It’s demanding enough to be in college and have the day-to-day stressful routine of work and endless studying. Numerous U students are living with a disability not always visible to the eye.
The Center for Disability Services provides accommodations to 1,000 students, said Scott McAward, director of the center.
“The most common barrier seen at the Center for Disability Services is psychological,” McAward said. Of the 1,000 students taking advantage of the center’s services, 28 percent have a psychological disability, which can vary from suffering from depression, to living with bipolar or anxiety disorders.
Students with learning disabilities comprise 19.5 percent of the students at the center. The number of students with attention deficit disorders is the third-largest group, at 18.1 percent.
Accommodation for each proven disability is provided free of cost by the U, and a compensation for the limitation and barrier of each disability is found.
A definite benefit for students who require additional adjustments in a classroom setting is that no more personal disability information will be disclosed to the professor than the individual is comfortable with.
The American Disabilities Act, a civil rights act, is used by the U to protect individuals but not to the extent that academics and college work is made easier, as is the case in secondary schools to enable graduation despite disabilities.
“The services we offer for students are to ensure that the student’s barrier through the disability is removed and the playing field is leveled,” McAward said.
These accommodations include interpreters for students who are hearing-impaired, software that can convert required textbook readings into audio tapes for the blind and moving classrooms to more accessible areas in a building.
A situation for the administration, as well as students in need of assistance, is how to address the problem beyond the center. It shows impressive strength and willpower to attend college despite having psychological or physical challenges.
According to information provided online through the CDS, there are several scholarships available to about a dozen students through the center, which support 1.2 percent of students with proven disabilities. Beyond paying tuition, these students need to update the documentation on their disability every three years in order to receive help from the U. The documentation process can be very expensive in terms of running the testing and receiving a diagnosis.
Although the CDS offers advisement and accommodation for current students, more scholarships are needed for prospective as well as current students with disabilities to encourage them to enroll in college classes, and not to shy away from continuing their education at our campus.
Emily Rodriguez-Vargas