A bill to fund $50 million into student services across California Community Colleges is currently being introduced in the State Senate.

Co-authors Assembly Member Susan Bonilla, District 14, and State Senator Marty Block, District 39, have worked together to create this call to action.

The bill, SB 705, plans to put $25 million into both Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS). The money will be appropriated to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and then distributed. The bill will be voted on in State Senate on May 1.

“A couple of years ago, DSPS programs lost a significant portion of their budgets.” said Melissa Matthews, Disability Resources Center Coordinator at Skyline. “So the programs across the state took a huge hit. We’re legally obligated to provide services to students because of the [Americans with Disabilities Act], but we’ve been asked to do more with less. It’s been tough, there’s limited funds to go around.”

California Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED) is apart of the effort to bring funding back to community colleges for disabled students.

“Myself and one other counselor here in our district went to Senator Block’s office to talk about the need to restore funds to DSPS,” said Gail Conrad, CAPED treasurer and Director of DSPS at Mt. San Diego Community College District.

The bill is going to use some of the funds held off by deferrals caused by budget deficits to directly benefit students. It’s the beginning of what will be 7 years of reallocated money for California community colleges. Conrad explains that the current bill is to carry on for two years and to compensate 20 percent of the funds lost in earlier cuts.

“The loss is close to 50 percent and that loss of funds has created longer lines for serving our students with disabilities,” said Conrad. “With the loss of some services just creating more barriers at times for our students to get what the services they need in a timely manner.”

Students from all over California have been supporting this initiative as Conrad pointed out many students from her district and others from Southern California joined to visit the capital. A representative from Skyline has been social rights advocate Sarah Funes. As a student with disabilities, she understands the difficulties associated. She traveled to the State capital on April 10th and 11th to voice her opinions.

Funes addressed the assembly and told them about the early closing hours of the Disability Resource Center on campus, the lack of resources available like scantrons and an inability to provide her with alternative media text books in a productive timeframe. She also openly asked them why they aren’t investing in her as a student.

“We’re not disabled because of our bodies,” Funes said. “We’re disabled because society doesn’t give us a chance.”

Audio by TSV Blog Editor Michelle Kelly.

This article was edited to include a audio interview with Skyline student Human Right activists Sarah Funes. 5/3/2013 12:10 p.m.