Disability Resources
Learn About Accommodations
At Cosumnes River College, we are committed to providing appropriate accommodations for students and employees with disabilities.
Resources for Students with Disabilities
Our Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS) Office provides academic accommodations for students with disabilities in line with the ADA.
Resources for Employees with Disabilities
We are committed to ensuring that all of our employees can perform the essential functions of their jobs with or without reasonable accommodations.
Service Animals on Campus
Students and employees with a disability who need a service animal may use a service animal on district and college property. Therapy animals and pets are not allowed.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that requires Cosumnes River College to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities in:
- Hiring and firing practices
- The administration of benefits
- Other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment
The law prohibits discrimination based on disability in every aspect of the employment relationship with its employees.
Visit ADA.gov to learn more.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is the primary state law that provides employees with protection from discrimination, retaliation, and harassment in employment. All employment provisions of the FEHA anti-discrimination and anti-harassment provisions apply to Los Rios.
Visit the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing to learn more.
Under the ADA and FEHA, a person with a disability is defined as someone who currently has, has a record of having, or is perceived as having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
Examples of major life activities include: walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, concentrating, thinking, communicating, working, performing manual tasks, caring for one's self, eating, sitting, standing, lifting, bending, sleeping, and reading.
Mitigating measures (such as hearing aids or medication) are not taken into account under federal law to determine if this standard has been met (except for eyeglasses).
What is not considered a disability?
Under the ADA and FEHA, a non-chronic impairment of short duration with no long term or permanent impact is not a disability. Thus, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the following are not disabilities: broken limbs, sprained joints, concussions, appendicitis, the flu, and so on.
A mitigating measure is a medication or device that a person uses to eliminate or reduce the effects of a disability or impairment. Examples of mitigating measures include:
- Hearing aids
- Insulin used to control diabetes
- Medication for a condition such as epilepsy
- Medication for major depression
- Prescription eyeglasses
- Prosthetic devices
- Walkers, canes, or crutches
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)'s prohibits assessing the positive effects of mitigating measures when determining if a person meets the definition of "disability."
However, when it comes to determining reasonable accommodations or if a person poses a direct threat, mitigating measures can be taken into consideration. If a person with a disability uses a mitigating measure that eliminates the need for a reasonable accommodation, then an employer has no obligation to provide a reasonable accommodation.
Cosumnes River College has standard forms for requesting reasonable accommodations.
Employees with a non-obvious disability must provide medical documentary evidence of the limitations they are experiencing because of their disability.