Services To Students With Disabilities

Services to Students with Disabilities

Mission Statement

The Office of Services to Students with Disabilities (SSD) strives to empower students with disabilities by fostering skills ofself-advocacy, resourcefulness, and independence. The SSD office works collaboratively with the campus community to remove barriers and promote an enriched learning environment where students with disabilities can utilize their skills and pursue their academic and personal development goals.

Strategies include but are not limited to:

• Providing support services for students who have permanent or temporary disabilities;
• Advocating with and for individuals with disabilities on campus and in the community;
• Working for social changes;
• Promoting and coordinating systematic institutional initiatives for ensuring university programmatic and environmental access for individuals with disabilities;
• Distributing accurate information about disabilities; and,
• Serving as a resource for those who study the sociological, psychological, and environmental aspects of the culture of people with disabilities.

Disabilities that qualify for services may include: Learning; physical; deaf and hard-of hearing; visual and communication impairments; psychological and other functional limitations. In order to ensure appropriate accommodations, needs are assessed on an individual basis. Students
seeking services from SSD must submit required documentation that verifies their disability; however, those students with a temporary medical condition (i.e., broken leg, COVID-19) can be authorized for services up to one term. 

Mobility Services for Students

The San Bernardino SSD office provides drop-off and pick-up services via six-passenger, wheelchair-accessible electric carts that are available to qualified students with temporary or permanent disabilities. This is an on-campus service to transport students to and from designated pick-up points.

The Palm Desert Campus SSD office provides drop-off and pick-up services in coordination with Parking Services via an electric cart to qualified students with temporary or permanent disabilities on a case-by-case basis.

To be eligible for this service, students must have a disability-related need. Registration with the SSD office and verification of disability are required before service can begin. Contact the SSD office to coordinate times and designated pick-up locations.

General Cart Transportation Assistance Policies and Procedures

San Bernardino Campus:

• Scheduled cart service is provided on a first come, first serve basis, based upon submission of a Cart Service Request form.
• Unscheduled cart services are on an “on-call” basis and may be limited at times of heavy demand.
• Urgency of need, as determined by the SSD office, will dictate priority of use.
• Drivers will wait no more than 4 minutes at designated pick-up points for scheduled cart service.
• Students using this service must inform the SSD office at least 30 minutes in advance if they will not need cart services as arranged.
• Scheduled services will be suspended after two “no-shows” until the student confers with the SSD office.

Palm Desert Campus (PDC):

• The SSD office arranges cart transportation on an “on-call” basis, between the PDC and UCR Campus.
• The PDC-SSD Physical and Visual Disabilities Specialist will coordinate with Parking Services to determine the pick-up/drop-off locations and times.
• The cart transportation will be provided by a parking attendant.

High Wind Conditions

In the event of strong winds at either campus, it may be necessary to lock all north facing doors for the students’ safety. If this is the case, the cart transportation services for students on the San Bernardino Campus will continue uninterrupted. If required, the SSD driver may assist a student to the door. If the winds are severe, it may be necessary to discontinue cart transportation assistance for students. If this happens, SSD will contact students on the schedule to make alternate arrangements and will work with students regarding any missed class time. Please refer to the Emergency Evacuation Policies and Procedures page for additional information. Contact the SSD office for full details regarding cart transportation assistance.

Drop-off and Pick-up Areas

There are 23 cart pick-up and drop-off areas located throughout the San Bernardino Campus

1. University Hall (South entrance)
2. Serrano Village (North side)
3. Jack H. Brown Hall (North entrance)
4. Health and Physical Education (South entrance)
5. Pfau Library (South entrance)
6. Physical Science Building (South entrance)
7. Temporary Classrooms (North side)
8. Biological Sciences and Chemical Sciences Buildings (South entrance)
9. Social and Behavioral Sciences Building (South entrance)
10. Visual Arts Building (North entrance)
11. Chaparral Hall (North entrance)
12. Coyote Bookstore (South entrance)
13. Performing Arts Building (East entrance)
14. Front of University by the Flag Poles
15. Arrowhead Village (West entrance of Redwood Building #4)
16. College of Education (South entrance)
17. Student Recreation and Wellness (South entrance)
18. Student Health Center (South entrance)
19. Physical Education Building (North entrance)
20. Coyote Village (North entrance)
21. Coyote Commons (North entrance)
22. Wedge (South entrance)
23. Center for Global Innovation (Southeast corner)

Roadways and Vehicle-Accessible Areas

All members of the university faculty and staff wishing to utilize a state vehicle, electric cart, or any vehicle for work-related travel, must attend special training and must have a valid state issued driver’s license and a valid defensive driver’s training card. All individuals should exercise caution when traveling on or near roadways and in any areas accessible by vehicles.