Services to Students with Disabilities Removes Barriers for Students

Services to Students with Disabilities (SSD) is one of 25-plus departments in the Division of Student Affairs. The department provides accommodations to students at the Palm Desert and San Bernardino campuses who have short- or long-term disabilities. Some of the accommodations available include, but are not limited to, note-taking services, alternate media, accessible furniture, and assistive listening devices.

In SSD, “We're fighting for equal and meaningful experiences for our students, and we're fighting for an environment that is without bias, without stigma, without discrimination,” said Lori Palmerton, Director of Services to Students with Disabilities. 

SSD removes barriers for students with disabilities so they can achieve their academic and personal development goals. The SSD office is also a resource to faculty and staff members who help students with disabilities meet their educational objectives.

“We're the first CSU to have a faculty inclusion fellow with Dr. Jess Nerren, who is specifically working with our faculty, developing some great faculty programming, and having great faculty conversations, because we can't do this without our faculty,” said Lori. “Our faculty are our partners.”

She added, “I feel Cal State San Bernardino is paving the way for this type of position in the future, which is really exciting.”

The SSD Office, in collaboration with the California Department of Rehabilitation, also provides the WorkAbility IV program. WorkAbility IV creates career opportunities for CSUSB students with disabilities who are clients of the California Department of Rehabilitation and assists them in overcoming barriers, obtaining gainful employment within their academic major, and job retention. 

To determine your eligibility for services with Services to Students with Disabilities, please visit the office, send an email, call 909-537-5238, or fill out an online registration form through their accommodations portal. 

Accommodations are determined and approved by SSD counselors based upon the documentation submitted with the student’s application packet and an interactive process with the student’s assigned counselor.

Stay connected and follow SSD on social media: Instagram and X (formally Twitter).

To access information about Services to Students with Disabilities, click here.