Faculty Resources

Las Positas College is committed to creating a teaching and learning environment that facilitates equal access to educational and academic opportunities for all students. The Disability Resource Center is committed to fostering a campus wide atmosphere of awareness, understanding, and an inclusive learning environment. To that end, some helpful  reminders and resources for faculty are provided below. 

General Reminders:

1. Federal and state civil rights laws require that colleges provide approved reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. 

Faculty are required to provide reasonable accommodations per the student’s approved academic accommodation plan when the student has an educational limitation that affects their ability to acquire information or to demonstrate knowledge of the course material in a standard way. Please consult with the DRC office if you have questions or concerns about any approved accommodations per a student’s academic accommodation plan. Individualized Academic Accommodations are aimed to address the student’s disability related barriers and allow equal access without lowering or substantially modifying academic or program standards, or fundamentally altering the integrity of a program or course curriculum. Examples of approved academic accommodations may include, but are not limited to increased testing time, use of memory aides, sign language interpreters, notetakers etc.

Guidance on how to customize online test parameters (such as extended time on tests) to accommodate students with disabilities, in Canvas can be found here: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-26214-4152276279

 2. Make Your Online Course Accessible

Your documents and presentations need to meet current accessibility standards.  The LPC Online Learning webpage is a great resource to help faculty make their course accessible.

Applicable accessibility standards require that pre-recorded videos, recordings, and other asynchronous instruction delivered via technology, including all distance education audio and video content, be captioned for those students who might have auditory disabilities, or for those students who have otherwise been deemed to benefit from the captioning of audio content.

TechConnect Cloud (formerly 3CMedia Solutions), is contracted to provide captioning resources specifically for pre-recorded instructional videos for current term distance education courses and professional development. College faculty and staff can upload self-made videos for captioning from either a free TechConnect account or from within a Canvas course shell. To learn more about these services or create an account visit the TechConnect Cloud website at www.ccctechconnect.org.4 .

 3. Maintain Student Confidentiality

Under FERPA Right to Privacy Act and related laws affecting higher education and disability information, students have the right to confidentiality. Students have expressed fear of having their disability revealed to others. If their information is revealed to classmates or others without the student’s permission, it is a violation of confidentiality laws and the trust that the student has in the instructor and the college. Exceptions:  Mandated Reporters (required by law) - a student can be reported if the student is determined to be a danger to self or others, or when there is reasonable suspicion of child abuse or the abuse of a dependent adult.

 4. Include a DRC accessibility statement in your Course syllabi and Canvas Courses (See sample statement below)

Any student that anticipates or experiences any barriers to learning in this course or has an approved accommodation plan through the Disability Resource Center (DRC), is advised to connect with the instructor to discuss their needs.   Students with disabilities anticipating or requiring reasonable accommodations due to a physical, learning, mental health, or other medical conditions and needs should contact the DRC to develop an Academic accommodation Plan if they haven’t already.  

 5. Refer and Redirect students to DRC

While faculty’s efforts in supporting students and advocating for them is truly appreciated, please encourage students to self-advocate and contact the Disability Resource Center office directly. DRC staff is available to evaluate and address their needs more comprehensively when the student is actively engaged with the DRC services. 

Faculty are welcome to contact the office to learn more about DRC services, facilitating approved academic accommodations, assistive technologies, and campus and online accessibility information.

Helpful Websites

Resource	Description
California Community College Chancellor’s Office | Disabled Student Programs and Services	The California Community College Chancellor’s Office Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) page provides general program information, helpful links, contact information, and resources about the different components of the DSPS program.
National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)	The National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) is a federally funded project under the U.S. Department of Education that provides technical assistance and information to college students, their families, faculty, and college administrators looking to learn more about disability services in higher education.
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR)	The Office for Civil Rights works to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in  the nation’s schools. OCR provides news updates, policy guidance, resources, and information about filing a complaint with their office.