The University has made a commitment to provide high quality interpreting in the classroom for its students. Our goal is to continue improving and expanding curricular sign language and oral interpreting services provided to all matriculating deaf/hearing impaired students who have a documented hearing loss on file and who request services through the Disability Services Office. When students are required to attend a lecture/program that is supplemental to the class and part of the grade, interpreters are provided by the Disability Services Office.

Student Rights and Responsibilities:

It is imperative that students adhere to the following procedures to assure the timeliness and quality of services.

Students may request a particular interpreter associated with the contracting agency used. The interpreting agency will make their best effort to provide the preferred interpreter. However, neither the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA) nor the Rehabilitation Act specifies this. “Although Title II of the ADA, which applies to public colleges, requires such colleges to give ‘primary consideration’ to the communication preferences of the individual, it does not require a college to honor one’s preference for the ‘person’ providing the accommodation.” (Kincaid, Disability Compliance for Higher Education (June 1998) 3).

• All students receiving interpreting services are required to have documentation of their hearing loss on file at the Disability Services Office.
• Students must give semester course schedules to Disability Services at least 2 weeks prior to the first day of classes to assure that interpreters will be available at the first class.
• Students must notify the Disability Services Office of any room/time changes if they differ from the student’s schedule that is on file.
• Students must notify the Disability Services Office of all class cancellations immediately.
• Students must give 48 hour notice to the Disability Services Office when canceling any academic related interpreting services. If 48 hour notice is not possible, any notice, regardless of time, should be given to Disability Services.
• Students must give Disability Services 24 hour notice should for any scheduling appointment or change. Students must submit this request in writing on the “interpreter request” form.
• Students must notify the Disability Services Office, as so as possible, as to the reason for the failure to cancel an interpreter when not attending class. Students may be subject to suspension of services when the no-show behavior occurs the second time in a semester unless he/she can demonstrate a ‘good cause’. In complaint No. 09-92-2101 I, University of California, Davis, the Office of Civil Rights found that the policy of suspending services after two class ‘no-shows’ or late cancellations was in compliance.
• Students must use the “interpreter request” form to request either one interpreter or no interpreter when taking a written test in the Disability Services Office or in the classroom.
• Students who turn away a qualified interpreter for an academic function, may not be provided an interpreter for the same function again.
• If a student chooses to drop a class they should drop before the University’s “Last day to drop without special permission from your Dean,” otherwise Disability Services may consider it to be an undue burden to provide interpreting services for the same class taken another semester.
• If a student has a concern about an interpreter’s skills and/or effective communication for an assignment, students should submit a detailed written statement on the Student Grievance Form (Provide Link) to the Disability Services Office in a timely manner.

Disability Services’ Rights and Responsibilities:

• Disability Services will provide interpreting services for all academic university related programs and classes. This excludes all personal one on one tutoring sessions.
• Disability Services may not provide interpreting services for a class another semester, if the class is dropped after the University’s “Late date to drop without special permission from your dean.”
• Disability Services may not provide interpreting services for the same academic function if a student turns away a qualified interpreter.
• Disability Service will keep track of all written requests from students for interpreting services.
• Disability Services will keep all no-show and tardiness forms on file.
• Disability Services will keep records of written statements submitted by students about concerns dealing with interpreters.
• Disability Services will encourage feedback from the student in order to collaborate and resolve any reported conflict or concerns.

The information is intended solely as informal guidance, and is not a determination of your legal rights or responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA).