What services and support do we provide?

The role of the ASC team on campus is to provide services that facilitate equitable access for students. The ASC assesses for and facilitates accommodations such as extended exam time, assistive technology, alternative media, note taking assistance, and more. Our values-based stance is that accommodations are necessary because barriers are created by inaccessible environments, not because a disability is a shortcoming. We also provide academic counseling, disability counseling, career guidance, learning disability assessment, proctoring space for ASC students, classroom outreach/presentations, resource referrals, and more. All of our services are, by law, individualized for each student. We meet with every student and have a conversation wherein we fill out paperwork and discuss together what the student's disability is, how it affects them in school, and what accommodations are appropriate given that information.

Who qualifies for ASC services?

Any otherwise qualified student with a documentable disability that presents a functional limitation in an educational setting qualifies for ASC services. Now let's break that down:

Otherwise qualified means that, among other things, students need to adhere to the basic entrance requirements in higher education and are bound to the Rights and Responsibilities of the College, regardless of disability. For example, a university applicant would need to meet minimum GPA requirements for acceptance; or a community college student cannot violate academic integrity rules whether or not they have a disability.
Documentable disability means that a student must, 1) have a disability, and 2) provide some sort of verification of that disability by a qualified professional. Most of the time, disability verification is provided by a third-party school (e.g., IEP or 504), therapist, or doctor, though ASC faculty can sometimes provide in-house verification such as through a learning disability assessment by one of our LD specialists. At the ASC, we serve students with a wide range of disabilities including (but not limited to):
- physical impairments (e.g., using a wheelchair, being blind or deaf, carpal tunnel, etc.)
- mental health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc.)
- learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, short term memory, processing speed, math calculations, etc.)
- cognitive disabilities (e.g., brain injury, cerebral palsy, etc.)
- neurodiversity (e.g., ADHD, autism, etc.)
- temporary disabilities (e.g., broken ankle, concussion, etc.)
Functional limitation means that the school environment and/or class presents a barrier due to the disability. For instance, if your mobility is limited because of an old knee injury and your campus is full of stairs (sound familiar?) you would qualify for ASC services and accommodations like the use of a mobility cart to support you in navigating the campus. The knee injury presents a functional limitation to getting around campus because of the stairs. Alternatively, if you are a Computer Science major who lost their sense of taste, you likely wouldn't qualify for ASC services, because while the loss of taste may qualify as a disability generally speaking, it is not putting you at any sort of disadvantage or presenting a barrier in school. There is no functional limitation in that case.

What's the sign up process?

When students make their way to our office via walk-in, phone, email, or Zoom, our friendly front office staff will invite them to fill out an online application for services and make an appointment to meet with a member of our counseling or learning disability specialist faculty. If a student already has verification of their disability in the form of an IEP, 504, or a letter from their doctor or therapist, we'll ask for a copy for their file. If the student doesn't have any of those things yet, that's okay too! If a student is struggling, we will meet with them to determine if they qualify for our services and support them in getting the verification we need for our records. In the rare cases that they don't actually qualify, we are sure to refer students to a more appropriate resource on or off campus. Our Getting Started page has additional information about ASC enrollment.

We also invite you to check out the welcome letter that ASC students receive upon enrollment to get a glimpse of how our services work for students.

How I can refer my students?

We love when instructors refer students to us! The first step is to get the word out early and neutrally. Please be sure to include information about the ASC in your syllabus and highlight it as you orient students to your class. It can help to mention that we're welcoming and helpful!

This can be an opportunity to check in with yourself about your personal perceptions about accommodations and disabilities. If you feel ambivalent about the services we offer; like some accommodations go too far or are unfair; or sometimes ADHD, depression, or anxiety are synonyms for lazy, then let's talk! ASC faculty are happy to talk through those feelings with you in a welcoming, judgment-free space. If students sense that there's criticism behind the referral for support, they're less likely to get the accommodations they need to accomplish their goals.

If you see a student struggling with the class material and you think ASC is a good fit but are worried about making the student feel judged, it can help to focus on the behavior and not on any guess at a diagnosis. If you've ever struggled with a traditional education environment, self disclosure can also be powerful in this context. Here's an example of a script you might use, "Hi Rosa, I'm glad I could catch you after class. I just wanted to mention that I see you working really hard - [highlight whatever good work/habits/effort you see] spending hours in The Hub, engaging in class, and coming to office hours, but I know you're not seeing the results of all that hard work when it comes to the tests. Have you thought about going to the ASC? They've helped a lot of my students and they're really friendly. Do you want to walk over to the office together now so I can introduce you and you can decide if it's a good fit for you?"

Logistically, you can refer students to do any of the following to get started with us:

Walk them over to our offices (in the 1000 building in the back of the HUB in Aptos, or the SRC at the Watsonville Center) and introduce them to our front office staff who will be happy to help.
Send them a link to our Getting Started page and instruct them to fill out the application for services. Our front office will connect with them to make an appointment with one of our faculty when the student submits the application.
Give them our contact information: asc@cabrillo.edu, office location (The Hub), and 831-479-6379 or 831-479-6370.
Remind the whole class about our services midway through the semester.
Reach out to us to schedule a presentation for your class about our services.