Student Accessibility Services (SAS)
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) provides services designed to meet the unique educational needs of enrolled CoA students with documented disabilities. Our professional staff works with each student to provide accommodations that ensure equal access to all academic programs, and to promote students’ independence so they may realize their academic potential and reach their goals.
Our Services
SAS offers support services and accommodations based on the specific impact of each individual student’s disability on their academic work. Our services include:
- Academic Counseling and Educational Program Planning
- Adapted Computer Equipment and Assistive Technology
- Alternate Format Media (Braille, Large Print, E-text, Tactile Graphics)
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Cognitive Skills Classes
- Diagnostic Testing for Learning Disabilities
- Learning Skills Classes for Math and English
- Note Taking Assistance
- Priority Enrollment/Registration Assistance
- Sign Language Interpreting and Real-Time Captioning
- Testing Accommodations
It is important to meet with your CoA SAS counselor every semester to request your accommodations and to review your progress. For more information, we encourage you to read the SAS Student Handbook or speak with your counselor.
FAQ
What is a disability?
“A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including but not limited to: caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating and working.” (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment, 2009).
Eligibility for SAS services is based on the specific educational limitations caused by the individual’s disability.
What are my rights and responsibilities as a student with a disability?
Rights and Responsibilities of Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities have the right:
- To participate voluntarily in Student Accessibility Services
- To participate in other courses, programs, or activities offered by the college
- To be evaluated based on ability, not disability
- To appeal a decision regarding accommodations through the student grievance process
Students with disabilities have the responsibility:
- To provide professional documentation of disability to the college
- To request accommodations in a timely way
- To follow SAS procedures for obtaining accommodations
- To work cooperatively with SAS to determine and implement accommodations
- To comply with the Student Rules of Conduct as written in the College catalog
- To maintain the academic standards of the college
Faculty Rights and Responsibilities
Faculty have the right:
- To set academic standards
- To evaluate the student based on the standards of the class and to grade accordingly
- To advise the student to contact SAS if the student requests an accommodation and the instructor has not received written notification from the SAS office
Faculty have the responsibility:
- To work with SAS to provide for accommodations in a fair and timely way
- To adjust instruction without fundamentally altering the program
- To provide handouts in a timely way for alternate media provision
- To select textbooks in a timely way so e-text can be ordered from the publisher
- To respect and maintain a student’s right to confidentiality about his/her disability
- To contact the SAS office if there is disagreement about the accommodation
- To work with SAS to ensure that instructional web pages are accessible to students who use assistive technology
- To work with SAS to ensure that instructional videos are captioned
Faculty do not have the right to refuse to provide accommodations, to question whether the disability exists when accommodations have been authorized by SAS, or to request to examine the student’s documentation.
SAS Rights and Responsibilities
SAS has the right:
- To request and receive current documentation that supports the need for accommodations
- To deny a request for accommodations if the documentation demonstrates that the request is not warranted or if the individual fails to provide appropriate documentation
- To suspend or terminate services if the student repeatedly does not comply with SAS policies or procedures or does not meet the academic standards established by the college.
SAS has the responsibility:
- To assist faculty in providing or arranging accommodations and/or auxiliary aids
- To hold student information confidential except where permitted or required by law
- To communicate to students, faculty, and staff the process for requesting accommodations
- To verify the student’s disabilities and authorize accommodations based on educational limitations caused by the disability
- To establish requirements for measurable progress and abuse of services. If a student does not adhere to established procedures, SAS will notify the student of the possibility of suspension or termination of SAS services.
Is SAS the same as Special Education?
There is no Special Education in postsecondary education, although some students may choose to participate in classes offered by SAS.
If you participated in Special Education classes in K-12, you will find that your rights and responsibilities and the services provided to you, are different in college. That is because the federal law that applies to K-12 (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA) does not apply to postsecondary schools.
You may want to read an article by Paul Grossman, chief regional attorney of the San Francisco Office for Civil Rights (OCR), entitled Attorney Paul Grossman on Legal Rights for College Students with LD.
Contact Information
SAS.Alameda@peralta.edu
Phone (510) 748-2328
Fax (510) 748-2339
Location and Hours
SAS Main Office (D117)
M-Th: 8:00 AM – 4:45 PM
F: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Hours may vary during breaks, summer, and
holidays