in the Santa Barbara Building. Assistance available
includes: a quiet place to take the standard test, sign language interpreted instructions,
extended time, taped reading of test questions, large print test questions and answer
sheets, easy-mark answer sheets, Braille test format (for math tests), and individual
administration, when necessary.
Priority Enrollment Assistance
Priority enrollment assistance is available in three forms: Priority Web Enrollment
on MyCerritos, Walk-In Priority Enrollment, and Individual Enrollment Assistance, by advance appointment.
Students may also request assistance with related functions, such as "drop and add"
and "fee payment assistance."
Reader Services
Students may have assigned materials read to them due to a number of educational limitations,
which result from their disability.
Text/Print On Tape
Students who need texts on tape will be assisted with qualifying for and receiving
assistance from "Recording for the Blind." Other print materials will be taped by
staff or volunteers, as available.
Test-Taking Assistance
Students who need disability-related accommodations with test-taking may have tests
from their various courses proctored in the Resource Center. Assistance available
is the same as for "Placement Test Assistance" as noted earlier. The appropriate Specialist
makes all decisions regarding disability-related accommodation. The course instructor
provides all test-administration instructions.
Tutoring
Students who have disability-related needs for tutorial assistance will be assisted
by referral to the campus tutorial program (ASC) for extended hours and individual
assistance or referral to the ISC/IML.
Typing Assistance
If the circumstances warrant, students whose disability-related limitations preclude
independent typing may have their required classroom assignments typed (not written)
by DSPS staff.
Wheelchair Loan
Manual wheelchairs are available for on-campus use on an interim appointment basis
only.
Work In Progress
All students who are receiving on-going classroom-related assistance from the various
Centers will have their progress monitored at the 9 week mark during the 18 week semester.
Attempts will be made to assist students in overcoming problems which are revealed
through this process, especially if the problems are somehow related to the functional
limitations of the student's disability.
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