Postsecondary education: students with disabilities.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, and independent institutions of higher education as 4 of the segments of postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and the Trustees of the California State University, and authorizes the Regents of the University of California, to carry out specified actions for their respective systems regarding state-funded programs and services for students with disabilities, including developing and implementing a system for evaluating state-funded programs and services for disabled students on each campus at least every 5 years. Existing law requires those systems, at a minimum, to provide for the gathering of outcome data, staff and student perceptions of program effectiveness, and data on the implementation of specified program and physical accessibility requirements of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This bill would require the systems for evaluating state-funded programs and services to also provide for the gathering of program costs and budget breakdowns. The bill would require the Trustees of the California State University, and would request the Regents of the University of California and the governing boards of independent institutions of higher education, to provide, as part of existing college personnel onboarding and training, a Disability Access and Compliance Training Program that meets prescribed requirements. This bill would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, on or before January 1, 2026, a Disability Access and Compliance Training Program for California Community College campuses that meets prescribed requirements, and would require the chancellor and community college districts to develop specified training components. The bill would require community college districts, on or before the start of the 2026–27 academic year, to include the Disability Access and Compliance Training Program within existing college personnel training and onboarding, as specified. To the extent the bill would impose new duties on community college campuses and community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would delete an obsolete reference and provision. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.