Students with learning and health challenges are provided with accommodations based upon individual need in the educational setting resulting directly for the documented disability.  

• A DRC counselor will process your request for accommodations at the beginning of every semester
• After you receive your accommodation memo, remember to sit down with all of your instructors so you can discuss and create agreements on how your accommodations will be implemented in their classes.  It will also give you the opportunity to let them know what accommodations may not apply to their classes; For example, you may be approved for a note taker, but you may not want to have a note taker for your dance class.
• Many students ask, "How important is it to go over my accommodations with my professors?"
• It is very important that you and your professors discuss each accommodation and how they apply to their classes. This is critical because not all accommodations apply to all courses, and not all accommodations will be implemented in the same way by all professors.
• It is also important to determine what to do for any "what if" situations (ex: What if my recording device fails? What if my note taker is absent?).

• If you feel like we need to make a change to your approved accommodations, please email us right away.  We understand that life can change at any moment and that means, we may need to add new accommodations to meet your needs. Sometimes, it's just a matter of explaining to us what's going on.  Other times, we may need new documentation.  But contact us so we can talk to you about it as soon as possible. 

The DRC has trained professionals who are available to provide academic advisement too.  It is important to see an academic counselor:

• When you need advice on which classes to take.
• When you want to know what the requirements are your associates, certificate, or transfer. 
• When you want to review your progress toward your academic goals.
• You should be checking in with your academic counselor at least once a year!

Adaptive computer technology is available for use by students with physical, visual, hearing, or learning disabilities. Among those technologies available are screen readers, text enlargers and speech recognition.  Students with visual, learning and severe physical disabilities may have the option of requesting textbooks and class materials in an alternate format when appropriate.  Here are few other things they can assist you with:

• Training on text-to-voice software (ex: Kurzweil or how to use your reader on your computer)
• Best way to transcribe audio recording of lectures
• Captioning services for your instructors
• Converting text to braille
• Creating any tactile materials (ex: tactile maps)

They also provide training for students, faculty, and staff about how to use assistive technology resources such as:

• Kurzweill 3000 – scanning/reading software
• Dragon Naturally Speaking – voice recognition system
• ZoomText Xtra 9 – screen magnification for DSO and Windows
• JAWS – screen reader for windows

 

In order to access and use the Alternate Media Center, students with disabilities must have basic computer skills and meet eligibility requirements of the Disability Resource Center.  For additional information, contact the AMC at 650.306.3170(V) or 650.306.3161 (TDD/TTY).

If you are a current DRC student verified to have assistive technology as an accommodation such as: Kurzweil, Large print, (etc.), please follow these steps:

1. Complete and submit the Cañada College DRC Alt. Media Request Form as soon as you register for your classes. Requests can be made before the semester begins and before you purchase your textbooks and/or course materials.
2. FYI:  The Alt Media team cannot start prepping your request until they have proof that you have been issued an accommodation memo for the following semester. They will check your file to see if one has been issued to you.  IF you do not have an official memo for the following semester in your DRC file, they will contact you to ask you to ask you to have a DRC Counselor send them confirmation that you have requested accommodations for the next semester and are waiting for it to be processed. Once Alt Media gets that confirmation from the DRC Counselor, they will begin prepping your Alt Media request.  
3. When you buy your course textbooks, submit your copy of the original receipts (which is your Proof of Purchase) for each textbook and/or course reader directly to an Alternate Media Specialist or uploaded through the online Cañada College DRC Alt. Media Request Form.
4. If you have any questions please contact the DRC's Alt Media Specialist Donald Lariviere at lariviered@smccd.edu

If you are a current DRC student and have received training for assistive technology, such as a smart pen, you will be guided to directions to request the equipment or software you need in order to access your technology needs. But rule of thumb is, always complete the Cañada College DRC Alt. Media Request Form to request new equipment.  If you have any questions regarding what types of equipment you are eligible for, please email Celeste Kidd at  kiddc@smccd.edu.  

Download the Proctor Request Form.

Complete your portion of the form:

• Student name
• G#
• Kurzweil on the test?
• Semester
• Class
• Instructor Name

Then you must email/hand deliver the form to your instructor and have them complete the rest of the form:

• Date of test
• Time of test
• Length of time to take the test
• If student has back-to-back classes, is there a flexible start time?
• Agree where the test will be proctored
• Let us know how the test will be delivered to us
• Let us know how you would like us to return the test to you
• Give us any special instructions for the test
• Professor signature 

 

Then you must collect the completed form from the instructor and deliver it to us WITH the second page (Test Accommodation Form) signed.  On this second page, you are agreeing to the following:

1. Testing accommodations will not be provided until a student’s eligibility for such services has been verified. Testing accommodation will be provided to students only in courses where their educational limitations indicate that they are necessary.
2. Testing accommodations will occur during the scheduled test time when other students are taking the exam, unless agreed upon in advance by the instructor.
3. Exams will be stopped and instructors will be notified if cheating, unauthorized use of notes, books, calculators or other improper behaviors are observed during the examination. Infractions will be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for due process as defined by the Cañada College catalogue.

No proctoring will be allowed after test dates given by instructor.

If you do not receive any email from us after 48 business hours, please email us to confirm that we have received your proctoring request.

If you are experiencing any difficulties completing the process of making a proctoring appointment with us, please contact us at canadadrc@smccd.edu as soon as possible so we can help you.

Various achievement and cognitive tests will be spread over 3-4 sessions lasting 1 1⁄2 to 3 hours each. Some of the tests assess achievement in standard academic or “learned” information such as reading, writing, math, and more. Other tests assess the processing of different types of information and the speed at which the information is processed. None of the tests can be “passed” or “failed”, but are simply measurements against grade or age norms.

For information on learning disabilities, please visit our What is a Learning Disability page.

Once all the testing that is deemed necessary for you is completed, the results are explained to you at an eligibility meeting. Besides confirming whether or not a learning disability has been identified, the emphasis is on relating the learning strengths and weaknesses shown by both the scores and observations from the testing sessions. Based on these strengths and weaknesses, learning strategies are discussed and recommended. 

Finally, those students who have met the criteria to be served as “Learning Disabled” under the California Community Colleges Learning Disability Eligibility Model are approved for accommodations and complete the various paperwork needed by the DRC program.  You will also be given information regarding your responsibilities to request accommodations and collaborating with your professors every semester.

The American Psychological Association and the Chancellors Office have authorized us to not test students virtually or in-person during campus closure. As the campus is now open, the DRC is currently working on a plan how to provide LD assessment safely. At the moment, we can provide temporary accommodations while students are waiting to be tested for a learning disability.   Here is the protocol given to us from the CA Chancellors Office:  

• First step of the LD testing process, which consists of completing the application and an interview, can be conducted virtually.
• Then students will be placed on the wait list to be tested when the campus reopens.
• While we are waiting for the campus to reopen, the DRC will provide temporary academic accommodations.