Resources for Faculty

   Fonts: Be careful with the font you choose while creating your canvas page or documents. Use sans serif font (Calibri, Ariel, Helvetica, Tahoma, or Verdana) and make sure it is at least 12-point size (14-point if possible).

   Alternative text: When creating documents or pages using graphics, make sure to include alt text for people with low or no vision. This allows their screen reader to describe the image to them, therefore creating a document that is wholly accessible.

  Hyperlinks: When posting hyperlinks, make them descriptive. For example: "Please visit the EAC website for more information" rather than "Click here: www.longest_url_ever".  A screen reader will communicate your intent much clearer with the first example.

 Heading Styles: When creating documents, remember to use heading styles that create a hierarchy of ideas.

  Video speed: Ideally, all videos you post should have the ability to be stopped, slowed down, and replayed. Many students need repetition to absorb the same material as their peers.

 Captioning Videos: Make sure all videos you post have captions. 3C Media Solutions can caption your videos for free through the Chancellor's Office as long as there are funds available. The process can take a week or longer, so request your project early in the fiscal year to make sure it is paid for and completed before your class begins.

 Live Captioning Zoom Events: If you have a request to add captions to a live zoom lecture or event, you need to request this from ConferZoom Tech.

   New students and students transitioning from high school to college may be unaware of college procedures, their legal rights, and the difference between special education and postsecondary education disability services. For this reason, we encourage you to read your syllabus to the class on the first day and to include a statement regarding services available to students on campus. An example would be:

“If you have a documented disability and need accommodations, please contact the Educational Assistance Center. Documentation could include an IEP or 504 from high school, a letter detailing your diagnosis from your doctor, or documentation from an agency such as the Department of Rehabilitation or Veteran Affairs. You can contact the EAC by phone at (805) 678-5830, by email at oceac@vcccd.edu, or by stopping by their office in the Student Services Building--Room 118 on the first floor."

The laws regarding disabilities and discrimination are not vague and the school does not protect you from penalties incurred. Case in point: Dinsmore v. U.C. Berkeley. In this case a professor at U.C. Berkeley felt that no one had the right to dictate how the class was to be taught. The professor refused a student extra time to take an exam, an accommodation that was recommended by the DSPS staff. The student sued, and the judgment favored the plaintiff. Most importantly, it was also found that since the institution had recommended the accommodation and the professor refused it, the professor was at fault, not the institution. In this situation, the professor was personally liable.

Your rights to academic freedom are important. Disability regulations do not dictate what you teach, but rather ask you to shift your paradigm and think broadly when crafting a new lesson. Try to utilize all your senses, or as many as you can, to reach more students and their learning styles. Try to create products in as many formats as you can (e.g. test in both scantron and essay form). No one wants to control what you do in the classroom, we simply want as many students as possible to be included.

As stated in Section 508 of the ADA law, federal law requires “electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. An accessible information technology system is one that can be operated in a variety of ways and does not rely on a single sense or ability of the user”. This means if you intend to show a video, of any length, IT MUST BE CAPTIONED. If there are interpreters in the classroom, this DOES NOT mean you don’t need to caption the video. The student will have to watch the interpreters, not the screen, and will miss all the visual cues the other students will be seeing. Thus it is not EQUAL ACCESS to information and is therefore discriminatory. If you have an online curriculum that includes videos or lectures, get them captioned before you go live. Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students have the same rights as any student to sign up last minute, and you may not know until the first day of class that you have a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing student.

Whatever information is shared with the EAC regarding a student’s disability is confidential. We are unable to share details of a student’s disability with you. If a student needs accommodations for a class, they must present a letter to you stating that they are receiving services through our office. However, this letter will not state what the disability is, only what accommodations are necessary. Due to FERPA laws we now request students to sign a release of information so that we are able to discuss relevant issues with their instructors and other pertinent staff but not all students sign this document. If you call with a concern regarding a student it is customary for us to research the student and call you back.

An acquired brain injury results in the loss of some previously learned skills or knowledge and can create difficulties in learning depending upon the degree of injury. There can be physical, sensory, cognitive, language, behavioral, and/or emotional changes due to the extent of injury to the brain. Injuries of this type can be the result of car accidents, stroke, lack of oxygen, brain tumors, etc. There are four main groups of symptoms of ABI: Cognitive, perceptual, physical, and behavioral.

• Cognitive-related symptoms include difficulty processing information, shortened attention span, an inability to follow directions with complex or multiple steps, memory loss, and/or impairments expressing thoughts or understanding others.
• Perceptual-related symptoms include a change in any of the senses, no sense of time, an altered sense of balance, and increased pain sensitivity.
• Physical-related symptoms may include a persistent headache, extreme fatigue, disorders of movement, seizures, impaired motor control, sensitivity to light, sleep disorders, paralysis, and unclear speech due to poor facial muscle control.
• Behavioral and emotional symptoms may include irritability and impatience, reduced tolerance for stress, lack of initiative, dependence, denial of disability, lack of inhibition (including inappropriate sexual behavior and aggression), inflexibility, and either flattened or heightened responses and reactions.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• Allow students short breaks during class. This will help them to “catch up” if they are having problems with content and the opportunity to ask questions in a less stressful manner.
• Depending upon the student’s symptoms, don’t take rude or seemingly aggressive behavior personally.
• Use PowerPoint for your lectures and make them available online.
• If giving directions with many parts, try to break them up into smaller, easily understood components the student can track.
• To ease stress, make sure to have assignments and pertinent due dates clearly listed in your syllabus.
• Allow students to use memory cards to help recall important information.

ADHD is a disorder involving deficits in behavioral inhibition, sustained attention and resistance to distraction, and hyperactivity or restlessness. Individuals with the disorder may have difficulties with organization, planning, remembering to do things, concentrating, completing tasks, and regulating emotions. Students may exhibit:

• Difficulty retrieving information on demand, processing and comprehending complex information
• Difficulty putting ideas together coherently when writing or speaking
• Less flexibility when problem-solving
• Problems with time management
• Problems initiating work and maintaining a workspace
• High variability of quality, quantity, and speed of task completion

While medication can relieve some of the symptoms in some cases, some students do not benefit from medication, may decide not to use medication, or may experience side effects that make medication usage impractical.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• If your lecture is lengthy and complex, break it up into smaller parts with frequent breaks.
• Allow the student to sit in the front.
• Prepare a syllabus with clear directions and expectations. Make sure all due dates are clear for all assignments and exams.
• Outline class presentations and write key terms and vocabulary on the board.
• Announce, post, and keep clear office hours during which the student can meet with you for clarification of information or assignments.
• Remind students about the Tutoring Center and how to use it.
• Provide chapter outlines for students to help them cue into important and relevant information to study.

A visual limitation is a total or partial loss of the visual field that limits the amount of visual information the student is able to process and may therefore disrupt the student's educational process. The student may have difficulty reading classroom materials, taking notes or completing in-class assignments, reading textbooks or handouts, reading exams or quizzes, writing responses or answers to exam questions, or performing lab or practicum-based tasks that require vision.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• Allow the student front row seating.
• Make sure all assignments are announced in class and are clearly outlined in the class syllabus.
• Disclose requisite texts as early as possible. Alternate media formats can take time to procure.
• Allow your lectures to be recorded so the student may refer back to them as a sighted student would their written notes.
• Be prepared to explain a little more than you normally would: If you are showing a picture be prepared to describe it so that the blind or low vision student can participate in the class discussion. It may feel awkward at first, but it will quickly feel more natural and the student will appreciate feeling like part of the class.
• Use DOCs rather than PDFs for handouts, or make sure your PDFs are accessible. Use a minimum of 14-point font.
• Keep in mind that some students may be color blind. Refrain from relying solely on color to convey information in charts, graphs, etc.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder involving bursts of uncontrolled brain activity (seizures) affecting the entire brain or specific regions. During a seizure, there may be loss of consciousness and/or physical, behavioral, or cognitive changes. Generally, these symptoms resolve after the seizure, but there is often fatigue and/or cognitive difficulties for a short duration afterward. Occasionally deficits are long-lasting.

Symptoms:

Seizures can be visible, but some go unnoticed. When a seizure goes unnoticed, there may still be an evident change in behavior, mood, energy, or cognition. Cognitive deficits resulting from these seizures can affect attention, increased distractability, memory skills, and speed of thought. Fatigue and/or cognitive deficits may be of short or long term durations. Students experiencing seizures may be absent more frequently from class than other students.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• If you have noticed the student struggles more when “put on the spot,” allow them to submit questions to you via email before or after class.
• When possible, allow the student to do extra credit work, longer assignments, research, etc. to make up for absences.

In Case of Emergency:

• There is a chance the student will experience a seizure during class. Sometimes this can be scary. The best idea is to be prepared.
• Talk to the student and ask what they would be comfortable with. This will help you get a feel for what type of seizures the student has had in the past and prepare you a bit in case it happens during your class.
• Fold a jacket or sweater (something soft) and place it under the student’s head.
• Make sure nothing is around the student’s neck (tie, necklace) making it hard to breathe.
• Clear the area around the student of anything hard or sharp.
• Turn the student gently on their side.
• Stay calm and reassure others nearby.
• Call Campus Police x5805 immediately and report the seizure. (The nurse’s office isn’t always open.)
• DO NOT TRY TO PLACE SOMETHING IN HIS OR HER MOUTH TO KEEP THEM FROM BITING THEIR TONGUE. This is a myth, and you will likely end up getting bit!
• Stay with the student until the seizure ends.

A student with an intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior that affect many everyday social and practical skills. An individual is generally diagnosed as having an intellectual disability when:

1. the person's functioning level is below average intellectual ability; and
2. the person has significant limitations in adaptive skill areas as expressed in conceptual, social, academic, and practical skills in independent living and employment; and
3. the disability originated before the age of 18.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 67312,

70901 and 84850, Education Code. Reference: Sections 67310-12 and

84850, Education Code.

Limitations of this disability may include:

• Difficulty keeping pace with lecture material
• Limited analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills
• Below-average ability to understand complex reading material
• Difficulty using campus resources effectively
• Difficulty understanding disability-related limitations
• Exhibiting immature social behaviors and judgment

Strategies for the Classroom:

• If your lecture is lengthy and complex, break it up into smaller parts with frequent breaks.
• At the beginning of each class, give a five-minute review of the last lecture before providing fresh information.
• Use PowerPoint for your lecture notes and make them available online.

Implications for Faculty:
College students are required to demonstrate mastery of materials learned, no matter what the disability the student may have. Students with disabilities are expected to perform to the same standards as their peers with the understanding that they will require many more accommodations to have equal access to learning. Because college curriculum cannot be modified, a student with an intellectual disability may encounter significant barriers to achieving their academic success. In many cases, pass/no pass is recommended or a counselor may recommend an alternative to college.

The student with a learning disability has average to above-average intelligence and demonstrates a discrepancy between innate ability and academic performance due to a processing deficit.

Characteristics of students with a Learning Disability:

• Reading: Confusion of similar words, difficulty using phonics, problems reading multi-syllable words, difficulty finding important words or main ideas, slow reading, difficulty with comprehension.
• Writing: Difficulty with sentence structure, poor grammar, frequent spelling errors, letter reversals, difficulty copying from the board, poorly formed handwriting, words spaced unevenly, compositions lacking organization and development of ideas.
• Listening: Difficulty paying attention when spoken to, difficulty listening and taking notes at the same time, easily distracted, may seem hurried in one-on-one meetings, inconsistent concentration.
• Oral Language: Difficulty expressing ideas orally that the student seems to understand, difficulty describing events or stories in proper sequence, difficulty with grammar, using a similar-sounding word in place of the appropriate one, difficulty memorizing basic facts, confusion or reversal of numbers, number sequence or symbols, difficulty copying problems, aligning columns, difficulty reading or comprehending word problems.
• Study Skills: Problems reasoning and abstract concepts, inability to stick to a simple schedule, routinely forgets things.
• Social Skills: Difficulty “reading” facial expressions or body language, problems interpreting subtle messages like sarcasm or humor, seems disorganized in space; is often late to class, unusually early for appointments, or unable to finish assignments in the standard time; excessively anxious, angry, or depressed.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• Make sure to have a detailed syllabus outlining any assignments and their due dates. It would also be helpful to add any holidays for that semester to reinforce the schedule for the student.
• Explain the rules to the class in advance, i.e. when late work will be accepted, when homework will be collected, how assignments are graded, etc.
• It is very helpful for most students to have study aids for quizzes and exams, something to help them narrow their areas of study.
• At the beginning of class, it is helpful to have a quick review of what was discussed in the prior class before beginning the new information.
• Whenever possible, all announcements should be in both written and oral form. Please make sure to write all pertinent announcements on the board.
• Permit use of a calculator when mathematical disability is severe.
• Allow the student to use memory cards to help recall important information.
• Permit the use of a dictionary or spellchecker for essay exams.
• In exam questions, avoid unnecessarily intricate sentence structure, double negatives, and questions embedded within questions.

Any orthopedic or physical condition that limits the ability to stand, walk, sit, or conduct other various motor functions is considered a mobility disability. Examples of this would be cerebral palsy, epilepsy, stroke, traumatic spinal cord injury, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, post-polio, acquired brain injury, and other more “hidden” causes that are not obvious by simply observing the student. Some examples of these “hidden” causes would be heart disease, digestive disorders, cancer, lupus, a renal disease requiring dialysis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, allergies, leukemia, diabetes, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Many of these diseases can cause extreme pain or sensitivity to everyday activities such as writing, walking, or sitting for long periods of time.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• If your lecture is lengthy and complex, break it up into smaller parts with frequent breaks.
• Allow preferential seating.
• Use PowerPoint for your lecture notes and make them available online.
• If the student has speech or language problems, repeat back what you understood.
• When giving directions, be direct, specific and consistent in manner.
• When writing information on the board, print rather than write in cursive.
• For students utilizing a wheelchair:
  • Ask before lending assistance
  • A wheelchair is considered part of that person’s body space. Do not automatically touch or lean on it.
  • When talking with a person in a wheelchair, if the conversation continues past a few minutes, sit down, kneel, or squat to be at eye level.

The State Chancellor’s Office defines a psychological disability as “a persistent psychological or psychiatric disorder, or emotional or mental illness”. We have many students on campus suffering from a wide variety of psychological disabilities from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia; they may even be suffering from more than one at the same time. Because there are no visual clues, you will not know what the student is suffering from. Each student will be different and their limitation will differ accordingly.

Limitations may include:

• Thinking – judgment, reasoning, extreme self-absorption, deficits in abstract thinking, memory, concentration/focus, belief in delusions, interfering self-talk (about fears of failure or panic, low self-esteem).
• Behavior – talking, pacing, hyperactivity, laughing, repetitive motion, agitation, listlessness, numbness, impulsiveness, fluctuating energy levels.
• Perception – auditory and visual perception deficits.

Some limitations can be attributed to the side effects of medications, which may include restlessness, drowsiness, fatigue, blurred vision, memory lapses, thirst, or involuntary movement of the hands, feet, or facial muscles. Any and all of these may cause the student to leave the classroom for frequent bathroom breaks or the need for assistance with notetaking or reading.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• If your lecture is lengthy and complex, break it up into smaller parts with frequent breaks.
• At the beginning of each class, give a five-minute review of the last lecture before providing fresh information.
• Use PowerPoint for your lecture notes and make them available online.
• If the student tends to sit in the middle of class and leaves frequently, take them aside after class and see if they would prefer to sit closer to the door.
• Be open to “outside the box” thinking when it comes to accommodating the student. This does not mean you should not hold the student to the same rigor you would any other student, only that you measure their understanding of the information in a way that levels the playing field. For example, if you notice the student is unable to remain quiet during exams and is disruptive to the other students, allow them to take the test alone in an alternate setting.

More and more veterans are returning to civilian life and finding the adjustment difficult. Many have come home with injuries incurred while on duty that make it challenging to succeed in an academic environment. Injuries such as acquired brain injury (ABI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and hearing loss are prevalent among this population. While it is important to note that not all veterans return injured, many do, and it is imperative that they find success here at home.

Veterans often develop PTSD after exposure to a terrifying event they felt was life-threatening. PTSD may manifest in many different ways such as: difficulty processing lectures and taking notes, difficulty taking tests during standard conditions, difficulty concentrating and staying focused, low tolerance for stressful situations, and difficulty managing emotions in anxiety-producing or novel situations.

An acquired brain injury involves medical or traumatic injury to the brain. An ABI may manifest as: reduced attention skills, reduced memory skills, slower retrieval of learned information, reduced ability to form abstract concepts or form them into words, cognitive deficits that may cause fatigue, or sensory difficulties that may interfere with hearing/visual perception.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• If your lecture is lengthy and complex, break it up into smaller parts with frequent breaks.
• Allow the student to sit in the front.
• If you will be showing a movie or clip from a movie that depicts war or violence, warn the class in advance and allow them to leave the classroom to avoid exposure.
• If you will be discussing a sensitive topic, warn the class in advance and allow them to leave the classroom to avoid exposure.
• Student Vet Center: Don’t forget that we have a support system in place to help vets in their continuing efforts to readjust. You can always refer them to the Vet Center where they will find the following:
  • Academic counseling
  • Peer support
  • Help understanding how to best utilize their GI benefits
  • Activities

Speech and language disorders refer to communication disabilities, which may or may not be congenital or the result of developmental speech and or language acquisition, an illness, injury, or accident. Specific articulation may exist solely or coexist with other disabilities. A speech and language disorder may affect various parts of oral communication, including: voice (sometimes resulting in partial or total loss of voice), articulation, rhythm, and/or the receptive and expressive process of language. It may limit the quality, accuracy, intelligibility, or fluency of sounds and words comprising spoken language. Students may exhibit a slow or reduced ability to express ideas verbally or in writing, a reduced ability to interact with others in a pragmatic or acceptable manner, or a slow or reduced ability to process information. Students with speech disabilities may be hesitant to participate in group activities that require speaking.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• If your lecture is complex, break it up into smaller parts with frequent breaks.
• When the student speaks, repeat back what was said or asked to make sure you understood.
• Allow the student to sit near the front of the class.
• Request that the student submits written questions prior to class (when possible).
• Accept written, video, or taped exams/assignments for oral presentations.

A service animal is defined as any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not considered service animals. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks.
• Alerting individuals who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing to the presence of people or sounds.
• Providing non-violent protection or rescue work.
• Pulling a wheelchair.
• Alerting individuals before a seizure.
• Alerting individuals to the presence of allergens.
• Retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone.
• Providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities.
• Helping individuals with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.

Strategies for the Classroom:

To determine if an animal is a service animal, a public entity or a private business may ask two questions:

1. Is this animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has this animal been trained to perform?

These questions may not be asked if the need for the service animal is obvious (e.g., the dog is guiding an individual who is blind or is pulling a person’s wheelchair). A public entity or private business may not ask about the nature or extent of an individual’s disability or require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, or require the animal to wear an identifying vest.

Any animal on our campus must be vetted by the Coordinator of the EAC before attending classes.  They should have paperwork with them verifying they have met with the EAC and we have a record of them.

For more information, please visit the ADA National Network’s page on service animals: http://adata.org/factsheet/service-animals