Frequently Asked Questions
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For Students
Yes. If you are a student who is seeking services and/or accommodations for the first time the DRC application should be completed.
No. Disability-related information is confidential and kept on file with the Disabilities Resource Center (DRC).
No. Once you have completed the registration process, you do not need to re-register. However, students must request their accommodation letter each term.
After completing the registration process, in order to use any accommodations, it is the student's responsibility to request their accommodations (via DRC Portal) at the beginning of each term. DRC will then send out Accommodation Notification Letters to each instructor.
No. Accommodations begin when your instructors have received your electronic accommodation letter once you have requested DRC to send to each instructor through your DRC Portal.
No. Individuals are not required to share medical information (i.e.: diagnosis, medical documentation) with instructors. Share whatever you feel comfortable sharing that will help faculty understand your access needs. Individuals seeking reasonable accommodations in a particular course will need to request their Accommodation Letter through the DRC Portal.
Not necessarily. Students who were eligible for services in high school may not necessarily be eligible for services or accommodations at the postsecondary level, as different laws with different definitions apply.
Students are encouraged to speak with their individual instructors to see what arrangements can be made within the classroom. If necessary, the DRC can collaborate with students and their instructors to problem solve solutions to access issues caused by injury or temporary conditions. Accommodations will be determined based on the needs outlined in documentation.
Contact DRC to schedule a meeting (with a DRC Specialist) to discuss your concerns or visit the office, Building S, Room 229.
Yes, a student with a qualifying disability who has registered with the DRC may be entitled to accommodations for online course work. Students must first register with the DRC and complete an intake interview with a DRC Specialist.
For Faculty
A reasonable accommodation is an accommodation that must first and foremost be based on an individual's documented need. According to the law, a reasonable accommodation cannot produce "undue hardship" on the college. An undue hardship is defined as "an action requiring significant difficulty or expense" when considered with various other factors, including the nature and cost of the accommodation in relation to the size, resources, nature and structure of the college. Also, the accommodation cannot require a fundamental alteration of any essential aspects of the program. A member of the Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) staff would be glad to provide further specification and discuss these issues more fully with you.
All accommodation letters are now electronically delivered to instructors with the student's request by logging into their DRC Portal. Students should meet with you to discuss the best way to implement accommodations in your class.
Faculty are required to make only the reasonable accommodations stated on an individual's accommodation letter. After the instructor receives the student's accommodation letter, the student is responsible for meeting with the instructor to discuss the accommodation arrangements for the particular course.
Professors are encouraged to contact DRC if they believe the requested accommodations are not reasonable or that they fundamentally alter the course. The DRC professional staff are available to consult with instructors to determine the primary functions of the class and what, if any, accommodations may meet the goal of providing reasonable access to the student without changing required course learning outcomes.
Contact the DRC immediately. Accommodations are designed to level the playing field for students with disabilities to receive equal access to educational experiences. The intent is not to compromise the essential components of a class. The DRC professional staff are available to consult with instructors to determine the primary functions of the class and what, if any, accommodations may meet the goal of providing reasonable access to the student without changing required course learning outcomes.
Students may be referred to Building S, Room 229, the Disabilities Resource Center. It then becomes the student's responsibility to seek out services.
You should refer the student to the DRC, Building S, Room 229. Do not accept documentation or try to provide accommodations. The DRC is exclusively charged by the college to review a student's documentation and determine any reasonable accommodations which are to be made. We all need to follow the policies and procedures outlined or we expose ourselves and the college to potential legal action.
No. All students, regardless of disability, are expected to be evaluated in the same manner. DRC determines and coordinates reasonable accommodations to ensure the exams are accessible to students with disabilities.
Instructors are not required to make reasonable accommodations for disabilities before students register with DRC. Reasonable accommodations are determined by DRC based on the request of the student and need for accommodations based on supporting documentation. You will know a student has completed registration with DRC if you receive a copy of their accommodation letter.
Accommodations are not retroactive. Reasonable accommodations begin after a plan is created with DRC and the Accommodation Letter has been electronically submitted to the instructor based on the student's request via the DRC Portal.
The student is expected to sign-up for each exam through their DRC Portal three (3) school days in advance or earlier if they have been informed of the exam.
No. Students that have requested their accommodation letter and it has been electronically submitted to the instructor have access to schedule their exams. It is recommended that once exam dates have been announced in the class or provided in the syllabus that students sign-up for all of their exams through the DRC Portal.
Once a faculty member has received the request from DRC that the student has signed up for an exam, an Alternative Testing Faculty Contract will be provided in the email allowing the instructor the opportunity to indicate any special proctoring conditions.
Exams are delivered back to instructors (per the instructors request) at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. All exams are returned in a sealed DRC envelope and must be signed for before leaving with the instructor.
Yes. Exams may be emailed (drctesting@sfcollege.edu) once the student has signed up to take his/her exam at DRC. Exams may be uploaded into the DRC Portal once the student has requested to complete his/her exam at DRC and the Alternative Testing Faculty Contract has been completed.
No. It is the student's responsibility to sign up for all exams through their DRC portal three (3) school days in advance. The DRC recommends that if all exam dates have been provided to the student the student signup for his or her exams in advance.
Yes, DRC can share relevant information with professors when there is a legitimate need to know.
By law confidentiality is a right guaranteed to students with disabilities. This means that you as a faculty member may not single them out in class as a student with a disability. You cannot say things like, "Well, Jamie needs to take her test in the DRC testing lab because she has a disability" or "John has a learning disability so he needs notes, can anybody see him after class to give him the notes?" You also cannot discuss the student with a disability, by name, with other instructors. Remember, the student chooses who he/she wishes to identify to and the faculty member you are talking to may not be one of them. Unless the student has given us express permission, the DRC staff cannot discuss confidential reports or testing with you, the faculty member. Without the student's permission, we cannot even tell you the student's particular disability, but merely share with you the reasonable accommodations which must be made on the student's behalf.
Faculty may contact DRC many ways, including: DRC website, by telephone, email or by stopping by the DRC Office, Building S, Room 229 during regular business hours 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.