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Services and Accommodations

All requests for service based on disability are evaluated on an individual, case-by-case basis. Therefore, there is no way of guaranteeing what services or accommodations you may be eligible for until you have met with the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities to make your request and go over your documentation. Further, some students may simply want the security of knowing that they are eligible for certain accommodations, but may not choose to use them in every class. Once eligibility has been established, choosing whether to use it is up to the individual student.

Below is a sample list of the types of services and accommodations students with disabilities may find of interest. This list is not intended to be all inclusive.

Advising

As stated above, (Admission and Registration), advising is available to all COCC students. Ordinarily, students are assigned an advisor based on their major. However, students with disabilities who are uncertain or feel a need for extra support may choose to be advised by the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities who may be in a better position to help them with course selection. 

An academic advisor is available in the CAP Center to assist any current COCC student with the services listed below.  Call the CAP Center at 383-7200 to set up an appointment with an advisor.

Advisors are available to assist students to:

  • prepare for a meeting with their assigned advisor;
  • transfer to another institution;
  • prepare academic warning petitions for their advisor's review;
  • find resources to make decisions about majors, careers, and steps after COCC;
  • locate and understand degree requirements to develop a multi-term plan;
  • navigate registration requirements;
  • access and use their online student account;
  • locate help COCC resources;

Please note that the CAP advisor will not routinely clear advising requirements or provide signatures for other advisors.

Questions?  Call Vickery Viles at 541-383-7258.

Aides

The College does not provide personal care attendants or aides to assist persons with disabilities in carrying out personal functions. In certain cases, the College may provide a volunteer or paid class aide to assist a person with a disability in carrying out classroom activities. Examples are pairing a student with a visual impairment with a sighted student in a Science Lab or providing an aide to help a person with a mobility impairment move from station to station in a Physical Education class.  Ed,gov, OCR 104.44 Academic Adjustments, d. Auxiliary Aids, 2.

Auditory Books

Books in Etext or on CD are available for students who are blind, physically disabled or learning disabled. COCC currently has an institutional membership with Learning Ally located in Princeton, New Jersey, www.learningally.org, but you must qualify for these services by first meeting with the Services for Students with Disabilities coordinator.  Students with disabilities wishing to use these services are required by the providers to furnish written verification of disability to establish eligibility.
Many textbook publishing companies also provide electronic versions of textbooks (Etext) with proper documentation of disability.  As this is copywrited material, it may be necessary for the student to sign a letter of agreement acknowledging certain restrictions imposed by the publishing company prior to receiving the electronic material.  In most cases, the Etext is provided at no charge, with the requirement that a printed copy of the book be purchased in advance.

Although COCC has a responsibility for making available such aids as taped texts, our institutional responsibility for producing taped materials is not primary unless all existing sources have been exhausted. When students are unable to locate a book through the primary resources, COCC will make a reasonable effort to respond to requests when the request is made in a timely manner.

It is important for students who need materials taped, regardless of the source, to be fully involved and responsible for obtaining the necessary services on their own whenever possible, and it is necessary to request tape recordings of textbooks at least two months in advance since it often takes this long to establish eligibility with the Books on Tape providers.

In cases where COCC does provide taping services, the student is responsible for providing the SSD office with a copy of the book to be read. The student also needs to provide the SSD office with a course reading list or syllabus so that we may prioritize the order in which we meet taping requests.

If COCC tapes a book, COCC keeps the master tape and will provide the student with one copy free. Second copy replacements will cost the student $8 per tape replaced.

Computer Center

The Computer Centers in Pioneer Hall and the Library serve all students. Certain adaptive hardware is housed in the Computer Center and the Library for use by persons with disabilities. To view what adaptive workstations are available at COCC, visit the computer labs web page. 

Counseling

COCC students may contact the CAP Center, 383-7200, to schedule an appointment with a counselor for guidance services as well as short-term and crisis counseling. The Counselors do not provide ongoing therapy/psychological treatment. When such services are needed, Counselors can suggest appropriate referrals. For more information, please visit the COCC CAP Center - Personal Counseling web page.

For students with disabilities, the SSD Coordinator is available to provide guidance, advising, and problem-solving assistance in a confidential setting. Due to potential conflicts of interest, however, the SSD Coordinator will find it necessary to refer students to another counselor in certain instances. 

Enlarged Print

Large print is available in certain instances.  Whether or not the College provides large print depends on several factors including the student's vision needs and other alternatives for getting access to print material.  The College does not enlarge textbooks for students who are able to use magnification or book recording services.  The College, does, however assume responsibility for providing enlarged print for materials used in class, including tests.  We will also provide enlarged print copies of COCC policies and procedures, including this handbook, when requested.  Requests for enlarged print text should be made to the office of Services for Students with Disabilities well in advance depending on the amount of text.

Interpreters

COCC is committed to providing access to individuals needing sign language interpreting services.  When students requiring interpreter services give advance notice of their intention to enroll full- or part-time in an upcoming term, the College will conduct a search to hire a qualified, interpreter.  We will be more successful in hiring an interpreter or interpreters when we have advance notice of one month or more, though we will make every reasonable effort no matter what the notice.

Dave Hagenbach, staff Interpreter/Coordinator, can be reached at 541-383-7737 or dhagenbach@cocc.edu.

 

Note Takers

Physical disabilities prevent some students from taking notes; learning disabilities hinder others from listening and taking notes simultaneously. In these cases, note-taking assistance can be provided through the office of Services for Students with Disabilities. Once you have established eligibility, some instructors may be willing to allow you to copy their personal notes or lecture outlines. SSD will photocopy these notes for you if needed. SSD will ask the instructor to assist in locating and hiring a classmate who takes good notes to work with you. SSD can provide special, lined "carbonless copy" paper to be used by note takers, or you can photocopy your note taker's notes if you wish.

Students using note takers have responsibilities, too. They need to request note-taking assistance from SSD as early in the term as possible, communicate with the instructor for help in locating a good note taker, attend each class, read and review the notes regularly and carefully, give the note taker helpful feedback, and rework or add to the notes, writing things that will help understanding and remembering. Your note taker will pick up a supply of the "carbonless copy" paper from the SSD office and to bring it to each class.

Realtime Captioning

 Remote
Realtime Captioning converts the spoken word into instant text which is simultaneously shown on a laptop screen at the student's desk.  A highly skilled stenocaptioner hears the lecture via wireless microphone and types the text to be displayed to the student's screen.  This technology is widely utilized by the deaf and hearing-impaired community as an alternate to American Sign Language.  It is important to notify the office of Services for Students with Disabilities with advance notice, preferably three to four weeks, if this service is desired so proper scheduling of service can be made.

 Typewell
TypeWell is a transcription system that allows COCC to hire and train its own transcriber to provide communication access and notetaking services for students and others who need such support.  It is an effective learning tool for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and staff, as well as those with visual, physical or learning difficulties.

How it works:  A hearing transcriber uses a notebook computer with abbreviation software to transcribe meaning-for-meaning what is said in class lectures and discussions.  The students read the transcription in real time from a second computer.  Students can also type questions and comments to the transcriber during class, and even take their own notes on the reader computer.

In addition to communication access during class, TypeWell transcribers usually provide notes for after-class use.  These notes can be given "as is" to the student or edited to be useful educational notes.  For example, any behavioral control remarks can be removed, along with educationally irrelevant comments.  Spelling and grammar can be corrected, and confusing structures clarified.  This leaves the students with printed notes that are readily approachable in length and relevancy.

Service Animals Policies and Procedures

The ADA defines a service animal as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. Beginning on March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognizes as service animals under Titles II and III of the ADA. There is a provision regarding miniature horses as service animals, meeting specific assessment factors. There are instances when a service animal may be restricted. In Pool v. Riverside Health Services, a federal court upheld the facilities' restriction of the animal. The ADA authorizes places of public accommodation to impose restrictions if it is a safety requirement.

The "ADA contains no blanket policy mandating the places of public accommodation permitting service animals under all circumstances". (Kincaid, 1966, p.16). With regard to a university/college, there may be possible restrictions of service animals in clinical practica of nursing and health sciences programs, in food services programs, or in laboratories that can pose a safety risk. These exceptions would need to be considered individually to determine whether the dog poses a possible danger, and if other reasonable accommodations can be provided.

Overall, it is the student's responsibility to ensure the safety of the animal and of the team. While legal access rights are afforded to users of assistance animals, with that comes the responsibility of ensuring that the animal behaves and responds appropriately at all times in public and that the partner/handler, as a team, are to adhere to the same socially acceptable standards as any individual in the community.

Portions of this section are adapted or quoted verbatim from the Service Animal Policy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Marcia Carlson, and the University of Colorado.

Definitions:

Companion animal - In recent years, these animals have been prescribed as treatment for some disabilities for their calming influence, affections, stability or even a feeling of security. They are not trained and not afforded the legal protections of service animals. Extremely extenuating circumstances in the student's documentation would be necessary to permit a companion animal on campus, and the accommodation is determined on a case by case basis.

A dog in training - A dog being trained; however, it has the same rights as a fully trained dog when accompanied by a trainer and identified as such.

Partner/handler - A person with a service or therapy animal. A person with a disability is called a partner; a person without a disability is called a handler.

Service Animal - Any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. There is a provision regarding miniature horses as service animals, meeting specific assessment factors.

Team - A person with a disability, or a handler, and his or her service animal. The two work as a cohesive team in accomplishing the tasks of everyday living.

Therapy Animal - A therapy animal does not assist an individual with a disability in the activities of daily living, and historically they have not been protected by laws for service animals. The use of therapy animals for mental disorders, i.e., agoraphobia has assisted the individual to safely leave the house and participate in community and educational activities. Documentation needs to specifically address the need and training of a therapy animal and is determined on a case by case basis.

Types of Service Dogs (Animals)

Guide dog - Guide dog is a carefully trained dog that serves as a travel tool by persons who are blind or have severe visual impairment.

Hearing dog - Hearing dog is a dog who has been trained to alert a person with significant hearing loss or who is deaf when a sound, e.g., knock on the door, occurs.

Service dog - Service dog is a dog that has been trained to assist a person who has a mobility or health impairment. Types of duties the dog may perform include carrying, fetching, opening doors, ringing doorbells, activating elevator buttons, steadying a person while walking, helping a person up after the person falls, etc. Service dogs are sometimes referred to as assistance dogs.

Sig dog - Sig dog is a dog trained to assist a person with autism. The dog alerts the partner to distracting repetitive movements common among those with autism, allowing the person to stop the movement (e.g., hand flopping). A person with autism may have problems with sensory input and need the same support services from a dog that a dog might give to a person who is blind or deaf.

Seizure response dog - Seizure response dog is a dog trained to assist a person with a seizure disorder; how the dog serves the person depends on the person's needs. The dog may stand guard over the person during a seizure, or the dog may go for help. A few dogs have somehow learned to predict a seizure and warn the person in advance.

Documentation Requirements

The handler of the service animal will be required to meet with the Coordinator of Disability Services for Students, providing the following information for documentation purposes:

Licensing - The animal must meet the licensing requirements of the state of Oregon. (For nonresidents, home state tags may be accepted.)

Health records - The animal must have a health statement, including vaccinations from a license veterinarian dated within the past year. Generally, legitimate assistance animals are well groomed and receive excellent veterinary care, including an annual checkup. A veterinarian's statement within the past 12 to 15 months as to good health is necessary. Preventative measures should be taken at all times for flea and odor control. Consideration of others must be taken into account when providing maintenance and hygiene of assistance animals.

Minimum training standards - Verification that the animal has been individually trained to provide the service/assistance to meet the needs of the student/handler. In Arizona State University Case No. 08-96-2079-B, OCR, rejected a claim because "the student provided no proof to the university or OCR that the dog had been individually trained as required by the ADA."

Identification – It is recommended that the animal wear some type of commonly recognized identification symbol, identifying the animal as a working animal, but not disclosing disability.

Control Requirements

  • The animal should be on a leash when not providing a needed service to handler.
  • The animal should respond to voice commands at all times, and be in full control of the handler.
  • To the extent possible, the animal should be as unobtrusive to other students and the learning environment as possible.

Exclusion for behavior - A service animal may be excluded from the campus when that animal's behavior poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others. Although the campus may exclude any service animal that is out of control, it will give the individual with a disability who uses the service animal the option of continuing to enjoy its goods and services without having the service animal on the premises (ADA Today, p.4).

Consequences for behavior - When an assistance animal is determined out of control as reported by students, staff or administration, the infraction will be treated on an individual basis. If the animal poses a threat to the safety of other students, Public Safety will be part of the collaboration team to determine the outcome of the behavior. Consequences may include but not be limited to muzzling a barking animal, refresher training for both the animal and the partner, or exclusion from university facilities.

Public Etiquette by Animal

To the extent possible, the animal should/should not:

  • sniff people, restaurant tables or the personal belongings of others.
  • display any behaviors or noises that are disruptive to others unless part of the service being provided the handler.
  • engage in personal grooming in public settings.
  • block an aisle or passageway for fire egress.

Public Etiquette to Student with Animal—General public should avoid:

  • petting a service animal as it may distract them from the task at hand.
  • feeding the service animal.
  • deliberately startling a service animal.
  • separating or attempting to separate a partner/handler from his/her service animal.
  • hesitating to ask a student if she/he would like assistance if there seems to be confusion.

Areas of Safety - As cited above, there are certain instances when it may be considered unsafe for animals in such places as medical facilities, laboratories, mechanical rooms or any other place where the safety of the animal or partner/handler may be threatened.

When it is determined unsafe for the team to be in one of these areas, reasonable accommodations will be provided to assure the student equal access to the activity.

Emergency Situations - In the event of an emergency, the emergency response team (ERT) that responds should be trained to recognize service animals and be aware that the animal may be trying to communicate the need for help. The animal may become disoriented from the smell of smoke in a fire or laboratory emergency, from sirens or wind noise, or from shaking and moving ground. The partner and/or animal may be confused from the stressful situation. The ERT should be aware that the animal is trying to be protective and, in its confusion, is not to be considered harmful. The ERT should make every effort to keep the animal with its partner. However, the ERT's first effort should be toward the partner; this may necessitate leaving the animal behind in certain emergency evacuation situations.

Conflicting Disabilities - It is common for a person to have a disability that precipitates an allergic reaction to animals. Persons making as asthmatic/allergy/medical complaint are to be directed to make that complaint with the Disabilities Services Office. The person making the complaint must show medical documentation to support that complaint. Action will be taken to consider the needs of both persons and to resolve the problem as efficiently and expeditiously as possible. In the event that cannot be resolved, the institution will invoke first-person rights.

First-Person Rights - If the person uses a service animal and is registered in a course or present in a college area, and another person arrives with serious allergies, you cannot remove the first person to accommodate the second person. (Disability Compliance for Higher Education (July 1996) Vol. 1, No. 12, p. 4 & 5).

Disclosure - Service animals are used by individuals with disabilities to facilitate access. What if a student with a service animal does not identify themselves with the Disabilities Services Office? Can you exclude that individual from the campus until they comply with these rules of documentation?

In the absence of case law, the following guidelines will be used until proven otherwise discriminatory:

  • As COCC has a general policy excluding animals on campus, a student consistently seen on campus with an animal that is identified by a jacket or some other symbol that it is a service animal, will be advised of the general policy and directed to the Disability Services Office
  • If there is any complaint regarding the animal and its behavior, the dean of students will contact the student and, in collaboration with the Disability Services coordinator, inform the student of the policies regarding service animals.
  • If the student fails to act in accordance with the above, the student conduct actions will be taken.

Accommodated Testing

Students with certain disabling conditions may require extended time when taking tests.  Some may need to test in a setting with minimal distractions such as is available in the Tutoring & Testing Center.  Talk to the Services for Students with Disabilities coordinator to establish eligibility for special testing.  To view the COCC Special Testing website, please go to http://tutortest.cocc.edu/. 

Specialized Equipment

The College cannot provide personal equipment.  Students with disabilities are expected to have their own wheelchairs, hearing aids, and other personal adaptive equipment.  COCC does have some adaptive equipment available for student use on campus such as large screen computer monitors and closed circuit TV for persons with visual impairments, and various software including JAWS and ZoomText and an FM loop transmitter/receiver system for students with hearing impairments.  To view adaptive equipment available on the COCC campus, go to http://computerlabs.cocc.edu/General+Info/Adaptive+Workstations/default.aspx.

Other items available for use by students with disabilities, which can be checked out through the Services for Students with Disabilities office include (as available):

  • Comtek FM loop listening device
  • Digital recorders

Other available items for use:

  • Basic Power Trainer in Mazama
  • High support boots to use with power trainer in Mazama
  • Specialized gloves for wheelchair users in circuit training class in Mazama
  • IntelliKeys keyboard with classic overlays and Clickit software - ABE classroom.

Recording Lectures

Bringing a recorder to class is useful for many students.  You will need to notify instructors if you wish to tape their lectures.  Occasionally an instructor may be reluctant to let you tape record a class.  This is the instructor's right unless you have established eligibility through the office of Services for Students with Disabilities to tape classes as a reasonable accommodation based on disability.  In such cases, the instructor may require you to sign a waiver agreeing that you will:

  • only use the recorded material as an aid to study for that course
  • destroy the recorded material upon completion of the course

Writing Lab

The Writing Lab, located in the basement of the library, offers free tutoring in composition skills to all COCC students enrolled in any course that involves writing.

Writing Lab tutors are available to help you work on a wide range of writing skills. They do not merely proofread and correct specific errors, but they can point out a pattern of errors and suggest possible strategies to help you revise. When they find recurrent problems in your rough drafts, they will direct you to review materials to help you remedy them.

When you receive a graded essay from your instructor, you may bring it to the Lab for revision or to understand how you might improve your next essay. Writing Lab tutors do not discuss grades or correct errors for you, but they can try to interpret teachers' comments and suggest strategies for correcting errors and improving your revisions.

Writing Lab Tutors also provide help with application letters and resumes.

*Note:
It is important to remember that needs of students with disabilities might vary from quarter to quarter, and that it is not possible to list every service which a student might receive. It is important for students to work closely with the Services for Students with Disabilities Coordinator and their instructors so that their disabilities do not interfere with their educational goals. Our goal is to give every student with a disability equal access to classes at COCC. The rest is up to you!

 » Return to Guide for Students with Disabilities Index