Disability accommodation is an important aspect of GCSU campus services that strives to create a welcoming and equitable living experience for students with varying needs. There have been many questions raised across campus in regards to what accommodations look like, what programs are offered and how GCSU is constantly improving accommodations for the welfare of disabled students.
According to Jennifer Graham, associate dean of students for student integrity and success and David Anderson, director of the Student Disability and Resource Center, Accommodations at GCSU are personalized, determined on a case-by-case basis. The SDRC website lists many important accommodations for students to explore.
Students who need support in note-taking can receive notes from a willing student taking the same class. In most cases, when this accommodation is needed, an email will be sent to students taking the same class, offering volunteer note-taking as an option for gaining community service hours.
The SDRC also gives students access to digital recording devices and assistance with digitally-formatted textbook materials. If necessary, there are also coaching sessions offered on skills such as time management and organization for students registered with the SDRC.
Students with food-related disabilities have access to meetings with the chef in the Maxwell Student Union dining hall in order to create food-based accommodations.
One place that is open to all students is the Serenity Den, located on the first floor of the Student Activity Center or right below the Magnolia Ballroom. This room offers a sensory-friendly environment on campus with lounge space, dim lighting, herbal teas and sensory activities.
Service animals are also registered through the SDRC and are usually in the form of a specially-trained dog. However, according to Graham and Anderson, miniature horses are also an acceptable service animal under certain conditions under a separate American Disability Association provision.
Entities covered by the ADA must modify policies to permit miniature horses as service animals where reasonable. The reasonability of miniature horses within facilities depends on four factors: whether or not the horse is house-broken, under the control of its owner, can be effectively accommodated by the facility and that the horse will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for operation.
According to Graham, in addition to these accommodations, the SDRC is in the process of developing outreach services such as the “Speaker’s Bureau,” which will consist of students who wish to educate the campus community about the SDRC.
For students requiring physical assistance with transportation to and from classes, there are several Parking and Transportation sanctioned shuttles and buses that are wheelchair accessible. The Interactive GCSU Campus map found online also displays accessible features across the university, including parking and automatic doors.
While many students have noticed that wheelchair-assist buttons across campus frequently malfunction, specifically those at the main entrance of the Arts & Sciences building and the Maxwell Student Union dining hall, maintenance for these access doors is held as a top priority and the malfunction is responded to quickly.
According to Ben Mason, director of operations & maintenance, most of the issue with inoperable wheel-chair assist buttons has to do with faulty wireless transmitters in the doors.
To address this, GCSU recently invested in an $85,000 program to replace this equipment with hardwired systems with much higher reliability. These new automatic door mechanisms are soon to be installed in the College of Arts & Sciences, Kilpatrick Hall and the Peabody Auditorium.
Any ADA-related maintenance requests the school receives are automatically elevated in priority, and the maintenance team itself is continually looking for ways to improve its success with these orders. Mason welcomes any suggestions in helping his team best accommodate mobility-impaired individuals on campus.
“The more our maintenance staff knows about how to assist students, the better — and faster — our service will be,” Mason said.
According to Frank Baugh, assistant vice president for facilities management, GCSU requested around $555,000 in facility improvements for consideration in the statewide ADA Facilities Improvement Program Capital Budget last summer.
“These included a new lift to the Herty Hall observatory — which will be incorporated into the building’s larger renovation — and a request for audible pedestrian systems at all intersections on main campus,” Baugh said. “Unfortunately, these requests were not approved, but we’re continuing to look for opportunities to improve accessibility.”
GCSU’s ability to accommodate disability to a certain extent often hinges on whether or not the state decides to fund certain projects. Though this is a hindrance, GCSU is dedicated to doing whatever it can to make the campus more accessible to all.