The Office of Student Accessibility Services provides academic accommodations that are critical to ensuring the success and well-being of Southeastern’s students with diverse abilities and needs.
Student Accessibility Services ensures students with disabilities receive proper accommodations that assist them in participating in all university activities, programs and services.
Kim Bergeron, director of Student Accessibility Services, helps students create personalized accommodation plans.
“Our office’s main goal is to provide accommodations to students who have a registered disability on campus, primarily academic accommodations in the classroom,” Bergeron explained.
Some accommodations provided by the department are: priority seating, priority registration, low-distraction testing environments, peer notetakers or instructor’s notes and extended time on tests and in-class assignments. Student Accessibility Services also assists students with physical disabilities by ensuring that campus locations are accessible and by advocating for students with physical needs.
In order to receive services from the Office of Student Accessibility Services, students must self-identify with the office.
“Through the ADA law, Americans with Disabilities Act,” Bergeron said, “it requires students to self-identify. To come to us and say: I have a disability.”
Bergeron works in tandem with her staff to ensure students are given proper accommodations on campus.
Currently the office’s graduate assistant, Jadi Foster, a first-year graduate psychology student, offers academic coaching services. These services are used to check in with the well-being of students on a weekly basis.
“I am so thankful I get the opportunity to do academic coaching for the Office of Student Accessibility Services because I get to see, first hand, students not only improve, but succeed since they are getting the encouragement and help that they need,” Foster explained.
Additionally, Bergeron said she shared future plans for the office that she hopes to implement. “Gleam,” a note taking software, is an application that the office is hoping to be able to purchase for its registered students in the near future. The office also has goals to utilize the lab next door to their location, planning to transform it into an adaptive computer lab with accessibility features. These plans, according to Bergeron, are in early development stages.
Feedback surveys for students and faculty are available on the Student Accessibility Services website. Students registered with the office can expect surveys to be emailed to them directly as well.
The Student Accessibility Services’ Instagram offers useful information for students looking to learn more about inclusivity campaigns and organizations nationwide, as well as academic tips and resources for students.
Students can reach out to the Office of Student Accessibility Services by email or drop by its office at Tinsley Hall room 102 with any questions or concerns they may have. Requests for accommodations can be made at any time during the semester.
The Office of Student Accessibility Services provides students with academic accommodations to make campus a welcoming environment for all.
“We want to include everyone,” Bergeron said. “It’s our goal to make you feel included, you matter here. We want to bring you to a level playing field with your peers. We want to do anything we can so that everything is fair to you. That’s what you deserve as a student.”
