Accommodations: Making college success achievable

In an effort to bring about awareness and celebrate differences, Kirkwood Community College’s Accommodations staff are hosting events for Worldwide Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Although this year the official Neurodiversity Celebration Week takes place during spring break, a slightly postponed celebration will happen the week of March 24-28. 

Accommodations staff are hoping to create a sense of belonging and inclusion across campus as well as challenging misconceptions and stigma around neurodivergence while embracing and empowering the differences in peoples’ minds and how they work.  

Events include a showcase of art created by neurodiverse students, which will be visible in a display case on the second floor of Iowa Hall near the Information Desk. Artwork can include any form of artwork, from prints, photographs and drawings to written work such as poetry. Pieces can be submitted for consideration to the Dean of Students office until March 19. On March 25, from 11:15 to 1:15 p.m, there will be a Neurodiversity Trivia Event in Iowa Hall. On March 26 there will be a DIY Neurodiversity Sticker Coloring Event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second floor of Iowa Hall near the Multicultural and Pride Lounges. 

The college’s efforts extend beyond raising awareness by offering accommodation services. The U.S. Department of Labor defines a reasonable accommodation as “a modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done during the hiring process.” However, at Kirkwood Community College, like many institutions, making reasonable accommodations isn’t just limited to employees. Accommodations such as flexible attendance, using technology to assist in note-taking, and access to lecture notes and slideshows are some of the many adjustments and resources available to students depending on the nature of their disability or disabilities. 

Amanda Thompson, a supervisor at the Accommodation Services & Autism Support branch of Student Services, offered insight into the purpose of accommodations and how to access accommodations at Kirkwood. 

For a student to qualify for accommodations, the individual must identify as a person with a disability, highlighting that according to the Americans With Disabilities Act, “an individual with a disability is impacted in one or more major life activities.” 

If a student’s disability impacts their ability to learn in the classroom, Accommodations staff are here to support them and help ensure they have access to the resources available to them. 

Types of disabilities that may qualify a student for their services, including but not limited to physical disabilities, learning disabilities like dyslexia or dyscalculia, ADHD, autism and other mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and PTSD, and chronic health conditions, but their support isn’t limited to students with chronic conditions. Students experiencing an injury such as a broken arm can also reach out to establish temporary accommodations.  

Thompson stressed that documentation should not be a barrier for students seeking support. She encourages students who may be in the process of getting evaluated for a disability, interested in finding out their support options, or curious about the process to reach out to an accommodations access advocate to see what they can do for the student. 

All students must go through an application process that includes completing a form online and providing relevant documentation to receive accommodations. Students meet with an Accommodations Access Advocate to further establish their accommodations. Thompson emphasized the importance of starting as early as possible as the application process takes the longest.  

Accommodations can be implemented at any point in the school year but do not retroactively apply to assignments or completed class time. Students are required to renew their accommodations every semester and can renew accommodations online or in a meeting with their advocate. 

Thompson wants students to know that she and the other Accommodations Access Advocates, Krystyna Kaminski, Linley Heath and Sarah Lam, are here for them, and by working together with students they can help ensure success inside the classroom.