There are many reasons why a college student may request and be granted an accommodation. These reasons range from physical disability, such as using a wheelchair or other mobility device or having hearing or vision impairment, to a learning disability, such as dyslexia or ADD, to mental health accommodations, such as those for anxiety or PTSD.
I became the Accommodations and Accessibility Specialist at Victoria College in February 2019, in addition to my role as Instructional Technology Specialist. Before this, I received a small taste of what it is like to receive accommodations in a college course. (Let me note that this did not occur at Victoria College where I work.) In August 2017 I sustained a knee injury. The start date of classes was pushed back at that time due to the hurricane, so I decided that after those few days of rest I could tough it out with a knee brace and crutches and stay enrolled. I had two face-to-face classes and they both happened to be on the third floor of a building that had only barely functioning elevators – and because I worked full time during the day, they were both evening classes so the campus was relatively empty. I was none too happy to discover on the first day of classes that the elevator was broken, and those three flights of stairs were very daunting. Although I didn’t feel that I needed accommodations, my professor encouraged me to request them, mostly in hopes that it would give the university the motivation to keep the elevator in good working order. Imagine my surprise when the Accessibility advisor’s office was on the second floor of the same building – with no working elevator! It was beyond frustrating but I did eventually get several accommodations put in place that allowed me extra time to get to class, the ability to use a e-book in class so I only needed to carry a lightweight tablet, and special seating. They were also very quick to fix that elevator once I complained.
All that being said, I’m lucky that my disability was relatively temporary and most of the people that I met along the way were happy to help and advocate for me. As I began work in my new role, I have learned that not everyone’s experience is as positive as mine was. I have made it my mission to not only help the students that come through our college but to help correct the (unfortunately sometimes valid) stigma that colleges only begrudgingly accommodate individuals with disabilities. In fact, most colleges are happy to make accommodations and work very hard to ensure that we level the playing field without giving an unfair advantage. Part of correcting the stigma becomes actually correcting the problem by helping to educate other Disabilities Offices.
In the media, I actually haven’t found too terribly many people with negative things to say regarding accommodations in college courses. Recently, I had a gut reaction to be upset when I saw this video “The Case Against Assistive Technology” but as I watched it, I realized the title is misleading and that it actually refutes any naysayers regarding assistive tech. However, I would like to change the narrative to shine a more positive, encouraging light and switch from simply showing that colleges are doing what is required by law, to show that colleges are actively working toward inclusivity for individuals with disabilities (and honestly all individuals!)
I couldn’t possibly list all the resources that I use for information about accommodations and assistive technology but I follow numerous listservs, blogs, and publications. Many blogs are run by assistive tech companies so I have to be careful to weed out their biases. WebAIM and CAST are great resources. Educause and AHEAD are also invaluable. In addition, I am currently studying for my IAAP certification using the Deque University self-led curriculum.
