Educational Assistants

An educational assistant is an individual employed by the Disability Resource Center to work on a one-to-one basis with a DRC student for whom a disability related limitation interferes with their ability to meet curriculum requirements. An educational assistant may work in the capacity of class assistant, library assistant, lab assistant or as otherwise designated by a DRC coordinator.

Students requesting the services of an educational assistant must be registered with the Disability Resource Center and must present documentation of a disability(ies), which demonstrate(s) the need for an assistant.

Students requesting an educational assistant must meet with a DRC coordinator each semester for which the service is needed. Once a student determines that an assistant is required he or she should immediately notify the DRC. The hiring of an educational assistant may be delayed due to a late request or the time of the semester during which a request falls.

Once approval is granted, the student must provide the coordinator with the following information as it relates to the job and curriculum:

• specific task(s) the educational assistant will perform
• specific skills, if any
• beginning date
• ending date
• job location (i.e.: Library, Science Lab)
• number of hours student believes will be needed per day, week or month

The DRC Coordinator will make the final determination as to the appropriateness of the requests listed above including allocated hours, days, weeks, and/or months. Allocated time may be adjusted as needed at the discretion of the coordinator. Students requesting any adjustments must provide valid justification.

The DRC makes every attempt to hire assistants with qualifications meeting the requirements of the job. In the essence of time, should a qualified assistant not be located after several reasonable attempts, including working with the professor of record, the DRC will provide a trained assistant until an assistant with the specific qualifications is secured.

Students may request that the DRC hire an individual with whom they have previously worked or who they know to possess the skills for the job. The DRC, however, reserves the right to make the final hiring decision.

The DRC will clarify the requirements of the job and will train the educational assistant in the provision of the job. Students are encouraged to give individual direction to their assistants.

Students and assistants should exchange phone numbers / e-mail addresses for purposes of communication. All communication (unless otherwise agreed upon by both parties) should be directly related to the coursework or specific job.

Students and assistants must work on campus unless otherwise required by the course curriculum. Off campus locations must be public domain and pre-approved by the DRC.

Educational Assistants will not be paid until the student has met with a coordinator and received approval for the service. The student will be responsible for payment for any service rendered by an Educational Assistant prior to this time. The student is responsible for signing their assistant's timesheet each month. In the absence of a signature, the assistant's payroll may not be processed.

Should the student experience a problem with their assistant they may speak directly with them. The student may also meet with a DRC Coordinator to work towards a solution.

Educational Assistants are provided for academic (San José State University) curriculum support only. Assistants are not provided for personal need.

The DRC reserves the right to discontinue service if any of the above, or a combination of the above, are violated or abused.

Disability Resource Center
Administration Building 110
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0168
(408) 924-6000 (Main Office)
(408) 924-6542 (Deaf and HoH)
(408) 808-2123 (ATC)

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