Eligibility for Services
To receive Communication Services accommodations from the Student Disability Center, the applicant must be registered as a UC Davis student and provide appropriate documentation of their disability to SDC. Please visit the Determining Eligibility & Requesting Initial Accommodations page to find more information about submitting documents and requesting services.
For D/deaf or hard of hearing students, please provide a copy of your most recent audiogram (hearing test) when requesting services. The report should be written and signed by the professional who administered the audiogram and include the severity of the hearing loss, specific functional limitations related to the hearing loss, a description of treatments and assistive devices and their estimated effectiveness in minimizing the impact of the hearing loss (hearing aids, assistive listening devices, etc.), and prognosis of the hearing loss.
Realtime Captioning (CART)
Realtime captioning for an academic course involves a trained captioner transcribing spoken words into text in real time. This text is then displayed on a screen or device for students to read, providing immediate access via the student’s device (phone, tablet, or laptop) to spoken content for those who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. This service enables students to follow along with lectures, discussion sections, labs, meetings and seminars, ensuring they can fully engage with the course material and participate in classroom activities. Visit the Realtime Captioning Information for Students page.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting
American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters facilitate language access for students by translating between English and American Sign Language in real time. Interpreters will match the individual needs of the student, including D/deaf or hard-of-hearing students still developing ASL fluency. Use of interpreters provides students with language access during lectures, discussion sections, labs, meetings, and seminars, ensuring students can fully engage with the course material and participate in classroom activities. Visit the American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting Information for Students page.
Media Captioning
Captioned media presents spoken dialogue, speaker identifications, sound effects, and music descriptions as on-screen text, commonly known as closed captions, allowing individuals to read along with the spoken content. Whether it's a recorded lecture, television clip, film excerpt, or short video, this conversion process ensures accessibility by providing written access to auditory information. Visit the Media Captioning Information for Students page.
Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)
An Assistive Listening Device (ALD) increases a student’s ability to hear in challenging situations such as large, crowded, or noisy rooms. The SDC can provide a portable Assistive Listening System receiver that connects with the speaker systems in lecture halls and classrooms or an FM unit to assist with hearing in class. This can be used in conjunction with CART/Realtime Captioning or on its own. ALDs are available to be checked out for an entire quarter. Visit the Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) Information for Students page.