Personal Care Attendant Guidelines

Waubonsee Community College makes every reasonable effort to accommodate students with disabilities in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.  In keeping with this commitment, Personal Care Attendants (PCA’s) may accompany students into classrooms if necessary to assist with the physical or behavioral needs of a student with a disability.

Waubonsee does not provide, train or compensate PCA’s. PCA’s are employed and managed by the student. In an academic setting, it is best practice for the student to hire an impartial PCA rather than a family member or close friend.

Personal Care Attendants assist with non-academic tasks that occur during class.  They help the student with self-management and compliance with classroom expectations such as managing behavior and attention.  They can help the student refrain from disruptive or inappropriate behaviors, and they can redirect a student’s focus back to the class.  They may also perform physical tasks related to the student’s personal care.

Student’s Responsibility:

• Hire PCA’s
• Train PCA’s
• Pay PCA’s as privately agreed upon
• Have a back-up plan in case the regular PCA is unavailable
• Ensure PCA’s are aware of and follow college policies as outlined in the Student Handbook

Personal Care Attendant’s Responsibility:

• Focus attention on the student
• Let the student work independently on assignments, papers, group projects, or any other academic task during class time
• Do not participate in class discussions unless communication facilitation is necessary due to disability
• Do not participate in the testing process.
• Do not rephrase questions for tests or discussions
• Do not disrupt the classroom environment
• Do not discuss the student with faculty, staff, or other students
• Follow the college’s policies as outlined in the Student Handbook