The number of students who are permanently registered with the University's Office of Disability Services has increased by 80 percent between 2011 and 2015, a growth that mirrors a national trend, according to Associate Director of the Office of Disability Services Elizabeth Erickson.
Particularly, in the 2013-14 academic year, the ODS registered and accommodated the largest number of students with sensory, mobility and diagnosed psychological disabilities, she added.
Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Michele Minter noted when she first arrived at the University in 2011 that most of the accommodations provided by the ODS tended to be focused on students with learning disabilities.
“Since then, we have seen an increase in the number of students requesting accommodations related to psychological disabilities, and we are very glad that those students are finding their way to the office so that they can be accommodated,” she said.
Subsequently, Minter explained that the primary challenges of the ODS since its establishment in the fall of 2006 have come with the expansion and the transforming nature of accommodation requests.
Providing Academic and Recreational Support
Minter noted that when requesting an accommodation, students go through an “interactive process” in which they submit documentation related to their disability and then work with staff and outside clinicians to review and determine appropriate options.
Sofia Gallo ’17, who is visually impaired, said that the office asks students what accommodations they have had in the past. The University then provides comparable accommodations, she explained.
“I get extra time on exams and I get my class materials in an alternative format, usually electronically,” she said.
She added that math-centric classes such as statistics are particularly challenging because math, unlike most reading-heavy subjects, does not translate properly if it is simply scanned and then put into a text file.
“They had to get the book in braille, instead of just scanning a regular book, and they hired someone to take an extra set of notes for me and also someone to go over the material with me if I needed it, since it was more of a visual thing,” she explained.
Gallo added that the ODS was also able to help her with a linguistics class by working with the professor to interpret symbols that were impossible for her to read.
“They just made the class work without actually changing the content of the class or the requirements of the class,” she said.
Colin Lualdi ’17, a Deaf student working with the ODS, said that the office helps him by providing American Sign Language interpreting services, arranging for note-takers, advising professors regarding having a deaf student in class and working with other organizations on campus like McCarter Theatre to ensure that University events are accessible for him.
“They are a very dedicated office — they truly care about the students that they help and do everything they can to make our experiences positive,” he said in a typed interview with the Daily Princetonian.
He added that the ODS created a website for him to enter interpreter requests whenever he needs.
“With this system, my requests are made instantaneously and may be filled as quickly as one day, depending on urgency. This privilege is unusual, and I value it greatly,” he noted. “I have heard from some Deaf friends who are studying at other universities that at least a week's notice is required when requesting interpreters, and sometimes more. I have also heard that they may only request interpreters for academic events.”
Lualdi added that the ODS has exceeded his expectations with programs like Communication Access Real-time Translation and interpreter services. He explained that with CART, he is assigned a stenographer who hears and types out information in real time on a special keyboard. The text then shows up as a live feed on his computer screen.
Lualdi explained that in the upcoming semester, he will start using CART services along with interpreters from the past two years to aid with math and physics courses of increasing difficulty.
"I started to realize that I'm missing very important information during lectures, even though the interpreters are incredibly skilled and dedicated. The translation process is inherently challenging for both the interpreters and me. I was certainly able to manage, but the overall process was having a negative impact on my learning experience," he added.
Gallo said that because she does not typically go off campus, an ODS staff member went to Labyrinth Books with her to buy a book she had forgotten for a class. She added that the person also scanned the book for her on the same day because she needed it urgently.
“That was really impressive, because first of all, it was my fault and I don’t know why I did that, but it happened. They helped me work it out really quickly and went above and beyond to get the problem solved,” she said.
Increasing Campus Awareness
According to Erickson, the ODS aims to increase disability awareness on campus through partnerships across the institution. These include a writing seminar titled WRI 182: Disability and Difference and student-led initiatives like the Princeton Disabilities Awareness Group.
While multiple groups on campus focus on fostering student interest in disabilities, these groups operate independently from each other, Erickson explained.
“One of the goals that I have is for ODS to be a central point to connect the dots of interest on campus so that these different groups can share their interests and support each other,” she noted, adding that in the past three years, the office has become more widely known on campus and more students have become aware they can go to the office if they need support or accommodation.
“Perhaps the biggest change over time on campus is greater general awareness of disabilities and more people who are attentive to saying, ‘If I notice a student who seems to be struggling in some way, I could at least make sure they have this information and consider working with the ODS,’” Minter said.
Minter added that students’ own willingness to self-identify as having disabilities has been critical to the spread of awareness.
“I think culturally, there has been a real evolution over time. And I give credit to the USG with their Mental Health Week and with some of the focus they’ve brought on disabilities, which I think has helped to make the student body more aware of students with disabilities,” Minter noted.
Similarly, Lualdi noted that student awareness of Deaf culture has increased since his freshman year.
“It's rewarding to see the growth that has occurred since I first arrived at Princeton,” he explained. “At the start of my freshman year there was absolutely nothing, but I met some great people who were very supportive, and we worked together to raise more awareness of ASL and Deaf culture within the campus community. The best part is that now I'm starting to see other people taking matters into their own hands and working to continue this transformation on their own, even without my involvement.”
Moving Forward
As a part of campus planning in coordination with the Office of Design and Construction, the University is working to identify buildings which should be made more accessible to students with disabilities over time, noted Minter.
“All new buildings are made accessible, and then there’s a process of going back and retrofitting older buildings that are less accessible,” Minter said. Murray-Dodge Hall, for example, will be given elevator installations in the course of renovation.
According to Erickson, the ODS is also in the process of creating a conversation space for students interested in disability awareness.
“We’re hoping that in that space and in those conversations we can also draw on the experience of our alumni to come in and talk with our students about experiences they’ve had as individuals with disabilities maybe while they were at Princeton but also as they’ve moved to the workforce,” Erickson said.
Nonetheless, with increasing needs and diversifying programs, the ODS remains one of the smallest offices in the University, staffed only by two full-time employees who handle all accommodation requests, according to Erickson.
“They are very busy — they even work on the weekends,” Lualdi said, “it's important and wise for the University to invest more resources into the ODS to help it increase its bandwidth.”
The ODS would always welcome more student volunteers committed to spreading disability awareness, Erickson added.Read More
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