Disability Services strives to provide access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities. We collaborate with students, faculty, and staff of the college community to create accessible and inclusive learning environments. Our goal is to increase awareness and acceptance of individuals with disabilities in support of CBC’s mission of providing "educational and life-enriching opportunities" for all students.   

Accommodations Request Process

Disability is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as a "physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment." Major life activities include, but are not limited to "functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working." 

STEP 1. Complete the CBC Accommodation Request form  
 

STEP 2. Provide documentation. 

Students who wish to request accommodations should submit documentation that: establishes a disability, details the current functional impact of that disability, confirms the need for each accommodation requested, establishes a direct link between the underlying disability and the requested accommodation. The documentation must be issued by a medical or other qualified, licensed professional, printed on letterhead, dates, signed and include the professional's contact and licensing information. In addition to the current assessment, students are encouraged to submit any past documentation or materials that establish a history of receiving appropriate accommodations in a previous academic setting when available. Secondary school accommodation plans such as IEPs or 504 Plans are helpful but do not provide sufficient information to establish eligibility for the requested accommodation at the college level.

STEP 3. Check your CBC email for a confirmation email which will include official notification of your approved accommodation(s). 
 

Determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations is based on documentation submitted as well as a discussion with the student.  The student and the Dean of Student Services & Accessibility will determine appropriate accommodations for courses.  Documentation becomes part of students' educational records and is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).    

Accommodations Renewal Process  

Step 1. Complete the online  CBC Accommodations Renewal form. 
Step 2. Check CBC email for your accommodation notice.
 

Notification of Approved Accommodation to Professors  

The Office of Disability Services emails the student and professors/instructors the approved accommodations for each of their courses for each semester. It is the student's responsibility to issue the accommodation notice to their professors. We encourage students to inform instructors in the first week of the semester. Students may choose to discuss their accommodations with their professors, but are never required to disclose their diagnosis to anyone outside the Office of Disability Services.   
 

Guidelines/Tips for Submitting Documentation for Eligibility

- The specific findings in support of the diagnosis, such as relevant history, tests administered, test results, and interpretation of test results

- A description of the student's functional limitations (symptoms) as they directly relate to the stated disabilities and impact academic performance  

- Specific recommendations for reasonable accommodations (such as note-takers, extended testing time, adaptive technology, etc.) necessary for equal access in the academic environment
  

- Documentation on the professional's letterhead, signed and dated, with contact information, such as address and telephone number.  
  

- If students with disabilities attempt a class without requesting accommodations, they cannot, unless given special approval by the professor, ask to have accommodations applied to previous  coursework, exams, or quizzes.

- To complete the accommodation form, you must log in with your CBC Office365 account. If you need any assistance, please contact the IT Department at  (361) 354-2522.

Services Animals   

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), "service animal" means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, do not service animals for the purposes of this definition. 

The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual's disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.
  

The crime deterrent effects of an animal's presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.  28 C.F.R. 35.104  FAA (LEGAL)

RESOURCES

Accessible books:   
Bookshare    
VitalSource
 

Text-to-speech:    
Natural Readers    
Read&Write
 

Note taking assistance:  
Sonocent Audio Notetaker
 

Screen readers for blind or low vision:  
JAWS    
NVDA    
ZoomText
 

Autism Speaks - Postsecondary Education    
National Center for Learning Disabilities    
National Deaf Center    
Going to College with Diabetes  
Texas Workforce Commission- Vocational Rehabilitation for Youth & Students