Disability ACCESS

Students wearing cap & gown at graduation

Student ACCESS is committed to ensuring equal access to Honolulu Community College (HonCC) facilities, programs, activities, and services by students with disabilities. Its goals are:

  • To provide reasonable accommodations to qualified students.
  • To promote an informed and hospitable learning community.
  • To advocate for campus-wide ADA/Section 504 compliance.

Eligibility for Services

To be eligible to receive disability accommodations students must:

Provide proper documentation of disability by an appropriate certified professional to the Honolulu Community College Student ACCESS office for evaluation.

  • Make an appointment with Student ACCESS to discuss your special needs.
  • Complete an Service Request Form (PDF) or obtain one from the Student ACCESS office once documentation has been approved.

Additional steps to initiate requests for specific accommodations:

  • For alternate format materials, provide an up-to-date course schedule to the Student ACCESS office immediately after registering and an accurate list of textbook titles and editions for each class.
  • For classroom accommodations present the Service Request Form (PDF) to Student ACCESS and fill out appropriate request forms.

Disability Accommodations

The following accommodations are available through the Student ACCESS Office:

Special equipment:
  • Digital recorders
  • Talking calculators
  • Amplification devices
  • Reading Edge
  • Large screen monitor
  • Closed Circuit TV
Materials:
  • Building access and evacuation plan
  • Audio or electronic books
  • Adjustable desks and chairs
  • Enlarged materials
Services:
  • Sign language interpreters
  • Enlargement of printed materials
  • Testing accommodations
  • Notetakers
  • Scribes
  • Readers
  • Lab assistants
Computer access:
  • Zoomtext 9.1
  • Dragon Professionally Speaking Ver. 7
  • Adaptive keyboards
Aerial view of campus and downtown honolulu

Get in Touch

Student ACCESS
Building 7, Room 302
Phone: (808) 845-9272 (voice/text)
accesshcc-l@lists.hawaii.edu

ADA/Section 504 Coordinator
Wayne Sunahara
Building 7, Room 326
Phone: (808) 845-9264

Email Us
Provide Feedback on Your Experience

To provide feedback to Student ACCESS on your experience using these services, please print out the Student ACCESS Survey of Service (PDF), complete the survey, and submit to Student ACCESS office. Please call (808) 845-9272 for additional questions regarding the survey. Mahalo for your time in providing this valuable feedback.

Tips for Getting Off to a Smooth Start

Timeliness is the key to being adequately prepared for each semester. Students should take the following steps in advance of each semester to make sure their semester gets off to a smooth start:

  1. Register as early as possible (make use of priority registration if eligible).
  2. Before the semester begins, contact your academic advisor before registering and discuss any special needs, major requirements, course competencies, course load, and instructors. You may also wish to contact potential instructors to discuss course requirements, types of in-class activities, texts and materials, field trips, and necessary accommodations.
  3. As soon as possible, request accommodations at Student ACCESS. Late requests may result in a delay of services.
  4. When requesting accommodations, provide an up-to-date course schedule.

Disability Accommodation Process

If this is your FIRST TIME requesting disability accommodations:

  • Submit the Service Request Form (PDF) (copies available at the Student ACCESS office in Building 7, Room 311. You will also be required to submit the appropriate documentation to substantiate your disability as part of your request.
  • You will be scheduled for an intake appointment once Student ACCESS receives the Service Request Form.
  • Once your documentation is approved, pick up your Accommodation Form and or Memo from the Student ACCESS and take it to the appropriate office and or faculty request accommodations.If this is NOT your first time requesting disability accommodations:
  • Meet with the Disability Specialist in Building 7, Room 311 before registering each semester. Phone: 844-2392 voice/text.
  • Once you register, take your Accommodation Form to the appropriate office to request accommodations as soon as possible.

Listed below are some physical and academic accommodations provided to students in the past. Take all accommodation memos to your instructors and speak with them about your special needs as soon as possible.

  • Sign language interpreters
  • Audio or electronic books
  • Notetakers
  • Testing Accommodations
  • In-class/lab assistants
  • Readers
  • Scribes
  • Enlargement of materials

In order to establish a student’s disability status and eligibility for accommodation, disability documentation must adhere to the following:

Your documentation must be submitted and reviewed by Student ACCESS before your requests for accommodations may be granted. Once appropriate documentation has been received, an appointment will be scheduled with you to discuss your eligibility for special accommodations. Because this process takes time, it is recommended that documentation be submitted as soon as possible before the semester begins. Late submissions will delay your services and may require a postponement of certain services to the next appropriate semester.

General documentation:

To verify disability status and demonstrate eligibility for disability accommodations, documentation must meet the following requirements:

___clearly state the diagnosed disability or disabilities

___describe the functional limitations resulting from the disability or disabilities

___describe specific accommodations requested

___adequately support each of the requested accommodations

___be typed or printed on official letterhead and signed by an evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis (include information about license or certification and area of specialization)

Learning disability documentation must meet the following additional requirements:

___be an assessment of the student as an adult (16 years of age or older)

___include a list of all test instruments used in the evaluation report and the interpretation of relevant subtest scores used to document the stated disability

Physical disability documentation must meet the following requirements:

___include a completed Physician’s Verification Form (available at the HCC Student ACCESS office (Bldg. 7, Rm 311; phone 844-2392 voice/text)

___present a State of Hawaii Disability Parking Placard ID Card for special parking and elevator access only

___be current: within the last 5 years for learning disabilities, last 6 months for psychiatric disabilities, or last 3 years for ADHD and all other disabilities (Note: This requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature.)

___include educational, developmental, and medical history relevant to the disability for which accommodations are being requested

Due to the amount of time required to set up certain types of disability accommodations, the following request timelines have been established. These timelines enable us to provide quality services in a fair and appropriate manner.

Accommodation type:Timeline for requests:
1. Sign language interpreters for courses6–8 weeks in advance of course start date
2. Sign language interpreters for extra-curricular events or activities10 days in advance of activity date
3. Textbooks into audio-tape format6–8 weeks in advance of course start date
4. Textbooks into braille format1 semester in advance of course start date
5. Handouts into audio-tape format10 days
6. Handouts in braille format2–4 weeks depending on complexity of material
7. Classroom relocation2 weeks in advance of course start date
8. Notetakers for courses2–3 weeks
9. Testing accommodations1 week in advance of test date
10. Specific accommodations not listedDetermined on a case-by-case basis so earliest possible notice is recommended.

In general, diagnostic referrals are not covered by medical insurance and costs are expected to be paid out of pocket. If you do not have a current diagnostic referral, please contact Student ACCESS and we can share resources with you that may be free or low-cost. There are several community organizations that you may be able to access depending on your suspected disability, career/vocational goal or affiliation (ex: military status, ethnicity, etc.).

Please note that it is beyond the scope of HonCC to provide diagnostic assessment and/or funding for such assessment.

The UH Community Colleges Procedures and Guidelines Relating to Complaints of Discrimination and Affirmative Action states:

Any community college student, employee, or applicant who believes that he or she has been a victim of unlawful discrimination may file a complaint with the campus designee (ADA/Section 504 Coordinator). The designee will immediately notify the Provost that a complaint has been filed. The designee will counsel the complainant about other avenues for pursuing the complaint.

Students may concurrently file complaints of discrimination with the Office of Civil Rights at the following address:

Office of Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education, Region X
915 Second Avenue Room 3310
Seattle, Washington 98174-1099

Notetaking & Testing

Notetaking

At the Student ACCESS office (Bldg. 7, Rm. 302):

  1. Student completes the Service Request Form (copies available on line or at Student ACCESS office) and submit to Student ACCESS, Bldg. 7 Rm. 302
  2. Upon turning in the completed Service Request Form, an intake appointment will be scheduled.
  3. The student will be required to submit documentation of the disability to Student ACCESS. Documentation must verify that disability impairs ability to take adequate notes.
  4. Student submits copy of course schedule.
  5. Student reviews guidelines for notetaking accommodations and signs consent form:
    • Student must attend class to receive notes.
    • If a student misses class due to a disability, please discuss this with Student ACCESS to see if notes can be received during the absence period.
    • Student reports any problems with notetaking accommodations to the Student ACCESS (phone 844-2392 voice/text).
  1. Come to class ready to concentrate on the lecture and get as much out of it as you can. The notes you receive are helpful study tools but should not be relied on as the sole means for learning the course material.
  2. If the notes are not as detailed as you desire, let Student ACCESS know. You may need to tape record the lectures and review the recordings along with the notes for the extra information needed.
  3. Understand that the notes do not guarantee success in an exam. The notes assist, not replace, your individual efforts to prepare for the exam.
  4. Attend class regularly. Notes are not provided on days of missed classes unless the absence is for a reason related to your disability and approved by Student ACCESS. Contact the Student ACCESS in Building 7, Room 302, phone 845-9272 voice/text, to receive the notes from lectures you miss. You will be required to provide appropriate written verification (e.g., physician’s note) that your absence is disability-related.
  5. If notetaking services are not satisfactory, inform the Student ACCESS office right away so that any problems may be resolved in a timely manner.

Recruitment: Notetakers are recruited from the Student ACCESS pool of student assistants, teacher recommendations, or students enrolled in classes in which notetaking requests originate.

Eligibility: Notetakers must be enrolled in at least 6 credits within the University of Hawaii system, possess strong listening and writing skills, and maintain an excellent attendance record. Notetakers are required to submit one set of class notes for evaluation.

Hiring and Pay: Notetakers must complete all student assistant work agreement forms before officially beginning the job. Notetakers are paid at the A21 student hourly rate and are required to fill out and turn in time sheets on posted time sheet due dates in order to be paid on time.

Duties:

  1. Notetaker must be punctual and consistent in attendance.
  2. Notetaker must be physically and mentally attentive on the job.
  3. Notetaker must take legible, organized and complete notes.
  4. Notetaker must either photocopy notes in the Student ACCESS office and place copies in student’s mailbox, or provide the yellow copy of notes to the student after class on same day as lecture. This may differ according to situation.
  5. Notetaker must turn notes in to the Student ACCESS office when student is absent.
  6. Notetaker must notify as soon as possible in event of unavoidable absence (e.g., illness, family emergency).

Evaluation: Each semester notetakers are evaluated by the students they assisted and by the Student ACCESS. Feedback related to these evaluations will be shared with the notetaker and placed in his/her file.

Testing

At the Student ACCESS office (Bldg. 7, Rm. 302):
  1. Student submits documentation of disability to Student ACCESS. Documentation must verify that student possesses functional limitations which impede ability to take exams under routine conditions.
  2. Student signs Testing Accommodations Request Agreement form.
  3. Student completes Academic Accommodations Request Form and specifies need for testing accommodations.
  4. Student submits copy of class schedule.
  5. Student reviews guidelines for testing accommodations:
    1. Student must give testing memo to instructor.
    2. Student must notify the Student ACCESS Disabilities Specialist of type of accommodation, date, time and site of exam in advance of test date. For distraction-reduced room, student must notify Student ACCESS at least one week in advance.
    3. Student must abide by HCC Student Conduct Code regarding testing.

The institution is responsible for selecting and administering tests that ensure results that reflect the student’s aptitude or achievement level rather than reflecting the student’s disability. Possible testing accommodations include but are not limited to the following:

  • a distraction-reduced environment
  • extended time (1.5 or 2 times depending on degree of functional limitation and/or physician’s . Unlimited time is NOT a reasonable accommodation)
  • reader
  • scribe
  • adaptive equipment (e.g., ergonomic devices, special software, hearing protectors, etc.)
  • alternate format (e.g., enlarged, oral, on computer, etc.)

Appropriate accommodations are determined on a case by case basis. Although students with disabilities are legally entitled to receive testing accommodations based on their disability, it is in no way suggested that different grading standards be applied.

  1. On the first day of classes, discuss your need for testing accommodations with your instructors and give them the memo from Student ACCESS the so that they may be informed and prepared to accommodate you.
  2. Go over the course syllabus carefully so that you are aware of upcoming test dates or ask your instructors to provide you with the information.
  3. About a week before the test, remind your instructors of your testing needs and notify the Student ACCESS office in Bldg. 7, Room 302, phone 845-9272 (voice/text) as to the date and time of the test so that the appropriate accommodations may be put in place in a timely manner.
  4. Notify the Student ACCESS office of any problems that arise regarding testing accommodations.

Volunteers Needed for Notetaking

Notetakers are recruited from the Student ACCESS pool of student assistants, teacher recommendations, or students enrolled in classes in which notetaking requests originate. Notetakers must be enrolled in at least 6 credits within the University of Hawaii system, possess strong listening and writing skills, and maintain an excellent attendance record. Notetakers are required to submit one set of class notes for evaluation. Notetakers must complete all student assistant work agreement forms before officially beginning the job. Notetakers are paid at the A21 student hourly rate and are required to fill out and turn in time sheets on posted time sheet due dates in order to be paid on time.

For more information or to volunteer your services, please contact us.

Resources

Student ACCESS Guidebook (PDF)

  • Testing Center: Dragon, Jaws, Kurzweil and ZoomText; Closed Captioned TV (text enlargement)
  • Library: ZoomText
  • Student ACCESS: Dragon, Kurzweil, ZoomText, OCR Scanner