San Bernardino Valley College’s Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSP&S) has a new name to better reflect its purpose and ensure everyone feels included: Student Accessibility Services (SAS). “In keeping up with our district’s mission, vision, and goals specifically around diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, we really believed that the DSP&S name was outdated and was not a representation of our current students and their unique needs,” SAS Director Larry Brunson said. The program graduates at least 70 students every year and the new name “breaks down the stigma” of using the word “disabled” and “has a more welcoming and inclusive feel for our students,” Brunson added.
When it came time to select a new name, students were part of the decision-making process. Last fall, a focus group was put together, made up of SAS students from SBVC and Crafton Hills College, and 15 alternative names were discussed. Before their final meeting in April, a survey was sent to current SAS students at SBVC and Crafton, and “we received over 300 responses where the students overwhelmingly chose the name Student Accessibility Services,” Brunson said. “The focus group agreed with the student voice and Student Accessibility Services was born.”
The name may be new, but the SAS office will still provide the same “top-notch” services for SBVC students, including educational planning, securing appropriate accommodations, and providing audiobooks and assistive technology support through the Hi-Tech Center. There will also be events this fall to celebrate the SAS rebranding, including an open house. “Here at Student Accessibility Services, we are very proud of our past and very excited for our future,” Brunson said.
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