DSPS Policies

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The Rehabilitation Act - Section 504
• The Rehabilitation Act - Section 508
• Title V - California Community Colleges
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

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To qualify for DSPS services, you must:

1. Be an enrolled student at Bakersfield College and have an assigned student ID number.
   1. Apply to Bakersfield College
2. Have a verifiable disability which limits one or more major life activities resulting in an educational limitation.

Title 5, Section 56006. Determination of Eligibility

The existence of a disability may be verified, using procedures prescribed by the Chancellor, by one of the following means:

1. Observation by certificated DSPS staff;
2. Assessment by certificated DSPS staff; or
3. Review of documentation by certificated staff provided by appropriate agencies or certified or licensed professionals outside of DSPS.

The student’s educational limitations must be identified by certificated staff and described in the Academic Accommodation Plan (AAP) required pursuant to Section 56022.

Eligibility for each service provided must be directly related to an educational limitation consistent with Section 56000(b) and Section 56001

Definition of a Disability

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a “disability” is defined as having:

1. A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
2. A record of such an impairment 
3. Being regarded as having such an impairment

Major life activities include, but are not limited to:

• caring for oneself
• performing manual tasks
• seeing
• hearing
• eating
• sleeping
• walking
• standing
• lifting
• bending
• speaking
• breathing
• learning
• reading
• concentrating
• thinking
• communicating
• working

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Informal Grievance Resolution

• DSPS encourages students to reach out to their counselors to informally remedy the situation if the student is dissatisfied with an interaction outside DSPS college personnel (e.g., instructors, college staff).
• Many times, DSPS counselors act as a liaison between students and the institution and can solve concerns.  
• DSPS encourages students to reach out to the DSPS Director, Stephanie Foster at stephanie.foster@bakersfieldcollege.edu if the student is dissatisfied with an interaction with DSPS staff, or an unapproved academic accommodation.  
• An informal complaint may be advanced to a BC Dean or Vice President if a mutually satisfactory resolution is not agreed upon between the student and DSPS.

Formal Grievance Resolution 

• If a student would like to file a formal grievance about their concerns, a student grievance form can be officially submitted. Please visit the BC Student Grievance Procedure to complete the process of filing a formal grievance.  
• Any student has the right to file a grievance with the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education. The office will investigate and issue a Letter of Findings.  
  • To file a grievance with the Office of Civil Rights, please contact: 
    U.S. Department of Education 
    Office for Civil Rights 
    Address: 50 Beale Suite 7200 
    San Francisco, CA 94105 
    Telephone: (415) 486-5555 
    Fax: (415) 486-5570 
    Email: OCR.SanFrancisco@ed.gov 
    Department of Education Office of Civil Rights website

Retaliation against any persons filing a grievance is prohibited under state and federal law. 

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• Course Waiver Policy Guidance (PDF)
• BC Academic Accommodation form (PDF)

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