- How does Missouri State assist students that have a disability?
- Missouri State recognizes disability as diversity, and is continuing to work towards proactive inclusion of people with disabilities. This is through various campus improvement projects, training’s of faculty and staff, initiatives through President’s Council on Accessibility, and by utilizing the Disability Resource Center for student accommodations related to academics, housing, and their activities.
- Missouri State recognizes disability as diversity, and is continuing to work towards proactive inclusion of people with disabilities. This is through various campus improvement projects, training’s of faculty and staff, initiatives through President’s Council on Accessibility, and by utilizing the Disability Resource Center for student accommodations related to academics, housing, and their activities.
- What is the Disability Resource Center?
- The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the office that works with students with disabilities to ensure reasonable accommodations for their academics, housing, and activities. They provide ongoing support to students, as well as faculty and staff in the implementation of these accommodations. The DRC also creates awareness programming, training opportunities, and presentations to increase knowledge and inclusion of people with disabilities on campus.
- My student is afraid people will find out they have a disability if they see them visit your office, what can they do to get help?
- Receiving accommodations is different in college versus high school! Students with disabilities are like any other student on campus, protected under FERPA. We want you to be in control of your story. When you disclose your disability to the DRC, they do not share diagnosis information with others unless they feel it is absolutely necessary. For example, if you have a peanut allergy, that may be hard to not disclose that to an instructor if we are trying to protect you from an allergic reaction. We will usually contact you for permission to talk about your disability, or ask you to be involved in the conversation with us if we feel talking about your diagnosis is necessary. Instructors will know about your accommodations through an accommodation memo that you deliver. You can pick and choose which accommodations to use and what classes to use them in. Your accommodation memo states nothing about your disability, just your accommodations. However, we hope that you do feel comfortable to discuss your disability with instructors and others. There is an expectation that what information you provide your instructor that they keep that as private as possible. If you don’t want to discuss your disability with them, then that is your right and only need to talk about accommodations.
- How accessible is the Missouri State campus?
- We have heard positive comments regarding accessibility of campus, specifically with wheelchair users and the amount of sidewalk we have. It doesn’t mean we are perfect, but we continue to make improvements to campus, including increased number of accessible spaces, repair of landscaping and sidewalks, and other various projects. The DRC also has a “Report of Barrier” form on their website to report any barriers a person with a disability might run into on campus. The DRC will take this information to address with stakeholders responsible and take action to get the barrier resolved.
- If my student needs more on tests, where do they get that help?
- They will want to go to the Disability Resource Center website and complete the request for accommodations form. It is a simple form to ask about their disability and the impacts related, and the accommodations being requested. Once submitted, an appointment will be scheduled with an Access Advisor to discuss these requests and determine reasonable accommodations to ensure access in class. An accommodation memo is created for the student to access, and they will be able to deliver this memo and discuss with the instructor the accommodations to be implemented. The instructor can implement the exam accommodations or ask the student to take it at the Testing Center. If the student is asked to take it at the Testing Center, they will need to make sure and submit their exam request with at least one week’s notice so that they will have proper time to prepare for the exam.
- What is the process for getting help from the Disability Resource Center?
- They will want to go to the Disability Resource Center website and complete the request for accommodations form. It is a simple form to ask about their disability and the impacts related, and the accommodations being requested. Once submitted, an appointment will be scheduled with an Access Advisor to discuss these requests and determine reasonable accommodations to ensure access in class. An accommodation memo is created for the student to access, and they will be able to deliver this memo and discuss with the instructor the accommodations to be implemented.
- What other resources do you have for students?
- Within the DRC, we have the Access Technology Center, which provides assistive technology and converts materials into alternative formats for students with disabilities. If a student is determined by the DRC to qualify for accommodations related to the ATC, they will provide a referral to consult with them about their needs.
- The DRC also may provide referrals for students to the Learning Diagnostic Clinic (LDC). The LDC has a program for students with disabilities called Project Success. This is a fee based program that provides support beyond accommodations. This program provides you weekly appointments to consult on items you would like to work on. Perhaps it’s study skills, time management, creating a calendar, etc. Tutoring may also be included depending on your needs. The LDC also has an evaluation program to help determine if someone has a psychological or learning disability. There are fees for this for evaluation, but is typically less expensive than most in the community. It can also be charged to the student’s account.