Visualización de informes

Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) promotes the full participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of their postsecondary education. DSPS advocates and facilitates equal educational opportunities through appropriate support services, curricula, instruction, policies and funding allocations. DSPS works to eliminate discrimination against students with

disabilities and to promote their independence, growth, productivity and equality. Our goal is to provide academic accommodations and other services to assist students with disabilities in achieving their academic goals.

DSPS assists the college in complying with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which states, "no qualified individual with disabilities shall, on the basis of their disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subject to discrimination under any post-secondary program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

The purpose of Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) is:

1) To assist students with disabilities to be able to participate in and benefit from courses and programs at the college.

2) To assist the district/college administration, staff, and faculty in complying with legal mandates regarding access to all of its programs, courses, and services for students, staff, and members of the public who have disabilities.

3) To provide outreach, education, and collaboration to community agencies and members of the public who serve current and future students with disabilities.

3 | S a n L u i s O b i s p o C o u n t y C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e D i s t r i c t I n s t i t u t i o n a l P r o g r a m P l a n n i n g a n d R e v i e w D o c u m e n t 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

History of the program

Disabled Student Programs & Services began at Cuesta College on the San Luis Obispo campus in 1972 with a modest budget of $4,775. The department included a part-time counselor and 34 students with a wide variety of disabilities. The first director, Lynn Frady, Ed.D., was hired in 1973 and stayed with the program through 2001. Since then, several directors have served as leaders to the program. Currently the college has a Faculty Coordinator and a Dean as the new design for leadership.

State Categorical funding was created to help support services provided to students with disabilities. When the current DSP&S funding formula was adopted in 1989-90, it included a $50,000 base for each college. Our funding levels are also dependent on the number of students served. It is extremely important to have systems and procedures in place to legally serve our students and be as efficient as possible given statewide budget reductions.

Over the last 40 years, Cuesta College’s DSPS department has served more than 20,000 students. Students are referred to the program nationwide and the program has had several generations of families who continue to seek out the DSPS program.

The program also provides opportunity for college and community participation and growth through the Learning Disabilities conference and other outreach activities. We collaborate with the California Department of Rehabilitation, who come to the college once a week to meet with students, DSPS staff and faculty.

Program and significant changes/improvements since the last Program Review Staffing:

The overall structure of the program has been reduced during the past years. During the Fall 2011, the Director of DSPS retired and the college re-evaluated the needs of the program. Currently we have the following structure:

Faculty

Learning Disability Specialists (1.5) Speech and Language Specialist (1.0)

Adapted Computer Tech (ACT) Specialist (.50) Faculty Coordinator (.50)

Classified

Student Support Services Coordinator (1.0) Program Assistant (2.0)

Secretary II (1.0)

Instructional Associate (1.0) Alternative Media Specialist (1.0) Management

4 | S a n L u i s O b i s p o C o u n t y C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e D i s t r i c t I n s t i t u t i o n a l P r o g r a m P l a n n i n g a n d R e v i e w D o c u m e n t 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

Technology:

The DSPS Program utilizes technology to support students with disabilities. Alternative media plays an important role in providing services. We are currently utilizing Kurzweil which provides students with verbal and visual access to textbooks and tests. It also allows students to have the definition of an unknown vocabulary word spoken aloud. Visually impaired students use the Zoomtext and JAWS software, which are available in most labs on campus through the network. These programs enlarge and read text.

In addition, technology is used to support students and track students for reporting purposes. We currently use an Access database, Banner and SarsGrid to manage the program. We are in the early stages of implementation of a solution within Banner. This process will streamline our reporting requirement process and allow staff to collect data.

The department has also piloted Sarstrak which will also allow us to collect student usage data and in the future interface with Banner. This process needs to be assessed to determine how this will be utilized and processes will need to be developed.

Regulatory:

The DSPS Program is required to stay current and informed of various regulations that impact students, program and the college. We must adhere to the following laws and regulations: American Disabilities Act (ADA) helps to oversee access for people with disabilities to

education, employment, housing, and private sector businesses. It is considered to be the most significant piece of legislation for people with disabilities. As amendments are made to the ADA, the college is required to update the appropriate policies and procedures.

The Vocational Rehabilitation Act Sections 501, 503, 504, and 508 each of which has specific requirements that the college must follow. For students, the most important two are usually sections 504 and 508. 504 states, “no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to

discrimination” http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm. 508 states “Federal electronic and

information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public” http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm. The Rehabilitation Act helps to ensure access for people with disabilities by those companies and agencies who receive federal funding.

The Architectural Barriers Act helps to ensure that agencies and companies that receive federal funding have a minimum level of physical access for people with disabilities.

Court Case rulings and Office for Civil Rights (OCR) letters help to shape the way these laws and regulations are applied. Until case law exists, each college must do their best to try to mitigate access issues for students with disabilities on each campus. When a questionable situation arises, small groups are convened and if necessary legal counsel is obtained.

5 | S a n L u i s O b i s p o C o u n t y C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e D i s t r i c t I n s t i t u t i o n a l P r o g r a m P l a n n i n g a n d R e v i e w D o c u m e n t 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

Finally, the California Community Colleges' Learning Disabilities Eligibility Model, which was established in 1987 with continuing revisions, is used to determine eligibility for students who apply under the diagnosis of a Learning

Disability. http://www.htctu.fhda.edu/publications/dsps/content/ldem/ldeligible.html

Budget:

The DSPS program is funded by Cuesta College’s General Fund and by Categorical Funds that the State provides. In 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2010 categorical programs were cut; which impacted the services and staff availability in the DSPS office. One full time LD Specialist was moved out of DSPS and is now only teaching Basic Skills classes. The departmental Assistant was also reassigned to the position of Dean’s assistant. Two classified positions were

eliminated. Extra tutorial time was also cut for students with disabilities. All overloads for faculty were eliminated.

Despite the budget challenges, we continue to serve students and provide the necessary accommodations to allow them to meet their educational needs. Services that are still

provided include alternative testing, note takers, priority registration, alternative media, and all other legally mandated services. Each individual student is assessed and given the appropriate accommodations based on this individualized process with the DSPS Specialist.

Service Area:

The DSPS program supports and collaborates with the community to ensure that students are aware of the services and accommodations that are available. Throughout the year the DSPS department collaborates with the community. Staff and Faculty attend conferences, visit local high schools, present at conferences, and collaborate with many organizations both on and off campus. One of the largest outreach endeavors that the DSPS Office does is the Learning

Disabilities (LD) Conference.

Through the LD Conference, DSPS faculty and staff interact with community professionals, students, and parents to provide this much-needed service to the community. This team of individuals finds a keynote speaker who is a well respected professional in the area of LD. Over the years, many of the conferences have been attended by Cuesta College students, parents of K-12 students, college parents, college professionals, professionals in the local area, from other departments on campus, and many other constituent groups.

College:

Cuesta College has faced several challenges that have impacted the entire college. Our college’s most recent accreditation report placed the college on “warning.” The college as a whole has been faced with accreditation sanctions since 2002. Our office will continue to support the college with affirmation of our accreditation status. Another challenge that the college has faced is budget cuts which have resulted in staff layoffs and furloughs, workload reductions, and reduction of general funds for departments.

6 | S a n L u i s O b i s p o C o u n t y C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e D i s t r i c t I n s t i t u t i o n a l P r o g r a m P l a n n i n g a n d R e v i e w D o c u m e n t 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

Program Review was conducted and who was involved

This report was made possible by the contributions, both written and verbal, of the following team members:

Loren Buckingham, DSPS Program Assistant Lisa Curtis, DSPS Specialist, SLO & NCC Ilene French, Coordinator, Support Services

Carla Maitland, Dean of Student Services, Assistant Joann Malizia, Interpreter

Nohemy Ornelas, Dean of Student Services

Kathy Peters, DSPS Faculty Coordinator & Adapted Computer Tech Specialist Robin Powers, DSPS Speech and Language Specialist

Judy Rittmiller, DSPS Program Assistant

Marsha Robinson Instructor, Academic Support Louie Rossa-Quade Instructional Associate, DSPS Mark Tomes, DSPS Specialist

Kelly Whitten, Alternate Media Facilitator

The DSPS staff participated in an all day retreat. The retreat allowed for dialog and staff input to review data, brainstorm, and discuss various issues and questions related to the

Comprehensive Program Planning and Review (CPPR). That information was then compiled and integrated into this report.

A. Program Objectives:

The purpose of Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) is:

1) To assist students with disabilities to be able to participate in and benefit from courses and programs at the college (Inst. Goal 1, Inst. Obj., 1.5).

2) To assist the district/college administration, staff, and faculty in complying with legal mandates regarding access to all of its programs, courses, and services for students, staff, and members of the public who have disabilities (Inst. Goal 1, Inst. Obj., 1.5). 3) To provide outreach, education, and collaboration with community agencies and

members of the public who serve current and future students with disabilities (Inst. Goal 5, Inst. Obj., 5.1, 5.2).

B. Program Outcomes:

1) To qualify for DSPS services the student will complete the required documentation including a written application; provide a Verification of Disability (VOD), and a Student Educational Contract (SEC).

2) Each student will learn to advocate. Students will follow through with communication with instructors for testing accommodations and follow procedures established to access their accommodations (i.e., complete note

7 | S a n L u i s O b i s p o C o u n t y C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e D i s t r i c t I n s t i t u t i o n a l P r o g r a m P l a n n i n g a n d R e v i e w D o c u m e n t 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

taking requests, interpreter request, adaptive furniture request, alternative media requests, and other related services).

3) DSPS Staff and faculty will document all student contacts that are eligible for chancellor’s office MIS reimbursement purposes in a reportable manner. 4) DSPS staff and faculty will develop a system to remind students to renew their

Student Education Contract (SEC).

5) DSPS staff and faculty will develop a Fall semester DSPS Services Health Checkup and a Spring semester Admission, Orientation, Registration (AOR) for local and out of area students.