Student Accessibility Services and Faculty Support

Luke Lara
Mar 24
3 min read

Updated: May 13

By Luke Lara, FA Ombudsperson

Over the last couple years, faculty have brought concerns to the FA around student accommodations, in particular, issues around timeliness of accommodation requests and communication friction points with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). During the fall 2024 semester, the FA had tasked me to work with the district and SAS to discuss and address these issues.

I am happy to report that after talking with faculty, the district, student services leadership, and SAS, we have identified strategies to address issues around timeliness of accommodation requests and communication, in particular about the role of SAS and that of faculty in providing accommodations to students. In summary, the following are the issues, context, and goals:

Timeliness:

Jeff Higginbotham, SAS Faculty Coordinator, shares that SAS “emphasizes to students the importance of adhering to instructors’ standard timeframes.” In cases where an instructor feels that a student's request wasn't provided in a timely manner, Jeff encourages faculty to reach out to SAS so the request can be further discussed between SAS, the instructor, and the student to clarify why the request might be delayed. There are valid reasons for a “late” request (e.g., a student applying for and authorizing accommodations later in the semester). However, Jeff clarifies that in some cases, “the timing of a request may justify the instructor and SAS supporting denial of the accommodation, such as when a student fails to follow a required process (e.g., submitting a memory aid for an instructor’s review only one day before an exam).”Jeff also clarified that accommodations are not retroactive.

Each circumstance is unique and faculty should communicate directly with SAS when there are questions or concerns. Feedback regarding untimely accommodation requests has influenced SAS messaging and reminders to students as they work to reduce these occurrences. Jeff shares that SAS takes late requests seriously. SAS will work on communicating and clarifying this concept in professional learning opportunities and in individualized communication to faculty.

Communication:

SAS has valued providing professional learning opportunities for faculty. Since the meeting with Jeff, the SAS department has conducted flex sessions, attended department meetings to provide updates and request feedback, developed ongoing training to clarify roles and provide additional resources, and is building a toolkit in Canvas with additional faculty resources. SAS also values feedback and deploys a yearly CCCCO-designed survey to students and employees for feedback on how SAS can improve their services. To address recent faculty concerns, SAS has added information about “Recording Lectures” on the back of SAS Accommodation Forms, clarifying what is and isn’t allowed. Another example is SAS’s update to the Memory Aid Accommodation guidance for faculty and students, incorporating feedback from faculty. Jeff routinely sends an email titled “Supporting Students with Disabilities” to instructional faculty, deans, and chairs before the start of each semester, providing detailed guidance on how to support students and the role of faculty in the accommodation process. SAS has also agreed to review their communication protocol, to request connecting with faculty in-person or virtually to emphasize the support SAS provides faculty and clarify the faculty’s role.

Finally, the student accommodation process is an interactive process, which requires communication, creativity, and flexibility on the part of all parties. SAS engage in professional development provided by the district and are active members and contributors within their professional organizations. The full and part time counselors and classified professionals of SAS work diligently with over 1300 students a year with a wide range of needs and accommodation requests. They support all of us and I want to recognize that they do this, as faculty, with all of us.

Reach out to Jeff Higginbotham at jhigginbotham@miracosta.edu to request an SAS visit to talk with your department faculty or if you have any questions about SAS. The following are resources for all faculty related to SAS support: