Los Angeles Southwest College Disabled Students Programs

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Los Angeles Southwest College Disabled Students
Programs Services

• How to Accommodate Students with Learning
  Disabilities
• Darlene Wooten, Coordinator, DSPS
• Stephanie Schleicher, Learning Disability
  Specialist

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Types of Disabilities

• Visual Impairments
• Deafness and Hearing Loss
• Learning
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Psychological
• Head Injury
• Communication Disorders
• Autism
• Mobility/Dexterity
• Chronic Health Impairments

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Role of DSPS

• Faculty support as well
• as student support
• To preserve the integrity of the curriculum,
  while keeping the faculty and institution in
  compliance

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Verification of Disabilities

• The specific disability must be verified, and
  there must be an educational limitation that
  precludes the student from fully participating in
  general education without additional specialized
  services.
• Students need to disclose and provide
  documentation from a licensed professional
  stating the nature of their disability and the
  functional limitations imposed by their disability

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What is a Learning Disability?

• A Leaning Disability is defined as a
  persistent condition of presumed neurological
  dysfunction which may exist with other disabling
  conditions. This dysfunction continues despite
  instruction in standard classroom situations.

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Learning Disability Definition (cont.)

• To be categorized as a learning disabled a
  student must exhibit
• Average to above intellectual ability
• Severe processing deficit(s)
• Severe aptitude-achievement discrepancy(ies) and
  
• Measured achievement in an instructional or
  employment setting

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Characteristics of Learning Disabilities

• Short attention span
• Easily distracted
• Disorganized loses things
• Poor reading and/writing ability
• Reverse letters or numbers trouble w/sequencing
• Inability to concentrate
• Poor memory

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Assessing Students for LDs

• Achievement must indicate student has the
  potential to benefit from instruction at the
  community college
• Aptitude or ability component assesses the
  students intellectual capacity to achieve in the
  community college setting(gt85)
• Processing Deficit students with LDs lack the
  ability to acquire, manipulate, integrate, store,
  and /or retrieve information in the same manner
  in which most students perform these tasks

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California CC LD Eligibility Model

• Six assessment components
• Intake Screening
• Measured Achievement
• Ability Level
• Processing Deficit
• Aptitude-Achievement Discrepancy
• Eligibility Recommendation

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Accommodations

• Appropriate accommodations established on a
  case-by-case basis
• Test accommodations extended time, distraction
  free environment, scribes, readers
• Note takers, interpreters, closed caption videos
• Franklin Speller/Thesaurus, tape recorders
• Specialized adaptive technology (JAWS, Zoom Text,
  Inspiration)
• Courses (LS) designed specifically for students
  with disabilities

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Legal Considerations

• ADA protects qualified individuals
• Elimination of discrimination against individuals
  with disabilities
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504
• Students receive approved modifications,
  appropriate academic adjustments, or auxiliary
  aids that enable participation and benefit from
  colleges educational programs activities

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Legal Considerations (cont.)

• California State Ed Code, Title V Reg
• Services or instruction must
• Not duplicate those available to all students
• Be directly related to the educational
  limitations of the verified disabilities of the
  student
• Be directly related to the students
  participation in the educational program
• Support participation in educational activities
  consistent with the mission of the college

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OCR CasesAccommodations

• University of South Florida
• State University of New York-Delhi

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Faculty Responsibilities

• Recognize need for universal access
• Provide accommodations established by the DSPS
  letters students provide
• Make referrals when observing students you
  believe may benefit from assessment
• Maintain flexibility to accommodate students with
  disabilities
• Understand the difference between accommodations
  and modifications

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Faculty Resources

• Darlene Wooten, Coordinator /Counselor- X5481
  SS102 wootendm_at_lasc.edu
• DSPS Website http//www.lasc.edu/dsps/
• Disability Awareness
• http//www.lasc.edu/dsps/awareness.html
•