Student Resources

Getting Started

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the program, you must have a disability verified by a physician, psychologist or other appropriate professional (Title 5, section 56006).

If you have a learning disability, you should bring copies of your test results. Moreover, if you believe you have a learning disability, but have not been tested, we administer the test at our facilities for community college eligibility purposes only (subject to availability). 

Students who may qualify for services include, but are not limited to, the following disabilities:

Physical Disability
Communication Disability
Learning Disability
Acquired Brain Injury
Developmentally Delayed Learner
Psychological Disability
Other Disabilities

How to apply to the program:

-New Students* Submit an online application for admissions to Chaffey College

-New Students* Complete your online orientation and placement

1. If you have a physical, psychological or communicative disability, you must submit medical verification of your disability from a physician, psychologist or other appropriate professional in the application link below:
2. If you have a learning disability, you will need to submit your psychological evaluation report with testing scores or a score report from a certified LD specialist when you submit your online application.
3. Allow up to 5-10 day for processing of the documents submitted, once reviewed you will be contacted with status. (Depending to the volume of applications being submitted at a given time during the year)

Meet with one of our DPS Counselors for coordination of services and/or equipment, and academic planning.

APPLY TO DPS HERE

If you need help or have questions about the DPS application please contact DPS.Records@chaffey.edu or DPS.Staff@chaffey.edu

 

For students

Differences in legal rules

High School
High Schools are governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Parents are notified and required by law to give permission for any decisions regarding their son or daughter.

College
Colleges are governed by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act but not governed by IDEA. The Family Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) mandates that the college cannot release any information concerning any college student unless the student has given explicit written permission. 

Differences in responsibility

High schools are required to:

• Educate all children
• Provide a free disability evaluation and documentation
• Provide an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) that determines placement and appropriate support services
• Implement the IEP, making services available and including them in the schedule
• Offer fundamental curriculum alterations to allow individualized goals and objectives
• Provide personal services such as transportation, mobility between classes or content tutoring beyond that offered by the regular classes
• Serve as advocates for students

College students are:

• Responsible to choose whether or not to attend college, demonstrate qualifications for college attendance and compete with other adults for classroom seats
• Responsible for planning their own education, identifying resources and requesting reasonable accommodations
• Responsible for meeting the unaltered fundamental college academic standards, standard course objectives, code of conduct and program requirements
• Responsible for providing their own personal services to assure their own independence and safety
• Responsible to advocate for themselves

Academic differences

High schools:

• Establish a class schedule that fills most of the time during the school day
• Have teachers that provide assistance with reading and studying and provide regular homework
• Expect students to spend 2-3 hours per day on homework
• Give students tests on a regular basis

College students are:

• Responsible for reading textbooks, memorizing information, applying concepts, studying, thinking critically and writing on their own.
• Responsible for planning how to use free time between college classes.
• Responsible for independent learning such as reviewing notes, or studying outside sources in the library or online. College professors may require only one or two out-of-class assignment per semester.
• Responsible for studying an additional two hours for every hour in a college class. This may mean six or more hours of studying per day.
• Responsible to prepare for fewer opportunities to pass tests. College professors may only give a mid-term and a final test.

 

How should I prepare for college?

1. Use the support of high school counselors and psychologists to identify your strengths and interests. Establish realistic academic and career goals before you develop a high school transition plan.
2. Update your disability documentation. Be sure you have a verification of disability by a licensed professional such as a medical doctor, neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, audiologist or ophthalmologist. Be sure the documentation verifies not only the disability but also current educational limitations. Be sure the documentation directly related to the accommodations you will be requesting in college. Give a copy of your documentation to the Disability Programs and Services (DPS) office before entering college.
3. Understand and be able to articulate what your disability is, how it affects you, and why you need the accommodations you are requesting.
4. Meet with a DPS counselor at the college well before your first semester to discuss your goals, review your disability documentation and make your request for accommodations.
5. Use the support of DPS during the college enrollment process. Learn how to use the accommodations similar to those available in college.
6. Practice good study strategies such as text-book reading, note taking, essay development and reviewing course materials regularly.
7. Learn how to handle freedom of time, making good choices that enhance opportunities for success. Learn how to balance time with study, work and relaxation.
8. Organize your daily schedule, living space and study materials by using files, notebooks and a good calendar.
9. Identify role models who have successfully followed the path you are choosing. Identify the skills and strategies they used. Learn from mentors.
10. Get to know who the service providers are. Know where your resources are in the community and online. Use these services and resources on a regular basis.
     

Resources and Links

Students with disabilities preparing for post-secondary education should know their rights and responsibilities. U.S. Department of Education https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html  

 

Services

Chaffey College DPS offers robust support services to help maximize students' success in reaching their academic goals. Our goal is to give students academic support and instruction that leads to success in college and in the workforce. We offer:

Counseling Services

Academic / vocational counseling– DPS provides disability-appropriate suggestions for class and career choices.
Educational evaluations – DPS can evaluate students for inclusion in the learning disability program.
Liaison and referral service– DPS can assist students in making connections to campus and community services for persons with disabilities.
Prescriptive education plans – Students enrolled in the DPS instructional programs will have education plans created which are designed to assist the student in reaching their goals.

Instructional Services

Alternate Media (E-text)
Assistive Technology
Video Captioning Service
Sign Language Interpreter Service– DPS will provide classroom interpreters for hearing impaired DPS students who can communicate using American Sign Language.
Note taker service – When appropriate DPS will provide digital recorders and NCR paper for students use in classrooms.
Priority Registration – Students with disabilities who are part of DPS can qualify for priority registration so that they can register for classes that fit best with their limitations.
Registration Assistance– DPS will assist students is selecting classes that are most appropriate for the students’ abilities and limitations.
Reader/Writer Service– DPS can provide readers and/or writers on test for students whose disability causes reading and/or writing difficulties.
Taping Lectures – You are required to ask the instructor's permission before taping anything in the classroom (lecture or lab).
Test Taking Facilitation– Students with disabilities may qualify for test accommodations which could include such things as extended time on the test, alternative test formats (Braille, etc.), reading assistance, writing assistance, etc.

Transportation Services

On-Campus Transportation (Rancho Cucamonga Campus only)

Service Suspension / Termination

Qualified students will continue to receive services as long as they adhere to their student responsibilities agreement. If a student violates the agreement, the Suspension and/or Termination of Services Procedure will be followed.

Alternate Media

Alternative Media Services
Alternative media is any instruction-related material that is converted or altered from its original state into a different format so it is accessible and usable by people with disabilities.

This may include, but is not limited to:

Braille
Large print
Tactile graphics
Descriptive narration
Recorded audio
Electronic text (e-text) formats
Video captioning
 

To qualify for alternative media, you must:

Become registered with Disability Programs and Services (DPS) as a student.
Meet with and be referred by a DPS counselor for alternative media accommodation.
Meet with Jason Schneck (alternative media tech specialist) and complete a request for materials.
If you wish to qualify for alternative media as an accommodation, please make an appointment to speak with your DPS counselor.

If you have questions about alternative media services, please contact Jason Schneck, alternative media tech specialist at jason.schneck@chaffey.edu.

What is an Alternate Media Technical Specialist?
The alternate media technical specialist works with students and faculty in the acquisition and production of instructional materials in alternative media formats for students with disability-related accommodations. These include, but are not limited to, books, articles, audio-visual materials, websites, email, mobile applications, presentations, and educational learning platform materials.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program or product system that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of people with disabilities. Assistive technology helps people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking and many other things. Different disabilities require different assistive technologies.

To qualify for assistive technology, you must:

Become registered with Disability Programs and Services (DPS) as a student.
Meet with and be referred by a DPS counselor for assistive technology accommodation.
Meet with Jason Schneck (alternative media tech specialist) and schedule a training session for recommended technologies.
Assistive Technology Lab (Located in the DPS office CCE-100)

Assistive Technology Labs (a.k.a. High Tech Centers) provide a campus location for students with disabilities to learn and acquire new skills for use with assistive computer technology.

The DPS Assistive Technology Lab has a large variety of assistive equipment and assistive software. We also offer an extensive array of assistive technology for checkout, including audio recorders. Our trained tech staff is available to assist students unfamiliar with the various technology, and appointments can be made for formal instruction. Some of our most used assistive equipment and software programs are listed below with a brief description. If you would like to speak with our Alt Media Tech Specialist regarding any of the items listed below please contact Jason Schneck at Jason.schneck@chaffey.edu. *Note: assistive technology will require counselor referral.

We also offer alternative media (E-text conversion) services. 

DPS Extended Assignment Accomodation 

Learn more about this acccomodation in this Extended Assignment Accomodation file.

DPS Student & Personal Care Attendant (PCA)

In certain scenarios a student’s disability may necessitate the use of a PCA (Personal Care Attendant) for assistance in classroom or online class environments. A student's PCA (Personal Care Attendant) is not provided or paid for by Chaffey College. They are privately contracted by students with disabilities. As they are not students or employees of Chaffey Community College they must be approved by the DPS (Disability Programs & Services) office before they can enter a Chaffey College classroom regardless of whether it is in person or online. Students must meet with a DPS Counselor for approval. If the PCA is not from an approved agency they must get approved through Chaffey Colleges Volunteer Service Agreement which includes fingerprinting and a background check before entering the classroom. This process can take several weeks. Students should consult with a DPS Counselor as soon as they register for classes where they may need to utilize a PCA.