Attendant Care Services

A personal attendant is a person(s) who provides services to assist a student with a disability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) that the student would perform if he/she did not have a disability.  A personal attendant helps the student perform daily activities and tasks that he/she is unable to perform independently as a result of the functional limitations due to the disability.  This type of assistance may be in the form of hands-on assistance (performing a task for the individual) or cueing the student to perform a task by him/herself.  ADLs can include eating, toileting, transferring, maintaining personal hygiene, medication management, and money management.  Personal attendants are trained to perform the needed tasks for the student.

Personal attendants are employed by the student, the student’s family, or a local agency to accompany the student to campus and in some instances to classes.  The personal attendant is not employed to act as a tutor or note-taker for the student. 

South Texas College is not responsible for locating, employing, or assigning personal attendants. If the personal attendant will be accompanying the student to class, then the accommodation memo will list the use of a personal attendant as an accommodation and the Coordinator of Student Accessibility Services and/or the Counselor will notify the instructor by campus email to ensure the instructor is aware of the need for that individual’s presence in the classroom setting.

When a personal attendant’s presence is required in the classroom setting the individual will be responsible for following the same Code of Conduct as it is explained in the South Texas College Student Handbook.  Classroom disruptions or disruptions of the learning environment may result in the intervention of security personnel.  Although the personal attendant is not required to enroll in the class as a requirement of providing aid to the student, the personal attendant should not participate in course activities or ask questions of the instructor or other students during lectures.  If the student has a question or needs clarification, then the student should speak with the instructor. South Texas College and the Student Accessibility Services recognize that some students may feel more comfortable and physically assured by employing a family member who is familiar with the student and the student’s functional limitations.  Students studying at the college level are usually adults (18 years of age and over).  South Texas College and the Student Accessibility Services suggest that personal attendants are individuals employed from outside of the student’s family structure as a way of encouraging the student to develop as much independence and autonomy as possible.

If a student is planning to use the services of a personal attendant, then it is required that the student and the personal attendant meet with a staff member from Student Accessibility Services to sign the Personal Care Attendant Agreement form and submit required documentation.