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St. Cloud State University
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Disabled receive attention
By Regina Eckes
Published:
Monday, October 13, 2003
Over 450 students attending SCSU have a disability and even more disabilities go undocumented. As part of Disability Awareness Month, SCSU, in collaboration with the Disability Awareness Task Force, is focusing on bringing more attention to the needs of those with disabilities.
Some students may not be aware that SCSU has a Student Disability Service (SDS) located in Atwood Memorial Center.
One of the main goals of this service is to make sure students with disabilities are granted the educational access they need to succeed at the university. SDS will take documentation of an individual student's disability, study the situation and decide which programs and services would work best for that individual.
"The student who has a disability does not have to prove it to everybody around town that they have a disability," said the Director of Student Disability Services Owen Zimple. "They just prove it to us and we take that need and make sure they get what they need."
SDS caters to a wide range of student disabilities on campus. Learning disabilities are the most common, followed by attention deficit disorders. The third most common disability on campus is often not what people expect because many cases are hidden, Zimple said.
"Number three surprises people and that's mental illness. We have a lot of students with chronic depression, bi-polar and anxiety disorders," Zimple said. "It used to be a very distant fifth or sixth, and over the last few years has been working its way up to the top."
The particular services provided by SDS depend on each individual case. Priority registration can be offered for students taking specific medications. This allows them to schedule their classes early to help them stay within their medication schedule. Students with ADHD and other attention deficit disorders can spread out their classes, allowing extra time on tests. These students also have the opportunity to take their tests in an area separate from the classroom. Zimple said large class sizes could be difficult for students to focus in and retain necessary information.
Note-takers are available for those who are often distracted in classes or have trouble keeping up with the professor's teaching pace. SCSU also has seven full-time sign language interpreters on campus.
Another important role SDS plays is advocating for students when problems within the educational system arise. Zimple said a lot of faculty training and workshops are done to increase professors' awareness on how to handle situations regarding disabilities. Faculty training sessions will actually begin during the last half of October and carry on through November.
SDS is not the only section of the university that has become involved in Disability Awareness Month.
The Husky hockey teams do their part to help others with disabilities as well. Monday, Oct. 20, Reading Night will be held at the St. Cloud River Regional Library, in which SCSU hockey players and cheerleaders will read books to children with disabilities.
To coordinate such events, central Minnesota has established a Disability Awareness Task Force. It is a volunteer collaboration including SCSU, St. Cloud Disabilities Council and other organization such as YMCA, Catholic Charities, Workforce Centers and their major sponsor, the Initiative Foundation. The Task Force relies heavily on active community members, including participation from SCSU students as well as donations that go toward improving education in the community.
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