The Saddleback College Learning Disability Program is housed within the Disabled Students Programs abd Services (DSPS) office. The LD Program provides accommodations and services for students with learning disabilities in order to ensure equal access to all college courses and programs. The LD Program also provides free learning disability assessments for students who are experiencing academic difficulties in order to determine if they may be eligible for learning disability related accommodations.

What is a Learning Disability?

A learning disability refers to a condition that affects a person's ability to process, understand, retain, or express information, despite having average to above-average intelligence. It can impact skills like reading, writing, math, and other cognitive functions. Students with a learning disability are often strong in some subjects, but struggle in others. College students with learning disabilities commonly report difficulties with:

  • Reading (ex. difficulty reading new words, slow reading rate, difficulty with comprehension or retention of reading materials, limited vocabulary, etc.)
  • Written expression (ex. difficulty organizing ideas, difficulty with grammar/sentence structure, spelling difficulty, difficulty taking notes, etc.)
  • Math (ex. inability to do math “in your head”, difficulty memorizing basic math facts, difficulty learning new math concepts/problem-solving skills, etc.)
  • Auditory processing (ex. Difficulty following along during lecture, difficulty taking notes, difficulty following directions, frequently have to ask for things to be repeated, etc.)
  • Visual processing (ex. Poor sense of direction, difficulty using a map, difficulty interpreting charts/graphs, etc.)


The key is that individuals with LD have difficulty in one or more of these areas despite being capable of learning with the right support and accommodations.

LD Assessment at Saddleback

Our Learning Disabilities Specialists can meet with students who have no history of LD services, but are having learning difficulties, to help discover the nature and possible causes of their academic struggles. If we determine that a learning disability evaluation might be helpful and is appropriate for a student, then we can provide a free assessment. All meetings and results are confidential. Based on assessment results, students may qualify for individualized accommodations such as additional time on tests, priority registration, note-taking accommodations, audio textbooks, and many others.

The Process:

  1. Eligibility:
    • You must be currently enrolled in at least one course at Saddleback College.
  2. Complete an application for DSPS services:
    • Apply for DSPS by using our online application or complete a paper copy at our front desk in Gateway #161.

Process for Students with Prior LD Documentation

Students who have documentation to verify that they have been previously diagnosed with a learning disability, or have received LD-related services in high school with an IEP or 504 plan, are eligible for accommodations here at Saddleback. If you already have documentation of a learning disability, please complete these steps to receive services:

  1. Submit Application:
  2. Provide Documentation:
    • When applying, you will need to provide your existing documents that verify your learning disability. These can be uploaded directly into the online application (most convenient and secure option), or alternatively can be dropped off at our office, emailed, faxed, or mailed.
    • The most common LD documentation is a Triennial Psychoeducational Assessment Report or Multi-disciplinary Assessment Report from a high school, LD Eligibility documentation from another community college, or a Psychoeducational or Neuropsychological Assessment Report from a private practitioner such as a Clinical Psychologist or other licensed clinician. IEPs and 504 plans also contain helpful information.
    • LD documentation should ideally: 
      • Be recent enough to reflect your present experience and skill levels
      • Include cognitive and achievement test results with scores
      • Provide data that supports requested accommodations
    • Students with learning disabilities may be made eligible for accommodations at Saddleback DSPS despite their documentation being limited or out of a typical range of recency. In these cases, students should explore with an LD Specialist the option of updating their documentation for the purposes of qualifying for accommodations at transfer universities or on high stakes testing such as graduate entry or licensure exams. Each institution and testing agency maintains its own documentation guidelines and requirements. LD Specialists can provide free updated LD assessment for students if needed and determined appropriate. 
    • Once your documents have been reviewed, someone from our office will contact you to make an appointment to meet with an LD Specialist.