{"171661":{"#nid":"171661","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Students Use Disability Services with Increasing Frequency","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs the Institute\u2019s student population grows, the use of its student services grows also. But one area of growth that has outpaced enrollment is the number of students registered with the Office of Disability Services.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENormally, the summer months provide a lull in activity for the office, but this summer, the lull never came. When Denise Johnson-Marshall, assistant dean and director of Disability Services, arrived at Tech 10 years ago, 184 students were registered with the office, or about 1 percent. This year, it\u2019s 565, nearly 3 percent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou can guess about 10 percent of any population has some sort of disability, so we are low on that scale, but high for us,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe office serves students with needs both mental and physical, temporary and permanent. Most students served have some kind of ADD or ADHD, but Johnson-Marshall has also seen more chronic health-related illnesses such as autoimmune diseases, as well as psychological disorders and Asperger\u2019s.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe increased use of Disability Services likely has numerous causes. The office has boosted its outreach to new students by holding open houses at FASET orientation, and faculty members are more frequently referring students. Johnson-Marshall has also seen enhanced communication with high school counselors trying to improve the process of transitioning students who were aware of their disabilities in high school.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMost students have an inkling that something is going on before they get to college, though some needs do emerge or manifest once they\u2019re here,\u201d she said. Disability Services works with the Counseling Center to screen and assess students when they apply for services if they have not been previously diagnosed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven with the increase, Johnson-Marshall hopes more students will continue to register. The competitive environment of both Georgia Tech and the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, however, may hinder some students from freely admitting their needs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want students to be judged by what they can do, not what they can\u2019t. I\u2019d rather see them fail because they didn\u2019t study than because they didn\u2019t have an accommodation they needed.\u201d Accommodations could include a few extra minutes to take an exam or a testing location other than the regular classroom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the realm of physical assistance, Disability Services helps coordinate resources for students to overcome physical limitations, whether they\u2019re permanent or caused by a stint on crutches. The turnaround time for receiving temporary services is about 48 hours after applying. For longer-term needs, both mental and physical, applications are processed in about 15 business days.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents who don\u2019t need the resources of Disability Services could consider becoming employees. The office, which is part of the Division of Student Affairs, hires more than 130 students each semester to serve as note takers for students with disabilities. Prospective note takers may \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.adapts.gatech.edu\/plugins\/notes\/taker\/taker_signup.php\u0022\u003Eapply online\u003C\/a\u003E at the beginning of each semester.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOne area of growth that has outpaced enrollment is the number of students registered with the Office of Disability Services.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"One area of growth that has outpaced enrollment is the number of students registered with the Office of Disability Services."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2012-11-16 16:22:45","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:10","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-11-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/adapts.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of Disability Services"},{"url":"http:\/\/studentaffairs.gatech.edu\/","title":"Division of Student Affairs"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8730","name":"ADAPTS"},{"id":"10907","name":"disability services"},{"id":"1216","name":"Division of Student Affairs"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dmarshall@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDenise Johnson-Marshall\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOffice of Disability Services\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}