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Visalia Times-Delta

June 24, 2009

Cuts hurt students with disabilities

My name is David Maciel and I am the director of the Disability Resource Center at College of the Sequoias. I am writing you to provide you with information about potential cuts to students with disabilities.

There are a number of reasons why cutting funding to Disabled Students & Programs and Services (DSPS) throughout the California Community College system makes little sense. The governor's proposal to reduce DSPS by 58 percent would mean the elimination of many accommodations and services to students with disabilities that are 'mandated under federal and state law.

Community colleges would still need to provide services to these students in order to meet provisions within the ADA, and sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Without funds earmarked for DSPS, colleges would need to take money from their general fund to pay for the services mandated by law.

Additionally, DSPS professionals are familiar with the intricacies and nuances associated with the provision of services to this special population.

Minimizing funds to DSPS would challenge a college's ability to provide timely and appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities.

The end result could create litigious situations for many colleges and inevitable Office of Civil Rights (OCR) complaints.

As new technologies emerge and new categories of students with disabilities, e.g. aging, autistic, returning veterans, enter the community college system, the skills and talents of DSPS professionals are critical to the provision of appropriate services and to the protection of institutions from unanticipated legal threats.

DSPS programs exist to provide accommodations that students must receive or they would be denied access to college.

They provide Braille to students who are blind, sign language interpreters to students who are deaf, note takers for students who cannot write, and many other individual accommodations that are needed because of the limitations imposed by the student's disabilities in a college setting.

It seems to me that if there are going to be cuts, the cuts be proportional to cuts the rest of the state and the community college system are slated to receive.

Also, the funds budgeted for this program should not be allowed to be spent on other areas, as has also been proposed by the Governor. Having a realistic and stable funding stream for DSPS is just prudent fiscal planning. As the tag line from the commercial states, "You can pay me now or pay me later," reducing funding to DSPS will not save money in the long run.

Thank you for your attention, and please contact me with any questions you may have.

David J. Maciel

Director, Disability Resource Center

College of the Sequoias