Student Services

In addition to the services available to Faculty, your students are served by your local Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) office. Each local office is supported by a statewide DSPS program, but since the services on each campus are tailored to the unique needs of your students, you should reach out to your local DSPS office.

Faculty Resources

At this point, you may be wondering how your course design will ever meet the needs of your students as elegantly as the curb cut met the needs of pedestrians and wheelchairs! Don't fear! California is leading the nation in supporting its community colleges, and is considered by many to be a bellwether for trends in accessibility. Below is a brief overview of the resources available to you. Within each unit we will also provide links to specific resources that pertain to the week's area of focus.

California Community Colleges Accessibility Center

Diversity and inclusion are core values embraced by California community colleges. The CCC Accessibility Center offers guidance and direction specific to electronic and information technology accessibility, including best practices for accessible web design, media content, and document authoring. As part of this effort, the CCC Accessibility Center collaborates with other system-wide programs, such as the OEI and @ONE, to share accessibility knowledge and distribute relevant information along to faculty, staff, and college administrators. The Accessibility Center also coordinates with state-wide initiatives, including the Education Planning Initiative and Common Assessment Initiative, to deliver accessible web-based applications used by faculty and staff in support of community college students. Current initiatives include the deployment of free website accessibility evaluation tools, free accessible media player licenses, and on-going accessibility training events. Together with the other system-wide initiatives, the CCC Accessibility Center focuses on improving access to the information technology solutions available at the California community colleges for all current and prospective students, faculty, and staff with disabilities.

The Accessibility Center staff can also visit any CCC campus to provide training for staff and faculty on such topics as:

compliance with Section 508;
creating Accessible Word Documents;
PDF Accessibility, and;
making Online Courses Accessible.

The Online Education Initiative Accessibility Support

The Online Education Initiative (OEI) provides a tremendous opportunity to address accessibility and universal design for all students. Along with the selection of accessible technologies, the OEI and @ONE are creating online resources and webinars to assist faculty in making online learning opportunities more accessible to our students.