College students who are disabled often require special accommodations in order to get through their coursework in the pursuit of a degree. It seems like a given that they’d receive those accommodations.
And they do, if they have the proper documentation. Normally that means assessment testing from a specialist in the field of their disability, which can be an expensive process.
(Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)
“It’s very rarely covered by insurance. It’s a big chunk of change for students going to school,” said Sarah Brunet, assistant coordinator of disability services at Pasco-Hernando State College. That chunk of change can run several hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
That’s why PHSC established Access to Success, a grant program that provides assistance to students with disabilities who have trouble paying for their assessment testing, which is required under the Americans With Disabilities Act. And with a growing disabled student population, the department is trying a new fundraiser to provide resources for that grant.
Their Run, Walk, Roll 5K will take place April 26 at the college’s Porter Campus, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. They’re hoping for 100 participants in its first year, and the money raised will make a big difference to disabled students trying to further their college career.
“This gives them those accommodations to kind of level the playing field, to be as successful as their peers would be,” Brunet explained. The accommodations are specific to the disability, such as large-print course materials for the visually-impaired, an FM transmitter for the hearing-impaired, or a quiet environment and/or more time to take a test.
But class and graduation requirements don’t change. Disabled students need to complete their coursework like anyone else. The accommodations simply allow them to do so without their disability getting in the way of a diploma.
Without those accommodations, or the required assessment testing that allows them, students with disabilities face a tougher challenge. And it’s one they might not be able to overcome.
Access to Success has already helped a handful of students with their assessment testing, Brunet said, but there weren’t enough funds to help everybody. And unlike high school, college students have to take a more hands-on approach to getting special accommodations. And while there are community programs to help with testing, if they don’t qualify for them and there are no funds available in the grant, they have to then find a way to pay for it. Or, they’ll have to do their best without them and hope it’s enough.
One of the frustrating parts of her job, Brunet explained, is not being able to help everyone, knowing it can have an effect on their future.
“It makes you wonder, what happens to that student? I wonder if they were able to get through that class or finish up,” she said.
The Office of Disabilities Services hopes to make the 5K an annual event, and keep funds in the grant’s coffers. The college already has hundreds of students with disabilities on its rolls, and will add more as enrollment continues to grow. Brunet hopes the assessment testing assistance provided by Access to Success can have a positive impact on their academic career.
“It can make the difference of them graduating, to be able to complete a class,” Brunet said. “It can make the ultimate difference in what their career path is going to be.”
The Run, Walk, Roll 5K starts at 8 a.m., with a one-mile Fun Run starting at 8:45 a.m. The cost for the 5K race is $25, or $15 for PHSC students. The Fun Run cost is $15. For more information, call (727) 816-3473.
Published April 15, 2015
