Faculty/Staff Instructors

• Sign Language Interpreting: Sign language interpreters convey all auditory and signed information so that both hearing and deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals may interact. 
  American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-gestural language with its own linguistic features.

  • Deaf interpreters may be needed when the communication mode of the student is so unique that it cannot be adequately accessed by interpreters who are hearing. Deaf interpreters may work as a team member with a hearing interpreter.

  • Interpreters may also voice for the deaf or hard-of-hearing students.

  • To reduce work-related injuries and fatigue, we send break or team interpreters to most classes. Break Interpreters will enter and exit your class as unobtrusively as possible and relieve the regular interpreter for ten minutes or so. Team Interpreters are two interpreters assigned to the same class for the entire period. The interpreters relieve each other in 20-30 minute shifts, and provide back-up assistance to each other during the interpreting process. Taking breaks will be necessary when one of the team is not available. You can help by planning some strategic breaks so that the interpreter maintains effectiveness and precautions to avoid injury.

  • Occasionally we experience a shortage of sign language interpreters. In the event sign language interpreters are not available for your class, real-time captioning services may be arranged as an alternative either temporarily or as a permanent semester-long solution.

• Tactile Interpreting: Tactile interpreters work with deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals who have a visual impairment and receive communication through touch.

• Real-Time Captioning: A real-time captioner uses a stenography machine to provide a typed record of the lecture that is almost instantaneously readable on the student’s laptop.

• TypeWell: A transcription system that provides communication access and note-taking services whereby a transcriber utilizes a computer containing software featuring abbreviation techniques that transcribe class lectures and discussions. The student reads the transcription in real-time from a second "reader" computer, which they can also use to type questions, comments, and notes.

For speech-to-text services, transcripts are provided to students via email within 48 hours of lecture or event. If the student would like to make other arrangements to obtain notes or transcripts, they must contact their DSPS counselor or the ISO. If the student arrives late, the speech-to-text service provider will not begin transcribing until the student arrives.

ISO service providers do not advise, tutor, or offer personal opinions but can answer questions to help everyone navigate communication situations.

• For state-sponsored classes, events and relevant required activities, It is the individual student’s responsibility to submit accommodation service requests through DSPS and ISO; however, faculty and staff can help set students up for a successful semester by asking what accommodations they need and by providing the student with ample notice and details regarding class assignments, exams, meetings, field trips, etc.
• For college events and activities beyond the scope of a student’s registered classes and relevant required activities, the host or sponsoring department(s) and respective faculty members are responsible for ensuring that their programs and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities, including deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Department funds may be used to arrange such accommodations, either through the ISO (pending available resources) or directly through approved service providers. See below for more information. 

• The individual with a disability is always the best source of information regarding their necessary accommodations.
• If you are organizing an event or activity through your department, a simple way to gauge necessary accommodations is surveying potential attendees through promotional materials. For example, your flyer or event invitation may include language such as:
  
  "Please contact [contact name] in [department], at [contact phone number and/or email address] by [date - usually 1 week before the event] to request accommodations for persons with disabilities."

• While the ISO does not guarantee services for public events, such as campus-wide forums, program specific activities, career development or vocational programs, they may be able to accommodate faculty and staff requests for such events depending on available resources. Request Services online, providing as much notice as possible (at least five business days before the event).
• If the ISO is unable to provide requested accommodations for an event you or your department are hosting, sponsoring, or encouraging students to attend, please contact your campus DSPS counselor to discuss how to provide other accommodations such as alternative assignments, Zoom auto-captioning, etc.
• If services cannot be provided through ISO, you will be informed as soon as possible so that you can find an alternative agency to provide them. San Diego Community College District representatives may request services using their department funds through one or more agencies listed below:

On-site Interpreters: Agencies often require a two hour minimum and require two interpreters for meetings lasting more than one hour.

• Network Interpreting Service (800-284-1043)

Remote Interpreters: Please ask the person requesting services if remote interpreting is acceptable.

• Virtual VRI (866-440-9140)

On-site Real-Time Captioning Services: 

• eCaptions (858-794-6811)
• Total Recall (818-991-2413)

While students are responsible for requesting accommodations and notifying the ISO about any changes in their schedules, it is also helpful for faculty to notify the ISO about scheduled exams and/or “no lecture” dates, etc. This allows the ISO to use our resources more efficiently. 

• Providing students with advanced notice for course requirements is extremely important, as service requests are prioritized by date submitted and must be received by the ISO in a timely manner. (For example, field trip requests require two weeks notice). We encourage faculty to include important details for required exams, meetings, events, field trips, etc. on their syllabus so students can submit the majority of anticipated service requests to the ISO at the beginning of each semester.

• Your syllabus is also an excellent location to include DSPS and ISO contact information in the event your students with disabilities don’t know how or where to obtain accommodation services.

• When communicating with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, look at and speak directly to the student as you would a hearing person. For instance, instead of saying to the interpreter, "Tell her she did well on the exam," say "Ann, you did well on the exam."

• Service providers will typically sit in the front of the classroom so that students can see the instructor, the board, and the service provider.

• During a lecture or discussion, the service provider is often a sentence or two behind the speaker. Please allow for some lag time after speaking so students can fully participate in the discussion.

• The service provider may voice (speak) for the deaf/hard-of-hearing student when they sign/type a question or comments during class. Some students may choose to speak for themselves.

• It is helpful to provide service providers with lecture notes, white/blackboard work, handouts, technical vocabulary lists and/or textbooks.

• During slide presentations, please work with the service provider to arrange appropriate lighting so that the student can see the service provider.

• Please ensure that any videos, DVDs, clips, etc. you show or assign to students as coursework are captioned. Open or closed captioning is fine.

• Please check the equipment in your classroom. The television's closed-captioned option must be turned on. If you require assistance, please contact the AV department prior to the day you intend to show a video. If your classroom television does not have a captioning option, the AV department can install a decoding device. Generally, if videos are not captioned, you cannot show them in class even when you have communication access accommodations available. You are strongly advised not to use textbooks with companion electronic materials if such materials are not accessible. Please contact the DSPS counselor on your campus if you have questions or need clarification.

• Service providers will wait 20 minutes for a student to arrive. If the student does not arrive by that time, the service provider will leave. When the student is in attendance, the service provider stays during the scheduled time and may not stay after the class.

• Communication access accommodations may be suspended if a student does not notify the ISO office of an absence 2 times with at least 24 hours notice.

• There may be instances where the service provider is late or absent. The student can navigate this by:

  • Designating a “volunteer note-taker” at the beginning of the semester. In the event of a service provider’s absence, the volunteer can type or write notes on NCR paper (provided by DSPS) and share a copy with the student.

  • Utilizing a voice recorder or transcription app.

We encourage you to navigate to Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS), particularly the Disability Rights, Responsibilities, and Academic Accommodations section.

Any questions, concerns, or confidential matters can be communicated to your campus DSPS counselor (City College, Mesa College, Miramar College, College of Continuing Education) or the ISO (iso@sdccd.edu or 619-550-3389).