By: Candace Caldwell/Contributing Writer
Most people think of disabilities as something that can be seen. That’s true for some conditions, but others, like learning disabilities, aren’t as easy to spot but can still play havoc with a student’s educational experience and career.
Poor performance in academic areas can seem at first to be a lack of effort, but may turn out to be a genuine disability that no amount of effort or work can overcome without help. FIU defines a disability as “a physical or mental condition, which substantially limits one or more major life activities.”
The Center’s Mission Statement says: “The Disability Resource Center’s overarching mission is to provide our students the necessary support to successfully complete their college education while at the same time, promote their independence and self-determination. We advance the expressed choice of our students and seek their full inclusion into the mainstream of university life and into that of the larger society.”
Kathy Trionfo, Associate Director for the BBC Center, said that she wants students to know that the Disability Resource Center can help them to achieve their academic goals by determining how their disability impacts their ability to learn. The Center can then provide accommodating services to overcome the effects of their disability on academics.
Amal Ardito, a BBC senior with a major in Women’s Studies, said, “The DRC cuts through the red tape and serves as a liaison between the University and students with disabilities. Kathy Trionfo is a fierce advocate for us. She overcomes obstacles daily due to her own disability and is an inspiration to me. She makes the Center inviting and helps us get to know each other.”
The services provided by the Center are varied, but include priority and early registration, communication with professors about student’s disabilities and accommodation needs, note takers, sign language interpreters and laboratory and library assistance. Students can also take advantage of special recorded texts and other materials, such as Braille typewriters, print magnifiers, screen readers, electronic readers, smart pens, digital textbooks and reading material and on-campus video relay signing.
Some students require accommodations such as tests administered in a quiet, distraction-free setting. Others require extended test times, or the use of calculators or other aids. If a student receives testing accommodations, they can receive the same for admission placements and other standardized tests. The Center suggests you contact them at least 6 weeks before you will need such accommodations.
Students with disabilities may require course substitutions in order to pass their course of study, and the Center can help facilitate that process. Many students wouldn’t graduate if they weren’t able to get such a waiver. Waivers depend on the nature and extent of the disability and if a great deal of modification must be made to the course of study, may not be possible. Sometimes the process to get a waiver can take several months, so students shouldn’t wait until their last semester to apply for one.
Some persons with disabilities find that they require physical accommodations, such as a different type or size of desk. These requests can be made through the DRC. Students may also make use of Disability parking spaces, which are located in many places throughout campus parking. A valid permanent or temporary Disabled Parking permit must be displayed in the vehicle. If a permit has been applied for but hasn’t been received from the State yet, a temporary permit (1 week) can be obtained from the Disability Resource Center.
Trinofo knows from experience and many years of work in this area that the services the Center offers are valuable and can be the key to overcoming many disability-related academic problems. “Most disability-related problems can be overcome! If you believe you have a disability, come in and talk to us and we can refer you to sources to determine if the disability does exist,” she said.
Unfortunately, budget constraints do not allow payment for such testing at this time. The Center offers scholarships and is involved as community liaisons and advocates for Disabled students.
Students must come in every semester to make use of services because of right-to-privacy issues.
The Disability Resource Center is located in the Biscayne Bay Campus Wolfe University Center, in Room 131. Phone 305 919-5345. Evening appointments can be arranged.
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