California College of the Arts
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Disability Services

California College of the Arts is committed to providing individuals with disabilities equal access to the college's academic courses, programs, and activities. To honor this commitment, CCA offers reasonable accommodations to qualified disabled students after evaluation by the dean of student development.

Who Is Eligible for Services?

Students who …

  • have a physical, mental, or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity
  • have a record of such an impairment
  • are perceived to have such an impairment

What Services May Be Provided?

Some of the services and reasonable accommodations available on an individually determined basis include the following:

  • note taking assistance
  • permission to record lectures
  • extended time on exams
  • alternate testing design or location
  • physical accommodations for access
  • advocacy for psychological disabilities
  • access to text on alternate format

Requesting Accommodations

Before classes start or during the first few weeks of the semester, you must schedule an appointment with George Luis Sedano, dean of student development, at 510.594.3775 or gsedano@cca.edu.

During the appointment you will need to provide documentation of your disability. Documentation is a report based on an evaluation that was done by a qualified professional within the last three years.

Please note: The cost and responsibility for providing this professional documentation shall be borne solely by the student.

Documentation must include the following:

  • diagnosis
  • description of functional limitations and impact of the disability on classroom learning
  • specific recommendations for academic accommodations

Please note: An IEP or Section 504 plan are not considered acceptable or sufficient documentation.

In addition, you will be asked to complete paperwork including an Intake Form, Student Contract for Services, and Consent for Exchange of Confidential Information Form.

What Are Your Responsibilities?

CCA encourages students with disabilities to practice self-advocacy. You are expected to …

  • be responsible for your own success in higher education and to meet the academic standards required of all students
  • provide appropriate documentation of your disability
  • request services and reasonable accommodations in a timely manner

What Are Your Rights?

Information regarding a student's disability is considered confidential and only exchanged on a need-to-know basis.

As a student with a disability, you have a right to services and reasonable accommodations that allow you to compete on an equal basis with nondisabled students, as long as you meet the basic requirements to perform activities of your academic program.

If you believe that the dean of student development has not identified or provided reasonable accommodations or auxiliary aids, you may seek review of the director's actions by the vice president for Student Affairs.

Inquiries and Appeals

Inquiries and appeals beyond the institutional level may be directed to the following:

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
50 Beale Street, Suite 7200
San Francisco CA 94105

Phone: 415.486.5555
Fax: 415.486.5570
TDD: 877.521.2172
ocr.sanfrancisco@ed.gov

ADA Technical Assistance Program
U.S. Department of Justice
Phone: 800.514.0301
TTY: 800.514.0383
www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada

Other Resources

Wondering if you might have a disability? Do you suspect you have a learning disability and want an assessment of your learning style? Want to know more about dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD), or nonverbal learning disorder (NLD)? The Learning Resource Center can help, refer you to local clinics and professionals, or both.

In addition, you may find answers at one of the following websites:

Other Services

Services available free of charge for all students with or without disabilities include the following:

  • counseling
  • study skills workshops
  • academic coaching

See Counseling and Learning Resources for more information.

Learning Resource Center

Oakland campus
Irwin Hall 207

Dean of Student Development
George Luis Sedano, MEd
gsedano@cca.edu
510.594.3775

Documentation Guidelines

Disability Verification Form