Accommodations and Services

DSPS Counselors are available for specialized disability-related academic counseling appointments. During registration periods, recommendations can be made to help students plan their schedule to increase the likelihood of success in their enrolled classes. DSPS Counselors are available by appointment and drop-in to help students with disability-related issues, academic counseling, and concerns they may have during the semester. To maintain an active DSPS file and continue qualifying for DSPS services, every student should meet with a DSPS Counselor at least once per semester.

Adapted Kinesiology classes may be offered for students with disabilities. Adapted courses include aquatics, badminton, golf, physical activity (weight training and fitness), tennis, and yoga. Mobility aides may be provided for students approved for this service. Course offerings vary by term.

Alternate media accommodations are used to provide an alternate format of textbooks and other text-based materials. This enables students to access their reading in an audio, electronic or tactile version.

• Alternate media must be requested each semester as soon as the student learns of their need.

• Students are responsible to complete the alternate media training that is provided by the DSPS High Tech Center.

• All alternate media accommodation requests are processed in the order they are received.

• Since alternate formats take time to produce, it is important to make requests as soon as possible after registering for classes.

• A link to the Alternate Media Request form is located in the Universal Library under the student’s Kurzweil account (as shown in the training).

• Students may search for their textbooks online at the COD Bookstore using their course information.

• As soon as the student’s textbook information is available, complete the form and the request will be processed. It is okay to submit more than one form since all textbook information is not available at the same time.

• Requests can be made before obtaining the textbooks; however, DSPS will not release the alternate formats to the student until proof of ownership (such as a purchase or rental receipt, email, or contract from a special program) is provided.

• Please note that “free” Open Educational Resource (OER) textbooks do not need proof of ownership.

American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters and Speech to Text (captioning) services are available to Deaf and hard of hearing students. If an interpreter or captioner is needed for an intake or counseling appointment, the student must make the request when scheduling the appointment. Using priority registration is very important to ensure that DSPS is given time to secure and schedule interpreters and/or captioners for all classes.

It is required that students use College of the Desert email to communicate with the DSPS Director, Leslie Quinones, regarding registering for classes, interpreting and captioning requests, and absences.

There is a strict no-show policy for interpreting and captioning services that will be provided and signed by each student utilizing these services prior to the start of each semester.

The role of the interpreter and captioner is to facilitate communication, and foster full interaction and independence for Deaf and hard of hearing students in class. Interpreters are not allowed to tutor, assist instructors, or have discussions with students in class that are not related to class content.

All DSPS students have access to the DSPS High Tech Center (also known as the HTC), which offers technology support, training, assistive technology workshops, and registration assistance.

Students who are DSPS eligible may take Educational Assistance Classes which provide specialized instruction. These classes are listed under the DSPS section of the College of the Desert Course Catalog and Schedules.

It is the student’s responsibility to contact the DSPS office prior to the start of each semester to obtain a current Faculty Notification Letter and provide it to their instructors for both in-person and online classes. This letter should be emailed to instructors the first week of each semester to inform them that the student is registered with DSPS and may be using accommodations in class. DSPS advises students to communicate with their instructors about their individual approved accommodations.

Several options are available for notetaking assistance and audio recording, including digital recorders and notetaking apps. If notetaking is an approved accommodation, students are advised to discuss which option may be best for them with a DSPS Counselor and request any needed equipment and training from the DSPS High Tech Center.

Students who are approved for audio recording as an accommodation are required to submit a current Faculty Notification Letter to their instructors and sign an agreement regarding the appropriate use of recorded lectures.

All students with disabilities who require the coordination of support services for effective classroom participation should register through the DSPS office. Priority registration for students with disabilities begins the first day of each registration period. DSPS students receive priority registration in order to ensure that their services are in place by the start of the term. Students must make requests for most DSPS services immediately after registering for classes. If testing is an approved accommodation, students should allow sufficient time between classes to accommodate extended testing time. Students needing academic advising should meet with a DSPS Counselor before the priority registration date.

All COD students, including DSPS students, must be in good academic standing and have less than 100 units completed order to maintain priority registration status.

The DSPS Proctoring Office provides testing accommodations for qualified students. Procedures have been developed to maintain the integrity of the test taking environment and ensure access by the student with a disability to the same information that occurs in the regular classroom testing situation. Testing accommodations apply to all exams (including in-class and online exams, timed essays and lab exams) and quizzes (including pop-quizzes).

Testing accommodations may include:

• Distraction reduced setting

• Extended time

• Other accommodations such as alternate text formats, adaptive computers, and assistive technology

The DSPS Testing Agreement for utilizing testing accommodations describes the specific instructions on how to use testing accommodations. Students are required to review and sign this agreement with the DSPS Proctoring Office each semester while attending College of the Desert.

Tutoring for most subject areas is available to all students through the Tutoring and Academic Skills Center (TASC) both in-person and online.

Students who are Deaf or hard of hearing may request that any videos shown in their classrooms have captions enabled. It is the responsibility of the instructor to ensure that all video-based content is captioned accurately.

WorkAbility III is a cooperative agreement between College of the Desert and the California State Department of Rehabilitation that provides services for students such as Career Assessment and Counseling, Employment Preparation, Internship Assistance, Job Development, and Employment Follow-up.

• For a referral to WorkAbility III, please contact your DSPS Counselor.

• For more information, please email Tina Cleveland or call 760-776-7406.