Student fights for learning disabilities resources

Brooke Green, a junior majoring in communication, is urging the university to “step up” and take care of what she considers a taboo minority.

She said learning disabilities are mostly overlooked on campus.

“I have a learning disability. I’ve struggled with it my entire academic career, and I know how painful it can be. I just want the professors to provide the knowledge to students that [Special Services does] exist on this campus,” Green said.

Green went to the ASBSU Senate last Thursday with her complaint. She said she was speaking on behalf of many other students who feel that their disabilities are not fairly recognized, as they are not overtly visible.

“I’ve heard so many horror stories, and lived through a few myself,” Green said.

“Teachers just don’t want to acknowledge the problem. One student told me that a teacher had said they shouldn’t be in school if they can’t write a college paper. We all have the right to be here, and to pursue an education. That teacher should have referred the student to the Student Special Services Office rather than making him feel as if he was wasting his time.”

Green will conduct her senior thesis project on the problem of labeling students with disabilities. She said the issue has become a passion for her since watching her twin sister struggle with disabilities of her own during the last few years.

Green said she is seeking a university-wide change on the syllabus of each course, specifically the freshman and sophomore courses. The change would require that each teacher include a note on the syllabus directing students to the Special Services Office if they think they might have a learning disability.

“I know that some professors may worry that students could use this as an out. Claiming you have a disability and being able to prove it are two completely different things, though,” Green said.

“Testing for disabilities is a long process, and costs anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. It’s not something to be taken lightly, and when students come to professors with the necessary documentation, they are usually taken seriously. The problem is, many students who need the help don’t really know where to look, and it’s those students who drop out because they just can’t cut it.”

Disability Services Coordinator Blaine Eckles said students who register with the office and get properly tested are getting the help they need from professors. He also said that students are usually referred when they discuss problems with professors.

“There are, of course, always areas that need improvement,” Eckles said.

Eckles said there are always students who fall through because they may be too embarrassed to ask for help, or don’t know where to go. He said that information about Student Special Services contained within the class syllabus might be helpful for some students, but he warned that it could create controversy.

“There would be some challenges to requiring an addition to the syllabus for any class. There are so many departments that do benefit services, how can we justify requiring that this one or that one be listed on the syllabus? If we put something like this in, it needs to be very clear,” Eckles said.

Elizabeth Puckett, The Arbiter

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