Student accommodations

 

Accommodations adjust the manner in which instructional, testing, and employment situations are presented or evaluated, so that an individual with a disability can demonstrate his or her knowledge in a fair and equitable fashion. Accommodations may involve adjustments in the presentation of instructional or testing material, the manner in which the student responds to the material, the actual scheduling or time allotted for the activity, and the setting of the test or activity.

Accommodations individualize instruction to meet diverse learning levels and are legally mandated. These instructions may include combining oral instruction with visual handouts or reading aloud material that is too difficult for a learner.

 

Accommodation Request Form

Student Accommodations

 

Some of the services available to eligible students are listed below. Not every eligible student will qualify for every service. The accommodations that are provided to a student depend on an individual student's disability and how that disability affects their access to the education process.

Examples of services available through DRC that are in addition to those regularly offered by the College include:

• Testing Accommodations
• Alternative Media
• Specialized Counseling
• Sign Language Interpreters
• Note-taking Services
• Reader Services
• Real-Time Captioning
• Registration Assistance
• Assistive Technology

Confidentiality

 

Porterville College Disability Resource Center (DRC) uses the information requested on the Disability Resource Center (DRC) forms for the purpose of determining a student's eligibility to receive authorized services provided by DRC. Personal information recorded on these forms will be kept confidential in order to protect against unauthorized disclosure. Portions of this information may be shared with the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges or other state or federal agencies; however, disclosure to these parties is made in strict accordance with applicable statutes regarding confidentiality, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. 1232(g)). Pursuant to Section 7 of the Federal Privacy Act (Public Law 93-579; 5 U.S.C.§ 552a, note). Students do not need to disclose the nature of their disability to instructors in order to receive accommodations. Academic Accommodation letters from Disability Resource Center never disclose a student's disability, only the accommodations that are authorized. It may be helpful to discuss how the limitations of a disability impact learning with an instructor. For example, “my disability makes it very difficult for me to take notes and focus on your lecture at the same time, that is why I am authorized for a note taker.”