Lending a helping hand

Pierce’s special services program gives assistance to those who need it

Beatrice Negulescu / Roundup

The Special Services program, which was established in 1974, is designed to help students with disabilities in their mainstream classes.

The program “has it all.” Located in the Administration Building, it offers students everything from tutoring, writing, reading and spelling classes to disability tests.

“Primarily we are here as a support system for students with disabilities,” said Norman Crozer, director of the Special Services program.

Crozer announced at the Oct. 12 Academic Senate meeting that the Special Services office will be moving to the new Student Services Building today.

Crozer went on to say that once moved into the new building, the department will have more room and will be able to provide other services such as quiet rooms with cameras where students can take the extra time they may need on a test in a monitored environment.

This accommodation makes it easier on professors who may be too busy to stay after class with just one student. It is also beneficial in freeing up the professors’ time for other students who may need it.

Crozer said students who will be offered special accommodations must provide medical proof of their disability. He further clarified how the program works by saying accommodations made for those with disabilities will have limits and that “having a disability does not allow (things such as) disruption of class.”

Students in the Special Services program do not approach the professor to ask for accommodation, but rather the program sets things up and the student’s request must be reasonable based on the disability in question.

Crozer estimates there are about 2,200 students with disabilities on campus, of which around 800 are using the program. He further estimates about 10 percent of the students who should be using the program are not.

Professors are encouraged to recommend the Special Services program to those students who they feel it is appropriate for, but they may not demand that students go through the program.

If a student is not enrolled in the program, it is left at the will of the professor how to handle the situation and whether or not to grant them special privileges.

Crozer recommends the decision be made based on the proof the student provides of their disability.

Art major Houtan Sarraf, 23, expressed his feelings about the Special Services program by saying “it is a helpful tool for those who need it.”