Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

Learn more about interpreting services at Diablo Valley College for students with hearing and/or speech impairments.

DSS hires professionals to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or live captioning to students. Services will be provided for students with documented profound hearing and/or speech impairments but only for required course activities. The DSS office contracts and assigns all captioners and interpreters.

How to Arrange for a Captioner or Sign-Language Interpreter

It is imperative that you arrange for your services before the first day of classes.

1. Schedule an appointment with a DSS Counselor to receive authorization for services by emailing Nichole Santamaria.
2. Have a tentative course schedule planned.
3. Read and sign the Captioner or Interpreter Services Contract.

If you have already met with a counselor to plan your classes, please email David Hagerty and Kellie Conde to request an interpreter or a captioner. Please give at least 2 school days (48 hours) notice. Understand that in person interpreters and captioners are in short supply. Late requests will likely be filled through online ASL and captioning service.

Interpreting Services Policy

In order to receive interpreting services, students must comply with the following conditions:

1. Captioning and Interpreter services will be provided for classes/class activities for students with an audiogram on file with DSS.
2. The DSS office will contact and assign interpreters and captioners.
3. Students must report absences at least 24 hours in advance to the DSS office. Please e-mail David Hagerty and Kellie Conde at Reporting absences to inform them that you will be absent (Interpreting services policy). Any absence not reported at least 24 hours in advance will be considered unexcused unless the DSS office receives documentation, (e.g., a doctor's notice documenting illness) that verifies an excused absence.
4. Three unexcused absences in a class will result in temporary suspension of interpreter/captioner services for that class. Services may be reinstated after you meet with a DSS Counselor and/or the DSS manager.
5. In case of an emergency that prevents a student from attending class, s/he must notify the DSS office as soon as possible. It will be determined at the time of the situation whether the emergency will be considered an excused or unexcused absence.
6. Captioners and Interpreters will wait only 15 minutes outside of the classroom for a student. Both are required to notify the DSS office when a student is absent from class.
7. Contact the DSS for approval of Special Event-one time Services. Special events includes meeting with instructors, counselor appointments, class-related assignments or field trips. Request must be made one week prior to the Special Event. If the request is made in less than one week, services cannot be guaranteed.
8. If an interpreter or captioner does not attend a class session, the student should notify the DSS office.
9. Students must comply with the above conditions to continue receiving interpreting services. Failure to comply may result in the permanent termination of services for all classes.
10. In the event that interpreting is not available, DSS will provide captioning. Realtime Captioning converts the spoken word into instant text. A highly skilled stenocaptioner uses a laptop computer with stenographic input. Special software translates and transmits the simultaneous text to a computer screen. Students can have a full text record on disc or on paper.