Disability Resource Center offers help, tools
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) provides services to students who have disabilities, while informing faculty and staff about assisting such students.
There are a variety of disabilities for which the DRC provides assistance and support. Students with learning disabilities, vision impairments, traumatic brain injuries, medical/chronic health-related impairments, psychological disabilities, mobility impairments and hearing impairments can receive assistance.
The DRC serves more than 600 students each year with these academic concerns.
According to the Guidelines and Recommendations pamphlet, “Students who are seeking support from the Utah State University DRC on the basis of diagnosed, specific learning disabilities are required to submit documentation to verify eligibility.”
Diane Hardman, director of DRC, said according to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, all students who receive help are required to present medical documentation to confirm their individual needs.
This information is used to determine which services and accommodations are provided for the student, which may vary depending on the nature and purpose of the course.
All information received is confidential and held separate from any academic records.
If the student feels an accommodation is unreasonable or compromises the integrity of the course, he is to contact the DRC prior to denying the request. The accommodations are not intended to lower academic standards.
“We have around 25 students that read for us right now, and every year we take about 20 to 30 thousand notes. We are always looking for volunteers to help take notes. Last year we had around 290 volunteers,” she said.
According to a DRC handout, students are encouraged to request accommodations early in the semester, although a qualified student cannot be denied an accommodation if he asks at any point in the semester.
DRC services include note-taking assistance, sign-language interpreters, accommodated testing, equipment loan, scholarship program, advocacy, study skills and transition programs, an assistive technology laboratory, and taped, electronic-format print materials.
Edward Needham, a junior pre-musical therapy major, said, “I am a little bit slower on taking tests, and so I come here [DRC] and take the test. I am allowed double time here.
“I had to talk to Diane and get permission. She signed the papers that I brought in, and then I had to take it to all of my teachers and they had to sign, as well,” he said.
Ulivia Guadarrama, a freshman sociology major who is visually impaired, said, “I don’t like it when I am sent to multiple places when trying to find things and people.”
Justin Robinson, a USU studentNews Ed 10/27/02 , has Graves’ disease, a thyroid disease that doesn’t allow him to handle stress well and, therefore, causes him to get bad migraines.
“They [DRC] seemed really concerned with making it equal for us. I think that a lot of people take advantage of it, though,” he said.
Elizabeth Merkley, a junior studying family and human development who suffered from a traumatic brain injury, said, “They [DRC] help me get my notes and have time to take tests. They help me find tutors and courses that are coalescent with my learning needs. I am really glad that we have a Disability Resource Center.”
The Disability Resource Center is located below the University Inn, Room 101. Its Web site is www.usu.edu/drc.
-stacipete@cc.usu.edu