Shannon
Hutcherson
Yeardisc editor
Southeastern Oklahoma State University cares about its students.
No matter the physical or psychology limitation, Southeastern will provide for its students a quality and accessible education to provide greater opportunities for a better future.
One of the ways that Southeastern offers help to students is through compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and by offering accommodation to students who need it.
Not only because it is the law, but also because it is an ethical and moral obligation that I believe they are proud to uphold.
If you have spent any amount of time on campus in the past year, you may have noticed construction taking place on campus. This is all part of the campus’s goal of being ADA compliant.
Sidewalks and handrails around the Morrison Building have been upgraded on the loop. A wheelchair ramp has been added behind the Fine Arts Building leading from the parking lot. This is in addition to handicap parking spots that were added to help facilitate accessibility to buildings that are located on the loop.
The new Center of Academic Success is also nearing completion with the addition of an elevator and stairwell that will lead down to the location that will soon house the Learning Center, bringing an old building on campus up to date and in compliance with ADA policy.
These are some great upgrades that will help improve the campus’s accessibility and will also improve students’ ability to access educational opportunities.
Southeastern is also hiring a fulltime student disability services coordinator to work with students who need special accommodations. Director of Student Support Services Susan Dodson is temporarily filling in until a new disability services coordinator is hired.
After spending almost four years at Southeastern, I have noticed many students who use special accommodations provided by Student Support Services and Disability Services, which are housed in the same location on the second floor of the Glen D. Johnson Student Union.
Student Support Services and Disability Services are programs that every student at Southeastern needs to know about. The programs exist to help disadvantaged students meet their educational goals.
Student Support Services is a support department here at Southeastern that is part of a national endeavor and is a federally funded TRIO program.
The Office of Disability Services, which is located within the same space as Student Support Services, has a similar purpose. The purpose of this office and the coordinator is to ensure that the campus complies with the standards set by the ADA, and according to Dodson, “We work very hard to make sure that every student with a documented disability is given the accommodations that are reasonable.”
Disability Services and Student Support Services differ in mission. Disability Services is more about national compliance with the ADA and providing reasonable access to individuals with disabilities. Student Support Services has is more focused on increasing the retention of students from low-income, first-generation college students, who may or may not have a disability and need accommodations.
According to Dodson, “we work very hard to make sure that every student” who qualifies to use our services, whether they have financial, psychological or physical issues, has the support they need to improve their “academic performance and retention.”
According to Dodson, “If a student has a documented disability, then we discuss what the functional limitations are of the disability.”
Dodson explained that there a variety of different accommodations that a student may qualify for and these include the use of technology to improve performance, relaxed attendance in order to accommodate medical appointments and testing accommodations.
One of the more common accommodations that take place that I have seen are classes where students have taken their tests in the Student Support Services office in order to accommodate a learning disability. This has allowed these students more time than the time allotted within a class period. Most if not all of us students have had a classmate use this service.
This sometimes means moving classes around to gain accessibility or providing an interpreter to help with language barriers.
When it comes to limitations on campus, Dodson said that “we have some older buildings that may not be 100 percent accessible, so that is why we move classrooms, arrange for parking, etc., but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are out of compliance. As long as we are able to make accommodations, then we are in compliance”
The campus is constantly improving and that there “is always room for improvement but we have made some tremendous progress in the last four to five years. Parking and sidewalks are continually improving for those with accessibility issues.”
I love that Southeastern goes beyond the basics in providing services to students in need of assistance and that Student Support Services and Disability Services are willing to work with every student who qualifies.
As a current student and future alumnus of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, it makes me feel proud to be a part of a campus that does everything in their power to offer an accessible education to all students equally.