Video by Hope Daluisio and Chris Fonte
Students who need a helping hand in their studies or have been experiencing a struggle throughout their academic career can find the help they need on campus inside the Disability Resource Center (DRC) located in Founders Hall rooms 93-99. The staff works to, “offer support and appropriate accommodations to qualified students with disabilities.” Director of the Disability Resource Center and Center for Student Success Kathleen M. Johnson explains the full purpose of the department and its qualifications to obtain the VISA.
“The Disability Resource Center is here for any accepted Cabrini students who would wish to receive accommodations or services because of a documented disability,” she said. “Once a student is admitted, if they wish to come see me to discuss what their needs are I can then get them registered to receive accommodations and services.”
Students who are in need of accommodations have disabilities that limit one or more major life activities such as walking seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. The DRC serves as a personal academic supporter and allows accommodations in class such as extended test taking time and lecture recordings.
“The DRC is very helpful for our students, it provides another level of support for them. Students are coming to Cabrini with various types of disabilities, let’s say physical disabilities, hearing and visual impairments, learning disabilities and psychological disabilities,” Johnson said. “I meet with them to talk about what barriers they’re facing as they learn or in testing, the DRC more or less levels the playing field for these students by giving them the ability to learn and to test in a way that it matches their disability.”
Although the learning specialist is available to give the students accommodations, Cabrini is not required to make modifications that would alter any essential elements to the curriculum.
There are over 200 students on Cabrini University’s campus that have an accommodation letter called a VISA, Verified Individualized Services Accommodation. Not all 200+ students use the VISA.
“Not every student utilizes our office beyond giving the accommodation letter to their professors,” she said. “I would roughly say of the 200+ students about 60% of the students actively use our services either for learning support or our testing room where students can take tests which is utilized very often during the course of the year.”
In order to obtain the VISA in the DRC one would have to have a documented disability that shows you are in need of an accommodation.
“The DRC is only for students who choose to disclose that they have a documented disability, once done that I read their documentation and then provide the accommodations. But, if a Cabrini student feels that they have concern for example if they’re struggling with reading, difficulty focusing and have never been diagnosed with anything I can refer them to different professional resources to get tested so that we can move forward with the accommodation process for them,” she said. “The students are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act which is a civil rights law that protects them from many discriminations. These accommodations follow them into law and medical schools as well.”
If the student decides to further their education through graduate school the VISA follows them into graduate school.
VISA’s are confidential so only the student receiving the accommodation and the staff member giving the student the accommodation will know, the professor may know only at the discretion of the student. Although the VISA is confidential, some students do not see their disability accommodations as insecurities and can express themselves as different.
Brian Rahamma, a senior, tells the student’s perspectives of being involved with the DRC and having a VISA. “The DRC helps me because I struggle taking notes because I don’t take the right notes sometimes and I struggle with tests.”
To accommodate him and his struggles the DRC allows him to have extended test taking time or a more quiet place to take the test and if needed, a designated note taker.
“It feels more helpful for me to have that support than if I went to another university where they don’t have a DRC,” he said.
Some students are open and comfortable about their disabilities like Brian while others are not.
“Insecurities depends on the background they’re coming from, like with me it’s open but some people might not want others to know so you can tell people or you don’t and the only people that will know are the faculty and the professors that you have,” he said.
If anyone feels as if they’re in need of assistance with their studies or want to be diagnosed because they feel as if they may have a disability that they do not know about contact the Disability Resource Center. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday the DRC is open from 8:30a.m.-4:30p.m. and on Wednesday 8:30a.m.-7:00p.m., also one can contact the director Kathleen Johnson and the Coordinators Kathleen Maxson and Carla Vastine for appointments.
