Frequently Asked Questions

There are many ways a person may qualify for services. Please see a complete list. SSD also provides services for temporary disabilities (i.e. broken leg, sprained ankle, COVID-19). All accommodations are assigned based upon review by a counselor.

SSD provides academic support services for a wide range of disabilities. Services are assigned on a case-by-case basis and are based upon the documentation submitted with the student’s application. To apply for services, fill out the online interest form.

We have some great new student videos that will walk you through what to expect when joining SSD.

When you first meet with your counselor, they will do what is called an "interactive process" which is really a conversation where they get to know more about you, your disability, and the ways you may be impacted by your disability while at school. You can also bring a member of your support team with you to help you, we may just ask you for their permission to be there with you before we get started.

We learn about you from what you share with us and we keep in mind that access to providers in the Inland Empire is difficult so we work with you and your circumstances. Maybe you have school accommodations from your past school. Maybe you have a doctors note. Maybe you have something from Regional Center or from Department of Rehab. We will review what you share with us and any of these can be helpful but are also not required.

The accommodations office is here to help students find the appropriate accommodations and implement them within their courses for student success. 

SSD provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities based on understanding your unique need. If there is an accommodation that is not offered that a student needs to succeed, please set a follow up appointment with a counselor to discuss your unique need with us further. 

According to ADA and Section 504, schools must provide appropriate supports and accommodations so that students with disabilities can participate equally in classes, activities, housing, and other aspects of school. If a professor does not wish to grant accommodations, please notify our SSD office.   

You do not have to disclose your disability at your school. The professor may ask you about the accommodation to ensure you receive it, but you do not need to reveal your disability to your professor. Your professor only will have your accommodation letter which lists your accommodations. Whether or not you wish to share more directly with them is entirely up to you.

When you go to college, you become responsible for your education. You also become the primary person who must ensure your rights are respected. Making sure your rights are respected is also called “self-advocacy.” Self-advocacy doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself. Your family and friends can give you support, and many schools also have independent disabled student groups. More on self advocacy is in a series of self advocacy videos and this one in particular is a great place to get started. 

Financial aid is a different office at CSUSB. You can reach them at financial aid to provide financial assistance related to your disability, we will assist you with applying to WorkAbility-IV and DOR who can sometimes help with economic assistance in ways DOR can not. Additionally, if you need help with basic needs, we have a wonderful basic needs office that can assist you. 

SSD provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities based on understanding your unique need. If there is an accommodation that is not offered that a student needs to succeed, please set a follow up appointment with a counselor to discuss your unique need with us further. 

We call our accommodations portal AIM, which stands for Accessible Information Management. Here, we manage accommodations, appointments, and case management.

We have different hours for different services. Please see our full list of hours.

Please see the list of current team members, or contact the SSD main email at ssd@csusb.edu.

The SSD office recruits notetakers on an ongoing basis and you can sign up online. Recruiting emails and in-class recruits (in person and via Zoom) are other ways that SSD identifies notetakers.

Students who volunteer to be a notetaker are given Priority I registration for their subsequent term of enrollment. Priority I registration guarantees a registration appointment on the first day registration opens. In addition to the valuable benefit of priority registration, notetakers often report an overall improvement in grades in the classes for which they are the notetaker.

Notetakers are required to watch a short video and answer a few questions regarding the information provided in the video. Notetakers are required to submit notes via email to the SSD office within 24 hours after each class meeting to ssdnotetaking@csusb.edu. Acceptable forms of notes are Word or PDF documents or high-quality pictures of legibly written handwritten notes. Scanning apps, such as CamScanner, are frequently used. It is the notetaker’s responsibility to obtain notes from another student in the event the notetaker is not able to attend class. Please direct any questions to ssdnotetaking@csusb.edu.

To be a part of the student's accommodation for students 18+, a Voluntary Release of Confidential Information  can be filled out by your student which gives you permission to be part of our disability counseling meetings

Understanding the student's needs is important! If, for some reason, the student is unable to communicate or is facing with a barrier, sometimes having a member of the student’s support system is very helpful and valuable.

Here at SSD, we advocate for our students! We want you to assist in every step of the journey! However, we also want our students to learn self-advocacy techniques as well! We have videos and a class that teaches our wonderful students about self-advocacy housed at SSD.