Abstract
of
MAKING THE TRANSITION: THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WHO TRANSFER FROM COMMUNITY
COLLEGE TO CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
by
Maricela M. Becerra
When a student with disabilities transfers from community college to a post-secondary
institution, there is no guarantee that the student will be able to transfer in all of her or his
accommodations. Community college students may assume that all of their previous
accommodations will be honored at their new university; however, this is not always the
case as confirmed by this research. This thesis addresses the inconsistencies in
accommodations and services that students with disabilities experience when they
transfer from community college to California State University, Sacramento (CSUS).
The source of the data came from interviewing five community college students with
disabilities about their college experiences in both community college and at CSUS. The
result of the interviews generated a set of guidelines that students can utilize to better
prepare themselves for future changes in their accommodations.
_______________________, Committee Chair
Rachael Gonzáles, Ed.D.
_____________________
Date
1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Individuals with disabilities are a growing population who often experience
difficulties in achieving a post-secondary education. A study conducted by the National
Center for Education Statistics (1999) found that students with disabilities were less
likely than students without disabilities to attend college, and of those students, fewer
attended four-year colleges and received their bachelors degree. This difficulty appears
to be connected with the challenges these students face when requesting accommodations
at four-year universities.
This research will focus specifically on community college students with
disabilities who transferred to CSUS. When a student with disabilities makes the
transition from community college to a university, there is nothing to prepare that student
for what to expect. This is especially true when the student needs to request
accommodations through the office that serves students with disabilities at their
university. What most students take from community college to their university are their
past experiences, and as a result of this, students may assume that all of their
accommodations, and services through their community college’s Disabled Students
Program and Services (DSPS) will also be honored at their university.
When a student transfers from community college to their university, that student is
never guaranteed that they will be able to utilize all of their previous accommodations.
Each college is free to use their discretion to decide what a “reasonable accommodation”
is for that student. This can cause some students with disabilities to feel anxiety and
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stress about the changes in their accommodations. Another difficulty that students with
disabilities face when requesting accommodations are the dilemmas associated with
disclosure. The student must figure out to whom to disclose their disability, the right
time to do so, and how much information the person needs to know about their disability.
Background of the Problem
Disabled Students Program and Services (DSPS) is the department in California
community colleges designed to provide students with disabilities the academic
accommodations and services that they need to “level off the playing field.” This
department is also responsible to assist students if disability related issues should occur
with faculty, staff or administrators. Most universities also have a department that serves
students with disabilities. At California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), this
department is called Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD). The purpose of
SSWD is to also allow students equal access to opportunities to meet their educational
goals by offering a wide range of support services and academic accommodations. Their
purpose is to also allow students equal access to opportunities by offering a wide range of
support services and academic accommodations. According to the interview this author
conducted for this thesis, students with disabilities who attended a community college
and then transferred over to CSUS stated having their best educational experiences with
their accommodations at community college. Most students found their accommodations
and services to be an essential and necessary part of their education at both community
college and CSUS. All students encountered challenges in community college and at
CSUS with their accommodations. Nearly all students stated changes in their
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accommodations from community when they transferred to CSUS and none of the
students reported feeling prepared for changes in their accommodations when they
transferred from community college to CSUS.
Once a student leaves community college and attends CSUS all of their academic
accommodations and services are not guaranteed to go along with them. For instance,
CSUS has a policy of not granting priority registration to students their first semester
unless it is directly related to their disability, nor do they offer tutoring until the second
week of classes. This can be a problem for some students not only because they are
unprepared for changes in accessing their accommodations, but also because they depend
on their preexisting accommodations from community college to help them succeed
academically, especially when they have a heavier study load at CSUS.
Students with disabilities have different educational needs than students without
disabilities. To address the needs community college students with disabilities have once
they transfer over to their university, this thesis will discuss the problems and difficulties
students with disabilities face when their previous accommodations are not granted
through CSUS.
Statement of the Problem
Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a Federal law that prohibits
discrimination against individuals with disabilities (Rehabilitation Act of 1973). In the
educational setting this statue ensures that students have equal access to an education by
allowing them to have accommodations or modifications (Rehabilitation Act 1973). Not
all colleges have a standard set of accommodations and services to offer each student
4
with disabilities, and as a result, each college can justify what they believe are
appropriate accommodations and services for each student with disabilities. Some
colleges offer additional accommodations and services to students with disabilities such
as classes for students who have difficulty learning math or English, additional tutoring
time or one-on-one tutoring, priority registration, and the use of a private test taking room
to name a few.
These accommodations and services are not mandated by the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (Americans with Disabilities Act 1990) or Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973); however, these additional
services and accommodations not only allow students with disabilities a greater
opportunity to benefit from their education, but a greater opportunity to succeed in
college. ADA prohibits public entities from denying “qualified” individuals with
disabilities from participating in or benefiting from services, programs, or activities they
provide in most colleges and universities (Americans with Disabilities Act 1990).
What ADA and Section 504 were established to do was to protect students from being
discriminated against due to their disability and to also have accommodations and
services available to them. Section 504 states that,
No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined
in section 706(8) of this title, shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be
excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial
assistance...
Section 504 states that this statue only applies to public and private recipients of federal
aid; however, most public and private colleges are recipients. As part of Section 504,
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schools that receive federal aid are required by law to offer “reasonable
accommodations” to students with verified disabilities (Rehabilitation Act of 1973).
Students with disabilities are encountering more difficulties in college than students
without disabilities. In 1996, approximately 6% of all undergraduates reported having a
disability according to a 1995-1996 study conducted by the U.S. Department of
Education, National Center for Education Statistics (1999). This study found that
students with disabilities were less likely to be enrolled in public 4-year universities and
more likely to be enrolled in 2-year colleges (25% versus 32%). The study also pointed
out that only 16% of students with disabilities would have their bachelor’s degree within
five years when compared to 27% of their counterparts. The dropout rate for students
with disabilities was 47% while students without disabilities had 36% dropout rate. The
above information was grounds for this author to look further into the experiences of
community college students with disabilities who transferred to CSUS and investigate if
changes in their accommodations cause these students to fall behind students without
disabilities.
Purpose of the Study
The objective of this study was to provide community college students with
disabilities who are transferring over to CSUS a set of guidelines to better prepare them
for the transition from DSPS to SSWD. The guidelines were created to bridge the gap
between community college and CSUS. This study will serve students by better
preparing them for changes in accommodations and services. These guidelines were
developed with the input provided from the interviews of five community college
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students with disabilities that transferred to CSUS and Judy Dean the Co-Director of
Counseling/Accommodation Support in the SSWD department at CSUS.
The guidelines will also help reduce the sense of entitlement that community
college students with disabilities are said to have once they transfer into CSUS by better
preparing them to expect changes in the accommodations. If students are advised in
community college that their accommodations and services are not fixed, but rather
contingent upon the institution they are in, it is the author’s belief that it would resolve
some of the transfer shock that happens when students are no longer able to use prior
academic accommodations and services from their community college at CSUS.
Significance of the Problem
The author created the guidelines to better prepare students for changes in their
accommodations and services once they transfer to CSUS. The guidelines will serve as a
tool to better help students with disabilities make a smoother transition from DSPS to
SSWD. When students with disabilities are given the opportunity to be better prepared
for changes in accommodations and services this will not only result in a more equitable
education, but will improve their chances of being able to attain a college education and a
college life in general.
Limitations of Study
Due to the direct relationship with students and the nature of this study certain
limitations are inherent. The primary limitation impacting the generalization of the study
was the small sample of students involved in the research. Because there were only five
students interviewed, the disabilities of those students (Traumatic Brain Injury, Dyslexia,
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Epilepsy, Deaf, and Learning Disabled) are the only disabilities represented. Other
physical, medical, and psychiatric disabilities such as Depression, Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral
Palsy, Schizophrenia, Blindness, HIV/AIDS, and Bipolar disorder were not address. A
bias in this thesis was that the questions used for this interview were in part formed from
the author’s personal experiences. The time spent interviewing spanned from January 29,
2009 to January 10, 2011. Furthermore, four out of the five students selected were from
the Los Rios Community College District located in Sacramento, California. This district
includes four community colleges: American River College, Cosumnes River College,
Folsom Lake College, and Sacramento City College. The other student was from a
southern California community college a limitation as students from other regions could
have different experiences.
Definition of Terms
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA):
Civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability by all public
entities at the local and state levels. Public entities must allow qualified individuals with
disabilities access to all programs and services (U.S. Department of Justice, 2009
http://www.ada.gov/).
Disabled Students Program and Services (DSPS):
Generic term used within community colleges to refer to the office that assesses,
accommodates, and supports students with disabilities in order to create equality in
education (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2009).
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Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE):
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, children with disabilities are entitled to receive a free and
appropriate public education. To include the ability to receive a regular or special
education, aids, and services that are appropriate to their disability. (2008). Reproduction
Service, Family Educational Rights and Privacy: Final Rule. Federal Register, Part II:
Department of Education, 34 CFR Part 99. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED503672).
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):
A federal law designed to grant equal access to students with disabilities by
providing them a special education and services that are specifically tailored to meet their
needs (U.S. Department of Education, 2006 http://idea.ed.gov/).
Learning Disabilities (LD):
A non-specific term for a category that contains many specific disabilities.
Learning disabilities are a disorder that affects the way an individual perceives,
understands, and uses spoken or written language. This disorder creates a deficit in one
or more of the following areas: attention, reasoning, processing, memory,
communication, reading, writing, spelling, calculation, coordination, and social
competence (Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Administration,
2010, http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/index.html).
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504):
A federal law that stipulates that programs which receive federal funding from the
U.S. Department of Education must provide reasonable accommodations to individuals
9
with disabilities. It gives persons with disabilities the right to participate in and have
access to programs, benefits, and services (U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil
Rights, 2009, http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html).
Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD):
The department that serves students with disabilities at California State University,
Sacramento (Sacramento State University, Sacramento, Services to Students with
Disabilities, 2010).
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Chapter 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Research on the challenges students with disabilities encountered with their
accommodations in college was not as forthcoming as perceived. Even less information
was available on the experiences students with disabilities had with their
accommodations once they left community college and transferred over to a four-year
university. No information was found at the CSUS library on the experiences community
college students face with their accommodations once they transferred into CSUS. In
addition, the author found an essential lack of interviews where students shared their
personal stories about their college experiences, yet data in the form of numbers about
students with disabilities in community college and in universities was readily available.
As a result of students personal experiences not being published, students with
disabilities are not given a voice or space to provide their personal educational stories.
This can mean one of two things, that students with disabilities are not being asked about
their college experiences because it is assumed they are having the same experience as
traditional students despite the fact that these students need accommodations or that these
students are just not sharing their stories with others. This is important to know because
four out of the five students who were interviewed for this thesis reported having
difficulties with their accommodations once they left community college and transferred
to CSUS.
This chapter will address the following: The Role of Narratives and Sharing
Personal Stories, The Adult Learner, The Role of Self-identification, Disclosure, and
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Advocacy, and Post-Secondary Law.
The Role of Narratives and Sharing Personal Stories
Narratives are a significant part of qualitative research because narratives have
served to bring to light marginalized voices (Maynest, Pierce and Laslett, 2008, p. 1).
The intention of narratives is to get details on a specific aspect of an individual’s life.
Narratives are widely utilized in educational settings because they serve as a powerful
tool to obtain information and gain insight about an individual’s experience. One way
people can share their experiences is through telling stories. Connelly and Clandinin
(1990) note that, "Humans are storytelling organisms who, individually and collectively,
lead storied lives.” (p. 2). Narrative inquiry is then the method used by a researcher to
gather that information about how individuals experience their world. Ray Write author
of Consumer Behaviour (2006) defines narrative inquiry as the process of gathering
information for the purpose of researching through story-telling (p. 86). Write claims
that people’s lives consist of stories that can be analyzed through interviews, letters,
journals, and orally told stories.
Narratives also serve another purpose and that is to learn about people’s beliefs,
about what they feel is true in their life and how they relate to others because of it.
Czarniawska (2004) is quoted as saying “Narration is a common mode of
communication. People tell stories to entertain, to teach and to learn, to ask for an
interpretation and to give one” (p. 10). Individuals who share their experiences are not
only telling their unique story, but they can also be sharing their experiences with those
who may find themselves in similar circumstances. When personal stories are shared
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both parties have an equal opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the concern that
is being conveyed. Sharing personal stories then becomes as valuable to those
individuals who are sharing their story as it is to those who are hearing about that
particular issue for the first time.
This concept, is reflected in the following passage by Ellis and Flaherty (1992):
By making intricate details of one's life accessible to others in public discourse,
personal narratives bridge the dominions of public and private life. Telling a
personal story becomes a social process for making lived experience
understandable and meaningful. (p. 79)
The Adult Learner
An adult learner is a person who is an adult or who is considered to be an adult by
the educational system they are attending. All students who enter college will be
considered to be adult learners and will also be treated accordingly. Los Rios
Community College District states on their online application the following,
It is the policy and primary purpose of the Los Rios Community College District to
provide educational opportunity experiences to the residents of the community it
serves according to the District's Open Door Policy, regardless of previous
educational background. According to this Policy, the colleges of the District will
enroll any person who is either a high school graduate or the equivalent, or who is
18 years of age or older and capable of benefiting from the education that is offered
(https://www.nationalappcenter.com/applications/Los_Rios_CCD/apply.html).
CSU Mentor, a website generated to assists students in learning about the
California State University (CSU) system, states that in order to be considered a student
one must posses a high school diploma, pass the California High School Proficiency
Examination, or complete the General Education Development program
(http://www.csumentor.edu/planning/). Upon further investigation of CSUS’s policy, the
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author found on a CSUS Admission & Outreach brochure that there was no age
requirement noted; however, there were two different ways a student could be admitted to
CSUS (Sacramento State University, Sacramento, 2011). First, if the student was coming
in as a freshmen the student must have a high school diploma, complete a 15 unit
comprehensive pattern of college preparatory approved classes, have a combination of
test scores and grade point average (GPA), and take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
or the American College Testing (ACT) test. The second was if the student was coming
in as a transfer student the student must have completed either 60 transferable semester
units or 90 transferable quarter units of college work, met CSUS GPA requirement, left
their prior college in good standing, and have completed 30 semester units of classes
comparable to general education requirements with grade of C or better.
For college students with disabilities this means that they are now seen as young
adults and will be expected to act independently from others despite their disabilityrelated needs. If the student had previously received accommodations and special
services in high school, they will see some dramatic changes in college. In a recent
online article on high school students with disabilities who will be transitioning into
college, Joyce and Rossen (2006) cited that, while in high school a student’s
interventions, evaluations, and accommodations are guaranteed. The system that is
currently in place to ensure this support is threefold: parent/teacher referrals, teams
assembled within the school to help the child succeed, and procedures created by the
administration. One difference that a student with disabilities will notice that takes place
in college is the termination of the team of people who create and monitor the academic
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goals of the student. This will also include the team of people who are responsible for the
academic achievement of the student. What this means for an adult learner with
disabilities is that the student will not be able to hold anyone else accountable if they are
not successful in their courses. The college student will now be solely responsible for his
or her own academic success or failure.
A repercussion of being labeled an adult learner with disabilities is that the students
will need to figure out any problem that may come up such as with financial aid, class
scheduling, or issues with teachers. Joyce and Rossen (2006) also agreed that college
accommodations for students with disabilities require first, that the student seek services,
second, that they monitor how efficient their accommodations are, and lastly, that the
student request any needed changes in their accommodations. The student will be
expected to handle anything that may come his or her way first before having someone
else look into it, this means that the student will need to be responsible, committed, and
even at times resourceful. At the college level the school is committed to safeguarding
the student’s privacy. There will be nothing noted on the students transcripts that will
disclose that the student has a disability or that the college student has used services nor
will anyone but the student have access to their records. Therefore parents will no longer
be the primary point of contact unless the student specifically grants consent. The
University of North Carolina at Pembroke also confirms that the parent does not have
access to the student’s records and cannot speak on behalf of the student without their
written consent. What this means for those student’s whose parents were actively
involved in the students’ education is that the student will still be expected to know,
15
attend, and follow up with any matters pertaining to their education. This is especially
true in regards to their own disability related documentation. Additionally, if a student
decides that he or she does not want to be served as a student with disabilities the student
will not be sought out or be obligated to use services (University of North Carolina at
Pembroke). Being an adult brings on many life responsibilities that society assumes
everyone will naturally know. When a student has a disability, though they are
considered an adult, they may have increased difficulty navigating through everyday
dilemmas.
The Role of Self-identification, Disclosure, and Advocacy
For a number of students with disabilities, the process of self-identification,
disclosure, and advocacy may be the hardest challenge they will have to face, yet it is a
necessary measure they must take in order to receive their accommodations and services
in college. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines self-identification as being able to
identify with someone or something outside of oneself. A change the adult learner will
notice in college is that he or she will now be responsible for self-identifying as a student
with disabilities. The student will need to state that he or she is a student with disabilities
to be able to receive accommodations and services in college. The student will be
responsible to take their current disability related documents to the department for
students with disabilities at their college in order to request accommodations and
services. This means that the student will need to disclose that they have a disability to
their school. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary disclosure is the act of exposing. If the
student never contacts their school’s department for students with disabilities the
16
department and lets them know that he or she is a student with disabilities that needs help
the school will never know of that student.
For some students another challenge they may encounter in college is the act of
advocating for themselves. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary advocacy is
stated as the act or process of supporting a cause. Advocating for one’s own self may not
be the easiest task to accomplish or one that all students will feel comfortable doing;
however, if any disability-related issues should arise it is the student’s responsibility to
figure them out. Once the student decides to disclose that they have a disability, the
student may find him or her self in a predicament of whom to disclose their disability to
and how much to disclose about their disability. AdriAnne L. Johnson (2006) who was a
third year doctoral candidate at the University of Arkansas and a Counselor-in-Residence
for the University of Arkansas and a Mental Health Professional for Ozark Guidance
Center in Northwest Arkansas, wrote an article discussing some of the difficult issues
students with disabilities encounter in college regarding disclosure. Johnson’s article
illustrated how Lynch and Gussel (1996) discussed the predicament some students with
disabilities may come across when disclosing their disability in order to be able to receive
their accommodations or services in college.
Self-advocacy and appropriate disclosure are ultimately the responsibility of a
postsecondary school student with a disability. For example, if accommodations are
needed within a college setting, a student is required to disclose the disability and
related needs, but multiple dilemmas arise for the student, including when to
disclose, how to disclose, how much to disclose, and to whom to disclose, (p 2).
In Johnson’s (2006) article it appears to document that students with disabilities are
having a different educational experience that researchers are not examining. Johnson
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also goes on to describes another predicament students with disabilities face and that is
how students can never judge how a teacher will respond to their disability. This
uncertainty can bring students with disabilities much stress. Johnson claims that this is
especially true for students of color or for those students who are considered to be
minorities.
Post-secondary Law
When a student with disabilities leaves high school and decides to attend college
the student will come to realize that the laws regarding their education have now
changed. On January 6, 2010 Jack O’Connell, the California State Superintendent of
Public Instruction, wrote a letter to the county and district superintendents and charter
schools administrators regarding the exemption of the required California High School
Exit Examination (CAHSEE) for students with disabilities. The letter stated that students
who graduated from high school or reach the age 22 were no longer able to receive
supports and services through the special education department.
On the one hand, the student will find that the laws that once used to be the
backbone in receiving a specialized education in their kindergarten through high school
years will no longer be valid in college. For instance, such laws as the Education for All
Handicapped Children Act of 1975 that guarantees a free and appropriate public
education to every child with a disability in the United States and the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that protects the rights of students with disabilities to
include the services that must be provided to them in elementary and secondary school
will no longer protect the educational rights of that student. On the other hand, the
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student will now have a new set of laws that will protect their college education. Since
the student will be expected to take on self-responsibility in college this will include that
the student educate him or herself on new laws such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA). The college student
will also need to know the policies of their school, what students they cover, and to what
extent they protect students with disabilities.
Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law created in
1997 and reauthorized in 2004 to protect students with disabilities. This law grants all
individuals the right to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) despite
their disability (IDEA 1997). According to the IDEA website Part C covers children
form age birth to two years old and Part B states that they cover 3-21 years old children
and youth. IDEA was designed to grant equal access to students with disabilities by
providing them an individualized education and services specifically tailored to meet
their needs. To qualify, a student must require special education services due to their
disability and be indentified with having at least one of the thirteen disabilities: autism,
Deaf/blind, deafness, hearing impaired, mental retardation, multiple disabilities,
orthopedic impairment, serious emotional disturbance, specific learning disabilities,
speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairments including
blindness, or other health impairment. Once the student begins college they will no
longer qualify under this law. Nevertheless, the student will still have other laws that will
protect them during their educational career.
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Section 504
Unlike IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act
of 1973) is a specific part in the civil rights law that protects all students with disabilities.
This is to also include those students who leave high school and enter college. In Section
504 the words "handicapped person" are used to describe any person with a disability that
substantially limits one or more of their major life activities, has a record of such a
disability, or is regarded as having such a disability (Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Section
504 states that no otherwise qualified individual by reason of their disability will be
excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance
(Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Most public schools today receive federal money to
support their schools, and the only exceptions are some private schools that do not accept
federal aid. In this case, these private schools are not obligated to comply with the
regulations of this law.
While the student is enrolled in college he or she will notice some differences in
the laws that protect him or her from those in high school. One change that takes place
under this law that the student may not be aware of is that Section 504 will no longer
require a school district to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for a
student (Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Instead, the college’s responsibility will be to
provide the student with reasonable accommodations and services. What this means for
college students with disabilities is that they may have academic adjustment to include
the matter in which the course material is presented, the ability to use auxiliary aids, and
20
modifications in academic requirement; however, none of these services are guaranteed
as the college can use their discretion to select what aids or services it will provide their
students as long as they are affective. Providing accommodations to students with
disabilities through Section 504 entails such things as removing architectural barriers,
providing readers, scribes, note-takers, interpreters, extending times on exams, changing
test formats, and the use of adaptive equipment or other technology to assist with testtaking and study skills (Rehabilitation Act of 1973).
Americans with Disability Act
The Americans with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) also protects students with
disabilities in college. ADA was enacted to prevent discrimination against individuals
with disabilities in school, community, and businesses. In order for a student to receive
services and reasonable accommodations at their college a students must fall under the
“qualified individuals with a disability” category (Americans With Disabilities Act of
1990). The definition of a disabled person according to ADA is 1) A student who has a
physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his or her major
life activities, 2) A student who has a record of such impairment, or 3) A student who is
regarded as having such impairment (Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990).
Title II of the ADA covers public entities, such as state or local government
departments. What this means for students with disabilities is that whether or not a
school receive federal funding such as a public community college or a public university
the student will be protected. Title II does not cover private entities; however, private
schools are covered under Title III of the ADA. Thus, despite the institution a student
21
with disabilities attends they will be protected under ADA. What sets ADA apart from
Section 504 is the extent of their law on public campuses; for example, under ADA,
buildings do not need to be altered to be accessible to students with disabilities if the
program can still be accessed. Private schools conversely have a higher standard of
access for students with disabilities. What this looks likes for private schools is that they
need to remove architectural barriers in buildings where such removal is “readily
achievable” or provide services from a place on campus that is accessible to the student
(Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990).
Conclusion
Students with disabilities are a group of individuals who can experience difficulties
in attaining a college education. This is demonstrated when students with disabilities are
less likely than students without disabilities to attend college and, of those students, are
less likely to attend a four-year college and receive a bachelors degree. Despite this
disproportionate enrollment, students with disabilities are enrolling in college in higher
numbers than previous years and they are attending community colleges in particular.
More significantly, these students are very successful in community college campuses.
What we are finding, however, is that students with disabilities are encountering some
“transfer shock” when transitioning from community college to CSUS. This takes place
when students with disabilities assume that their accommodations will transfer with them,
and they find that some discrepancies arise.
Current laws enacted to protect students with disabilities in college are not meeting
the needs of those who transfer to a community college. Section 504 and ADA, which
22
apply to students in college, do not provide as much support for students with disabilities
as IDEA and FAPE do for students in high school. Nor do they protect students’
educational rights, as they were protected while attending kindergarten through high
school. The reason for this is the assumption that, because the student is an adult, they
need less help; it is assumed that the student can do things on their own without the help
of others, as is expected of students without disabilities.
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Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
This chapter will discuss the research utilized to answer the research question,
“What challenges are community college students with disabilities who transfer to CSUS
face with their accommodations?” The purpose of this research was to create guidelines
for community college students who are transferring to CSUS in order to gain insight on
how their accommodation can change once they leave community college. This research
can serve SSWD and educators by raising awareness of the obstacles students with
disabilities encounter when there are inconsistencies in services when students transfer
from community college to CSUS. In addition, to prepare community college students
for changes in accommodations when they transfer into CSUS. The guidelines were
developed from the experiences gathered from the student’s interviews and Judy Dean
the Co-Director of Counseling/Accommodation Support in the SSWD department at
CSUS. The information from the interviews was then interpreted, reviewed, and
highlighted for common themes. These guidelines can be developed into an
informational brochure that DSPS counselors can share with students with disabilities
who are going to be transferring to CSUS.
When students attend community college and they connect with DSPS they will be
advised of the type of accommodations and services they are able to receive. When these
students utilize their accommodations and services at their community college, these
students will become aware of the resources, services, and accommodations they will
need to succeed when they transfer over to CSUS and receive services through SSWD. If
24
indeed stories help us understand the life of others then the work of Connie Flick-Hruska
and Gretchen Blythe authors of the Disability Accommodation Handbook (1992) is
critical to note. Flick-Hruska and Blythe assert that students with disabilities are
“experts” on their specific educational needs and that they can provide solutions for an
effective learning environment (pg. 6). Although students with disabilities are considered
to be experts on their educational needs according to Flick-Hruska and Blythe, when
these students transfer to CSUS they no longer are experts, but rather they will be
novices. This is due to students needing some assistance in learning to navigate through
SSWD’s system that will be new to them. The student will need to become informed on
SSWD’s policies, procedures, accommodations and the accommodations they will no
longer have access to.
The guidelines created by the author can provide students with disabilities a buffer
to the “transfer shock” some students will experience when they transfer from community
college to CSUS and realize that not all of their accommodations transferred with them.
The author’s guidelines can provide students with some guidance by advising students
earlier rather than later that once they leave community college they could also be leaving
some of their accommodations and services behind. According to the research this author
has investigated the conflict students are experiencing are with the inconsistencies of
accommodations and services at CSUS. In the attempt to gain a better understanding of
struggles students encountered when accommodations and services change, the author
interviewed five students with disabilities who transfer from community college to
CSUS.
25
Criteria for Participant Selection
In order to be considered an ideal candidate for this research, the author
requested that the participants meet five requirements:
Table 1
Criteria for Participant Selection

Student must have a diagnosed disability

Student had to have accessed services through DSPS in community
college

Student had to transfer from a California community college to CSUS

Student had to have accessed services through SSWD while at CSUS

Student had to be a current student or have graduated from CSUS
within the last two years
The age, sex, and ethnicity of the students were not considered as a critical component of
this research nor were the location of their community college.
Design of Study
The general design of this research was to interview through electronic mail five
community college students with disabilities about their experiences with their
accommodations at CSUS-SSWD. The interview questions were sent to the students
through electronic mail and the responses to those questions were also returned through
electronic mail; however, some students felt more comfortable discussing some of their
responses by telephone due to nature of their disability. The students answered questions
26
about their experiences in both community college and at CSUS and they discussed their
personal perspectives on their accommodations.
Research began with the author asking one staff member and also one faculty
member from Sacramento City College (SCC) if they knew of any students who would
be interested in participating in this research. Both the faculty and the staff member were
selected because the researcher currently works with both individuals in the DSPS
department at SCC. In addition it was explained to the faculty member and also the staff
member that the author was searching for students to interview who had verified
disabilities, had transferred from community college to CSUS, and who had used
accommodations at both colleges. After the faculty member discussed with potential
students of the author’s research the faculty member produced two names with phone
numbers. A couple weeks later the staff member was also able to provide the name and
phone number of another student who was interested in participating. As a result of the
faculty and staff member discussions, a total of three participants were identified. The
other two participants in this group were acquaintances of the author who also met the
criteria mentioned above.
All the participants were first contacted through phone calls. For the students the
author did not know, the author introduced herself as a graduate student from the College
of Education/Special Education at CSUS. The author explained to the students that she
was writing a thesis and needed some students to participate in her research. The author
informed the students of the types of questions that would be asked of them to verify that
they felt comfortable answering those specific questions. All participants agreed to
27
discuss their educational experiences. The author also took the opportunity in the first
contact to double check that the students met the author’s requirements. After the author
confirmed that the students met the criteria she then asked them to participate. The
author asked for verbal consent to use their information for this thesis and once verbal
consent was granted the author proceeded in sending the students the interview questions
via electronic mail within a week.
Interview Process
Due to the confidential and private nature of the topic being discussed, the
researcher informed each student before the questions were sent via electronic mail that
all information collected would not be shared nor used for any purpose other than this
thesis, unless the participant agreed to otherwise. Also, the author explained that all
interviews would be conducted through electronic mail unless the student felt more
comfortable communicating through telephone. All the participants were told that their
names would not be used in either the interview or the thesis; however, when referring to
a particular student, the author would only use the student’s initials.
This interview consisted of asking students a total of ten open-ended questions
about their educational experience with their accommodations and services in both
community college and at CSUS. The questions were created from the author’s
relationships and experiences that were formed from working with community college
students with disabilities. The objective of the interview was to get a better
understanding of the experiences students with disabilities had when inconsistencies in
accommodations at CSUS arose. The questions asked were the following:
28
Table 2
Student Interview Questions
1. Tell me about your educational experience in community college and at
CSUS as a student with disabilities (likes and dislikes).
2. Tell me some difficulties you encountered as a student with disabilities once
you transferred from community college to CSUS.
3. As a student with disabilities did you feel community college prepared you
to enter CSUS and how to navigate through it? Please explain.
4. What type of academic services do you think have helped you out the most at
community college and at CSUS?
5. Has there been a change in the types of accommodations you use/used in
community college when compared with CSUS if so why?
6. In your opinion what has been the best part of your educational experience at
community college and CSUS?
7. As a student with disabilities what kept you motivated or keeps you
motivated to finish you degree?
8. How well do you think you are doing/did in school and what do you think
can be improved to make your college experience better?
9. Do you feel the department that serves students with disabilities in
community college and at CSUS made a difference in your education?
10. If you could give some advice to a student with disabilities who was going to
be transferring from community college to CSUS what would be?
29
The author informed each student that there would be a total of ten questions and
that the online questions would take approximately 30 minutes to fill out. The students
were also advised early in the interview process that if the author needed some
clarification on some of their responses or if more information was needed from the
student then the author would be contacting them through electronic mail. The
participants were advised to write as much information as they could recall.
Interpretation of Interviews
As the participants’ online responses were being submitted via electronic mail the
author collected them and printed them. The author then began to read over the student’s
responses and asked for clarification via electronic mail only when the student initially
left a question blank or when the author did not fully understand the student’s response.
One student in particular did not feel comfortable in sending one of his responses about
his disability through electronic mail. This student asked the author to phone him instead
so that they may discuss the student’s answer in detail. The author agreed and the student
then disclosed the information the author need. Most students responded within a week
while others took about two weeks to submit their online responses. At the end of the
first week if the student did not reply to the author she followed up with the student to
verify their responses were on their way. Once all interviews were completed and
submitted by all five participants, the author then printed out all responses including the
additional responses that the author emailed the students about and also the responses that
took place though telephone. The author then proceeded to analyze all responses for
common experiences by reading the interviews and then placing the responses in
30
categories. Because answering the author’s questions involved the interpretation of
feelings the student’s own words were used as data.
Due to the length of this interview the experiences that at least four out of five
students had in common were the experience that were addressed for this thesis. As a
result of the interview questions not being extensive, the author decided to explore all the
experiences that most students had in common. The experiences that were found from
interviewing the five students were:
Table 3
Experiences Found from Interviews
 Most students felt they had received their best experiences with
staff and their accommodations at community college
 Most students found their accommodations and services to be an
essential and necessary part of their education both at community
college and CSUS
 All students found challenges in community college and at CSUS
with their accommodations and services
 Nearly all students found changes in their accommodations when
they transferred from community college to CSUS
 Most students did not feel prepared for changes in their
accommodations when they transferred from community college to
CSUS
31
The time spent on the interviews spanned from January 29, 2009 when the author
first contacted Judy Dean, Co-Director of Counseling and Accommodations Support at
CSUS, to ask if she could help locate students with disabilities at CSUS to interview for
this research up to January 10, 2011 when the last student submitted their last response.
By communicating with the participants this author was able to get the story from
the perspective of the student, which allowed for better understanding and easier analysis
of their responses. This interview allowed the author to hear first hand of the experiences
this group of students with disabilities had in college and it also opened a door for these
students to share their experiences regarding their college accommodations. For some
students, this interview was the first time anyone had ever asked them about their college
experiences and the first time that these students had shared their personal stories with
another person.
In conclusion, this research provided and important outlet for this specific group of
students who had an opportunity to share their story for the first time without judgment.
Additionally, there was no one more qualified to share the experiences of college students
with disabilities than the students who shared their stories for this research; only they
could explain to others the challenges they face in college. The students selected for this
thesis offer a rich source of information because they have experience with at least two
different offices that serve students with disabilities: DSPS, at their community college,
and SSWD, at CSUS. These community college students, not only described what they
experience in college, but also shared a piece of what they live everyday. By
participating in the interview process for this thesis, these students create the opportunity
32
to inform educators, professionals, and organizations of their experiences. This will
ultimately allow for better decision making for the educational future of students with
disabilities.
33
Chapter 4
FINDINGS
The participants in this interview consisted of five California community college
students with disabilities who transferred to CSUS. One student was from a southern
California community college while the rest came from northern California community
colleges. All students interviewed utilized services or attempted to use services through
Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD). The names of the students were not used
to protect their privacy, but instead the author used their initials. Their ages ranged from
28-46 years old and a cross-cultural representation of students participated in the
research, as shown in Table 4.
Table 4
Demographics of Students Interviewed
Individual Sex
F.K.
Female
Major
Disability
Accounting Deaf
Ethnicity
Chinese
J.B.
Education/
TBI
American Full-time
Graduate
Male
Enrollment Standing
Full-time
Undergrad
Special
Education
J.C.
Female
Spanish
Dyslexia
American Part-time
Undergrad
M.H.
Female
Education/
Learning
African-
Graduate
Special
Disability
America
Epilepsy
American Part-time
Full-time
Education
T.B.
Male
Journalism
Undergrad
34
The students interviewed were made up of two men and three women of which,
three were undergraduates and two were graduate students. The student’s majors were in
Accounting, Journalism, Spanish, and two students were from the College of
Education/Special Education graduate program. Their disabilities feel under the category
of Deaf, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Dyslexia, Learning Disability, and Epilepsy. The
students were currently enrolled or had recently graduated within two years from CSUS.
Three out of the five students who were interviewed were enrolled full time. The other
two students in this group were not enrolled full-time; however, this was not because they
did not elect to do so, but rather it was due to issues related to their disability. For
instance, T.B. one of the two students who was attending CSUS full-time was no longer
allowed to operate a vehicle due to having five seizures in a year. This made it
impossible for him to remain a full-time student.
The other student J.C. reported having to drop down to less than full-time status
because she had a difficult time with SSWD. J.C. stated that she had to drop down to
part-time status every now and again because her disability made it difficult for her to
handle taking full-time classes. She also stated that she really struggled in her classes
when she did not have access to some of her accommodations. When J.C. first started at
CSUS, SSWD introduced her to the scan and read software. The scan and read software
helped her by reading the books she scanned into the machine. In the beginning this
accommodation worked out fine since her books were in English, yet she encountered
problems when she got to her Spanish classes. This software mispronounced Spanish
words as it was exclusively created to read English. This created long-term problems for
35
her because her major was Spanish. She recalled a semester when she did not have a
bilingual reader or any note takers to help her because SSWD was unable to locate a
person who could read Spanish for her Spanish classes. J.C. had to resort to having her
husband and a friend read her the course material for her Spanish classes. SSWD did end
up hiring the friend who was originally volunteering to help this student by reading the
Spanish material to her. Later, SSWD suggested she use textbook services through
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D). This accommodations cost J.C.
approximately $30 a year for the membership and it provided her with available recorded
course material that would be mailed to her; however, this did not include her Spanish
courses and the higher she got in her education the less books RFB&D had for her to use
for her assigned classes. The difficulties this student encountered with her
accommodations created problems in keeping up with the readings in her Spanish classes,
forcing her to drop Spanish classes, and also hindering her by not letting her do her best
work in her Spanish major.
Out of the five students interviewed, the Journalism major and the Accounting
major are currently enrolled at CSUS. The Spanish major graduated in December 2009
and the two students in the College of Education Special Education graduate program
graduated in August 2009, and Spring 2010. Despite the challenges that these students
with disabilities have encountered in college, they have all attained success. Three
students have graduated from their respective program while the other two students are
actively attending CSUS. The pride these students will feel once they graduate, and that
of their family, will be a testament to their self-determination.
36
Outcomes of Interviews
After the author read all of the student’s interviews, common experiences emerged.
The author then took the common experiences most students shared and created
guidelines from the experiences the students shared. The guidelines that were created
were the following:
Table 5
Guidelines Created

Know your rights, be aware of the laws that protect you

Be informed, know SSWD’s phone number, people, and policies

Find a friend, buddy up in your classes, and network

Double check your documentation is current and in order

Start early, don’t wait until the last minute to know about your
accommodations at CSUS

Believe in your ability, keep on going and be resourceful
From this interview the author found that all five students agreed that their overall
experiences with their accommodations were better in community college than at CSUSSSWD. The reasons why these students felt community college served them better than
CSUS varied. One student in particular, M.H. asserted that she did not feel a personal
connection when it came to receiving assistance with her disability accommodations and
services at CSUS-SSWD. M.H. stated from this interview, “I felt that the community
college provided more in the area of one-on-one interaction through strategies and
37
technology (Kurzweil and Inspiration).” This student believes that the staff and faculty at
American River College gave her more individual attention when it came to teaching or
assisting with her accommodations. This information can be useful for students who
transfer to SSWD by letting them know that they will need to be proactive about seeking
assistance with SSWD staff.
Another student in this group T.B. also commented on how he felt he was not as
encouraged to learn at CSUS as he was at his community college, this student asserted
“Community college had more of a supportive learning environment for students with
disabilities than at CSUS.” If this information is true then community college students
with disabilities need to be aware that they will need to be more proactive about their
education and that they will be solely responsible to get the help they need to succeed.
The next student interviewed J.C. expressed that she liked that her community
college offered classes for her to take once she qualified as having a learning disability.
This student recalled, “I remember watching videos at Sacramento City College (SCC)
that explained how learning disabilities impacted a person, how one could cope with their
learning disability by improving on weak skills, and how one gets a disability.”
The comments from these students validated that certain community colleges like
Sacramento City College (SCC) have classes available to students who have difficulty
with learning in the areas such as math, English, and study skills. These classes although
targeted towards students with disabilities, are open to all college students. These
specific classes support students with disabilities by allowing them to improve on their
academic skills.
38
The following student F.K. reported, “Instructors at SCC rarely used videos but at
CSUS professors seem to rely on videos frequently. Often times the videos are not
captioned so I have to remind professors to get the videos captioned for me (sometimes I
get them late because of this).”
The last student J.B. mentioned feeling as if community college offered better
services for students with disabilities than at CSUS. This included the willingness of
community college teachers to spend more time in office hours to help the student
understand the material and the teacher’s genuine desire to see the student succeed.
Nearly everyone interviewed felt that they were not prepared for changes in their
accommodations once they transferred to CSUS, nor were they aware that their
accommodations could be different once they transferred their accommodations to
SSWD. The exception in this group was F.K. she affirmed that her accommodations of
interpreters, real-time captioning, and note-takers remained exactly the same from when
she attended community college to when she transferred to CSUS-SSWD and therefore
she did not notice a change. One student J.C. recalled that once she transferred to CSUS
that her SSWD Counselor began to take away accommodations she received in
community college because “they were not for her”. The student also commented that
according to the SSWD Counselor the accommodations of a scribe would no longer be
available to her as they were only for people who were blind and obviously she was not.
This student also stated that when she would see a SSWD Counselor her
accommodations would often change contingent upon the Counselor she was meeting
with. At times she would have to pick between accommodations such as a tape recorder
39
or note taker or she would be told of a new hoop she was required to jump through such
as filling out additional paperwork. Students learned that if the counselor changed so
could their accommodations so if all possible they should try to stay with the same
counselor or be prepared to for changes in accommodations.
Once students transferred to CSUS, most of them continued to use their
accommodations. Only one student J.B. did not use his accommodations at CSUS. J.B.
claimed that his reason was that the accommodation he needed the most in community
college was the extended time on his exams, and as a result of not having many required
timed exams in his CSUS graduate program, he did not need to use that specific
accommodation. Another reason why J.B. did not use his accommodations at CSUS was
because he believed that at the graduate level students with disabilities should have
developed strategies during their undergraduate studies that would minimize the need for
accommodations at that level. This student stated that he preferred to use compensatory
strategies than to use his accommodations: “I need to be able to find some way to
compensate for my disability without going through the politics of SSWD.” J.B. added
that by using someone he trusted to review his work before he turned it in, he was able to
protect himself by being able to get through his program quickly and without the need of
his accommodations.
Most students agreed that their best tool to use was to find supportive friends or
professors. Networking with other students allowed these students with disabilities to
discuss the teaching style for that particular teacher, how tests were set up, and which
professors to avoid. Interestingly enough, one student J.B. claimed that if he found the
40
right teacher and he was aware how the teacher’s tests were set up he could avoid using
accommodations through SSWD all together.
With the exception of one student J.B., all of the students in this group agreed that
their accommodations were a critical part of their education and that they could not
graduate without them. J.B. disclosed that he stopped using services through SSWDCSUS as a result of a combination of events. The primary reason for deciding to not use
his accommodations was due to his disability documentation being older than five years.
SSWD has a general policy of not accepting disability documentation that is older than
five years. In order for students to receive accommodations and services the student
would need to bring in current documentations s of their disability. Now that J.B.’s
documentation was outdated he could not afford to be retested. As a result of this, he
preferred to accommodate himself by taking online classes, that way he would not have
to ask the professor to repeat him self and he would have the extra time he needed for his
exams.
What we find is that this student preferred to self-accommodate to bypass being
identified as “different” or needing to disclose his disability. J.B. elected to do without
his accommodations. After completing the research for this thesis, J.B.’s self-protective
decision to go without his support services was the most surprising discovery; the
majority of students interviewed stated that their accommodations were critical to their
academic success.
Conclusion
From this research the author has come to understand that some community college
41
students with disabilities have difficulties with their accommodations once they transfer
to CSUS. Although each student had their own unique struggles at CSUS, their
responses in the interviews identified their high motivation and the expectation they had
of themselves—to graduate. All of the students interviewed for this thesis related
occurrences of obstacles that they had to overcome with SSWD, their teachers, staff, or
with the CSUS system. These students discussed experiences of feeling as though they
had to work much harder to try to reach their educational goals because of their disability.
Interestingly enough, self-determination was a common theme throughout their stories of
struggling through their college education.
Self-determination, for these students manifested in ways such as dedicating
themselves to passing their courses, making it their goal to graduate from CSUS, proving
to themselves that they were capable of graduating, or demonstrating to others that they
were more than capable of attaining a college education. One student, J.B., stated “May
last 4-semesters at S.D.S.U. I had to retake a math class three time because I kept failing
it. I finally got a D+ and got through, but I killed my undergraduate GPA. But I was
determined to get through the course.” Another student, F.K., asserted, “I won’t stop until
I graduate.” The following student T.B. said, “No one in my immediate family has a
Bachelor's degree ; I will be the first. when I was in elementery school doctors said I
would never be able to get a Degree.” Another student, M.H., claimed, “I wanted to
learning all I could and challenging myself every semester enough through learning was a
process. I had to proof to me self that I was just as smart as the next person and that I
wasn’t dumb.” The last student J.C. affirmed, “I want to set an example for my kids that
42
despite my dyslexia I could still receive my degree.”
This research indicates that community college students with disabilities did not
come to SSWD with a sense of entitlement, as was reported by the coordinator of SSWD.
Students did, however, come to SSWD believing that all of their accommodations from
their community college would be honored at SSWD, and, unfortunately, they were not.
This causes some students to question why their accommodations change when their
disability has not, and will not. The idea that students come to CSUS with an inflated
sense of privilege regarding their accommodations is a misunderstanding between SSWD
and the students. If SSWD were to recognize that community college students are not
given an advance warning on the accommodations policy of the CSUS, specifically
which of their accommodations will transfer and which will not, they would realize that
the problem is inadequate communication between institutions and students, and not the
students themselves. This research supports that there is a discrepancy in the available
support services for students with disabilities when transferring from community college
to CSUS. The most critical issue is not the accommodations themselves, but the fact that
there is nothing to bridge that gap and prepare students to make a smooth transition to
CSUS. The ensuing negative opinion of and attitude toward those students, based on this
structural deficiency, creates an atmosphere of animosity and a barrier between the
student with disabilities and their access to accommodations.
Additionally, students indicated that they did not want to ask for something that
would force them to self-identify as not being like everyone else, which is especially true
for those students with non-visual disabilities; this was representative of the majority of
43
students with disabilities interviewed for this research. It can be humiliating for a student
to approach a teacher, who sees them as a “normal” student in their class, and have to
disclose to that teacher that they need something because they are different than the rest
of their peers. The author has also learned from the interviews that there are many
differences both between and among students with disabilities with regard to using their
services. Some students are attempting to do without their accommodations so that they
may be better prepared to assimilate for the working world, while others heavily depend
on, and cannot do without their accommodations and services.
Author’s Personal Story
From the time the author was granted academic accommodations in community
college, which included double time on exams, note-taking assistance, priority
registration, use of spell checker, use of calculator when memorization of math facts was
not an essential element of math, and a word processor with spellchecker or spelling not
to impact her grade the authors academic life improved considerably. As a direct result
of the author utilizing her accommodations, the author’s grades improved and she felt
confident that although she would still struggle to learn, she would reach her goal of
attending and graduating from a competitive university. When she finally transferred
over to the University of California, Los Angles (UCLA), she received most of her
accommodations with the exception of the double time on exams that was reduced to
time and a half. At UCLA the author received some helpful accommodations that she did
not have in community college such as having a private room to her self to take exams, a
reduced course load, and note-takers hired by UCLA.
44
Later the author applied and was accepted to a graduate program at California
State University, Sacramento (CSUS). Knowing that the author could not produce her
best work without accommodations she set an appointment to meet with Services to
Students with Disabilities (SSWD) and almost immediately, she felt a difference she
could not put her finger on. When the author received her new accommodations from
SSWD she noticed some changes. One of the first changes she experienced was with her
SSWD counselor when the author was informed that priority registration would no longer
be one of her accommodations. Next, notes would not be available until the second week
of classes. Not having notes from the first day of class made the author feel unprepared
for the remainder of the semester. Lastly, when the author wanted to update her
accommodation her counselor was not very supportive. The SSWD told the author that
SSWD has strict guidelines on the accommodations they can offer their students. For
instance, when it was time to take CSUS’s Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) the author
knew immediately she would need accommodations in order to pass this exam. The
author’s learning disability impacts her memory, ability to organize information, read,
write, and spell. As a result of this, the author would need a word processor with spell
check in order to have a good chance of passing the exam. The author spoke with her
SSWD counselor about the use of a computer for the exam and the counselor stated that it
was her belief that a computer was not an appropriate accommodation for her. In the end
the counselor doubled checked with someone else and did allow the author to use a
computer nevertheless the spell check was turned off.
As time passed the author became conscientious that the role of SSWD did not
45
help to the extent the author initially thought they would. This was demonstrated when
the author asked the counselor about tutoring services. The counselor was quick to
respond that SSWD’s budget was small and that they did not offer private tutors, when in
fact the author was asking about general tutoring at CSUS. Another example, was when
the author asked the about getting a note-taker for her classes. The counselor responded
by saying that note-takers were not available until two weeks after classes started and that
it was SSWD policy to have the student find their own note-taker for their classes;
however, if the author was unable to locate one, SSWD would attempt to locate one for
them, but it was not guaranteed that they would be able to find one. In the end, it became
apparent to the author that it was the counselor who decided which accommodations were
appropriate for her.
Before starting at CSUS the author believed that all of her accommodations would
transfer into any school she attended and that every school had the same types of
accommodations. The author assumed that her accommodations were lawful and granted
to her not because she wanted them, but rather because she needed them- without them
she could not fairly compete alongside her peers. To say the least, the experience was a
rude awaking and it changed how the author performed academically and also how she
interacted with SSWD and the instructors at CSUS. As a result of this the author felt she
was not able to stay as academically competitive as she knew she could. The actions of
SSWD triggered feelings that SSWD did not care about the author’s success and
ultimately that they did not care about her. In turn the author opted to do without her
accommodations to not be exposed to the negativity she felt she was experiencing
46
through SSWD.
Since the author did not have the accommodations she needed nor the
accommodations that she was used to, she realized that other students could also have
similar experiences. The author began to talk to fellow CSUS students with disabilities
about how they felt about their accommodations and they too shared similar accounts of
not being prepared for the inconsistencies in accommodations at CSUS. This experience,
which the author had originally thought was personal, turned out to be larger than her
self. The need to further research the obstacles students with disabilities face as a result
of having different types of accommodations available to them intensified. The author’s
own failure of not being prepared and in not knowing that accommodations can
drastically change serves as the focus of this thesis. Had the author been provided with
guidelines before transferring to CSUS the author feels she would have been better
prepared for the changes in her accommodations. In spite of the lack of accommodations
available to the author through SSWD, the author has had academic success in her
graduate work.
Recommendations
The author’s research suggests that for most students with disabilities the
accommodations they use in college are a form of a life raft. Without their
accommodations they could not stay afloat at CSUS. In order for students and educators
to be better prepared and also for students to be better supported this author recommends
the following:
First, all community college students with disabilities will have access to the
47
guidelines in the brochure created by this author (Appendix C). Access to the author’s
guidelines can be provided by a community college DSPS counselor when a student is
getting ready to transfer to CSUS. Receiving these guidelines in community college from
their DSPS counselors would allow students to be better prepared before transferring to
CSUS. To begin with, these guidelines will serve students by informing them that not all
of their accommodations are guaranteed to transfer over to CSUS-SSWD. Next, it will
allow the student time to prepare and investigate which accommodations will continue to
be available at CSUS-SSWD and if CSUS offers any additional resources and services.
Finally, it will help students strategize how to work with the possible loss of some of
their accommodations or for some of their accommodations to be modified.
High school students would benefit from having an advocacy workshop the
semester prior to attending community college. This would give these specific students
who are not prepared to advocate for themselves in college the necessary tools and
training on how to do. For those students who gained their documentation verifying their
disability while they were in enrolled in community college, the college would offer a
workshop once a semester to help them. The workshop would include topics such as
laws that protect students, what a student can do if teachers refuse to accommodate them,
language the student can use to empower him or her self, the responsibilities of the
college, and other programs and services available to the students with disabilities.
Students with disabilities would gain insight from having SSWD coordinate an
orientation meeting for new incoming community college students. The orientation
would take place one semester before the student would start classes at CSUS. At this
48
meeting SSWD would discuss documentation of disability and any issues that may arise,
such as outdated disability verification forms. Additionally SSWD could inform the
students about their department’s policies and procedures, and discuss what
accommodations would be available to the student at CSUS. This would allow the
student to prepare ahead of time if prior accommodations would no longer be honored
through SSWD.
All CSUS educators can take advantage of workshop that SSWD provides. In the
workshop, educators would be trained on common types of disabilities and how they
affect the student, myths and facts about students with disabilities, vocabulary to use,
such as people first language, what reasonable accommodations are and why they are
lawful, and the laws that protect the student and the school. At the workshop, educators
could ask questions and be involved in discussions related to procedures with regard to
CSUS students with disabilities.
In order to ensure that every student has reasonable access to an equitable
education, these recommendations should be implemented at CSUS as well as in
California community colleges. As an educational institution, it is the responsibility of
CSUS to make sure that all “differently abled” students are aware of the resources that
are legally provided to them thus allowing students to succeed along side their peers. The
primary goal of SSWD and CSUS should be to ensure that there is an atmosphere of
educational support for those with disabilities, which includes a cohesive collaboration
between CSUS students, faculty, and staff.
49
APPENDIX A
Interview Questions For Judy Dean
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Appendix A
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR JUDY DEAN
1. Can students with learning disabilities receive more than time and a half as an
academic accommodation as CSUS and what is the justification?
2. Why does CSUS SSWD not give students with learning disabilities priority
registration their first semester and what is the justification for it?
3. Who makes these decisions of what students with learning disabilities can and can't
have as accommodations at CSUS?
4. If a CSUS student comes to SSWD and they tell you they suspect they have learning
disabilities but has no prior documentation or testing what does SSWD do?
5. Can student with learning disabilities receive the following as academic
accommodations at CSUS?
1. Calculator and/or Multiplication Tables
2. Word processor
3. Spell Checker or Language Device
4. Adaptive Computer
5. Note Taking Assistance
6. Alternative Examination Formats
7. Extended Time
8. Distraction Reduced Setting
9. Oral or Taped Examination Administration
10. Alternative Text Format
11. Scribe
12. Tape Recorded Lectures
13. Tutoring
14. Reduce Course Load
15. Priority Registration
16. Learning Strategies Training
17.Graduation Requirement Substitution or Waiver
51
APPENDIX B
Interview Responses From Judy Dean
52
Appendix B
INTERVIEW RESPONSES FROM JUDY DEAN
1. Yes, students may be eligible for double time, for example, instead of time and a half.
The need for additional time may be related to any of several factors—a very slow
processing speed, the format of the test, the use of technology such as voice recognition
software or dictation to a scribe which may require additional time (particularly for
extensive essay exams), the presence of additional disabilities which further impact speed
or the testing environment, etc (this is not an exhaustive list). This would be determined
in consultation with the student, including a review of the documentation, the student’s
report of their accommodation history and the effectiveness of certain accommodations,
changes or new developments, etc.
2. Some background clarification:
1. Not all students with learning disabilities or all students with any other
disability receive priority registration at Sacramento State. Priority registration
is not based on diagnosis alone but is based instead on current documented
functional limitations related to the disability which substantially impact class
scheduling at the present time. The Priority Registration guidelines are used by
SSWD as the basis to approve registration priority after a review of the
functional limitations in the disability documentation and consultation with the
student in determining a plan of accommodation and services. Eligibility for
priority is also periodically reviewed to confirm on-going need and eligibility.
Some examples would be established use of e-text, reader services, mobility
restrictions, medical treatment scheduling, etc. (see guidelines).
http://www.csus.edu/SSWD/services/policies/prior-reg.html (priority
registration guidelines posted on SSWD website)
2.
Priority registration has occurred at different time periods through the years,
depending on the registration system employed by the university. For example,
several years ago priority registration for the fall semester occurred in late June
or early July. However, for a few years now, priority registration has occurred
in April, and SSWD has to enter the approval in the database by late March or
very early April. Registration appointments are made by the Registrar’s office
for students who are fully admitted and declare an Intent to Enroll.
As part of the campus focus on retention of students, the President’s Cabinet approved
assigning continuing students registration priority over new incoming students, effective
Fall 2007. From a practical standpoint, SSWD frequently would not be able to approve
priority registration in time for the early April date, either due to admission clearance
issues, incomplete documentation files with SSWD, or the lack of completed advising for
course selection. Unlike community college, students with disabilities do not receive
53
academic advising on major and graduation requirements from SSWD; instead both
freshman and transfer students receive advising through the Orientation programs in the
summer. Freshman have a mandatory Orientation and advising program which includes
registering for classes, and the current voluntary Transfer Orientation will become
mandatory summer 2010.
Provision has been made to work with the Registrar’s office on a case by case basis to
determine the best available registration appointment/access time for new incoming
students when SSWD has determined priority registration is an essential need and
accommodation.
3. The student and the Learning Disability Specialist work together to determine the
accommodations. All counselors/specialists in SSWD also case complex situations with
other staff if needed. If there is a disagreement between the LD Specialist and the student,
the student can meet with the LD Specialist’s supervisor, and/or pursue several other
avenues for complaint or resolution.
4. The student would be asked to complete a screening packet which consists of the
SSWD application, the LD intake form, unofficial copies of transcripts, and to provide
documentation of any other disabilities which may impact them in the academic
environment. When the completed packet is received, the student is scheduled for a
screening appointment with a Learning Disability Specialist. If the outcome of that
screening appointment indicates that the student should be referred for an on-campus
learning disability assessment, they are referred for testing. (see SSWD website
http://www.csus.edu/SSWD/ link under “News” to “LD Screening and Assessment
Information for Fall 2009”. A student also has the option to complete assessment off
campus at their own expense if desired.
5. Yes, a student with learning disabilities may be eligible to receive the above as
accommodations, although it would be based on their individual documentation, not an
automatic list of the same accommodations for every student, regardless of their
documentation. Also, please note that some items in the list are not accommodations: for
example, tutoring is not an accommodation—it is considered a “personal service” under
the law and is not mandated (if provided by the university, it has to be accessible, but
there is no legal requirement to provide tutoring); learning strategies training would also
not be a mandated accommodation. However, SSWD does provide a limited tutorial
program through grant funds and LD Specialists provide learning strategies information
to students. (please note that any student at Sac State can attend part time, so the
“reduced course load” listed as #14 is usually not an issue. There may be some limited
instances in cohort programs or clinical or internship requirements which impact class
scheduling. The CSU system Policy for the Provision of Services to Students with
Disabilities addresses accommodations and services on campus:
54
B. Available accommodations (pages 6/7 from policy)
Accommodations, support services, and programs that are available to
those students qualified under ADA may include, but are not limited to:
1. Activities to coordinate and administer specialized services, including
consultation with faculty for students with special academic needs
associated with their disabilities.
2. Disability-related counseling and advising, including specialized
academic, vocational, and peer counseling.
3. Liaisons with campus and community agencies, including referral and
follow-up services to these agencies on behalf of students with
disabilities.
4. Adaptive technologies (e.g. TTY, CCTV, assistive listening devices,
adaptive computer hardware or software) including new devices
that may become available with emerging technology.
5. Oral and sign language interpreters.
6. Note takers for writing, note taking, and manual manipulation for
classroom and academic activities.
7. On-campus mobility assistance to and from college courses and related
educational activities (provided by campuses whose topography
and activities require such accommodation).
8. Readers.
9. Real-time captioners.
10. Registration assistance, including priority enrollment, assistance with
applications for financial aid, and related college services.
11. Transcription services, including, but not limited to, the provision of
taped, large print, and Braille materials.
12. Special parking, including on-campus parking registration, temporary
parking permit arrangements, and application assistance for
students who do not have state DMV Disabled Person Parking
Placards or Plates. Students in the possession of a DMV Placard or
Plates, and with great financial need, may apply for a waiver of
parking fees.
13. Supplemental specialized orientation to acquaint students with the
campus environment.
14. Test-taking facilitation including extended time, adapting (the mode or
55
presentation but not changing the tests content, scope, or depth)
tests for, and proctoring test taking by students with disabilities.
15. Campuses may elect to offer specialized tutoring or diagnostic
assessment that is not otherwise provided by the campus.
16. Additional accommodations, support services, and programs may be
provided as determined by the needs of students with disabilities.
Substitution is not required when it constitutes a fundamental alteration of curriculum or
involves essential skills (pgs 5/6 of policy):
IV. CSU Policy on Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability
In accordance with the provisions of applicable law, this policy is intended to ensure that
no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from
participation in the services, programs, or activities of the CSU and its campuses. The
CSU will provide appropriate accommodations and support services and make reasonable
modifications in policies, practices, or procedures when necessary to avoid discrimination
on the basis of disability, unless it is demonstrated that providing such accommodations,
services, or modifications would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the
service, program, or activity or would create undue financial or administrative burdens.
VI. Academic Requirements and Reasonable Accommodations A. Modification of
academic requirements Academic requirements should be modified as necessary and
appropriate to ensure that they do not discriminate, or have the effect of discriminating,
on the basis of a disability against qualified applicants or students with disabilities. As
appropriate, modifications may include but are not limited to: 1. changes in the length of
time permitted for the completion of a requirement, 2. substitution for specific courses
required, and 3. adaptation of the manner in which a required course is conducted.
Academic requirements that are determined to be essential to a program of instruction by
a process approved by the campus and its academic senate and those academic
requirements directly related to certification and licensing requirements are not regarded
as discriminatory.
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APPENDIX C
Brochure
57
Appendix C
BROCHURE
58
59
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