The Disability Services Office (DSO) for NC State offers many resources and opportunities for hearing-impaired students on campus. The DSO aims to accommodate disabled students so that equal opportunities are available to all students.
The Office of Disability Services for Students was created in 1985 to further NC State’s vision of serving the needs of the whole community while providing equal opportunities for all students. The office can assist any student enrolled that has physical, learning, psychological, chronic and temporary disabilities. The office consists of eight professional and support staff with the addition of more than 70 temporary student workers who help in the process of providing accommodations.
Sabina Vermeulen, the access consultant in the DSO, is assigned to students who are deaf.
“NC State’s Disability Services Office is the authorized office on campus to receive disability documentation and determine eligibility for reasonable accommodations for students who are deaf [along with other disabilities],” Vermeulen said. “The DSO also serves as a resource to faculty in helping them understand their obligation in providing equal access for academic courses. Determining and arranging reasonable accommodations is a collaboration between the student, the course instructor or NC State unit providing the services and the DSO.”
Hearing impaired students, along with other disabled students, go through an eligibility process to determine if accommodations can be provided and then go through an accommodation process to determine what alternatives or solutions can be provided for that student. There are more than 1,000 students who can take advantage of the disability services offered at NC State.
Testing accommodations are available to provide an appropriate testing environment, such as extended time, reduced distraction spaces and other essential changes. Assistive technology is also available with the aim to consult, train and provide students with beneficial technology to assist them in accessing academic programs such as online assignments. University Housing also offers appropriate living conditions for those who are disabled through accommodations such as wider hallways and accessible ramps.
Students have become involved with DSO through programs such as the Language Ambassadors at NC State. Stephany Dunstan, the associate director of the Office of Assessment, offered input on what linguistic diversity means to NC State a whole.
“The dialects and languages we use to communicate represent a unique form of diversity that each member of the campus community brings to NC State,” Dunstan said. “Our campus is remarkable in that regard. The linguistic diversity on our campus is quite rich, given the representation we have from all across North Carolina, the United States and the world.”
Because of this diversity on campus, Dunstan believes that there is an opportunity to have conversations in new and impactful ways while learning different cultures at NC State.
“Language shapes all of our interactions, and the linguistic diversity we encounter gives us all the opportunity to engage with others in new and meaningful ways [while we] learn about and appreciate other viewpoints, cultures and ways of communicating,” Dunstan said.
Students can also work for DSO through volunteer and paid positions. Students can apply to be note takers, classroom/access assistants, test proctors, scribes and other helping positions to improve equal opportunity at the NC State.
Iman Affane, a first-year studying philosophy, enjoys seeing all the opportunities for the entire Wolfpack.
“The university does so much to accommodate not just disabled students and faculty, but also guests,” Affane said. “The campus will make anyone at anytime feel welcome and engaged.”
The Disability Services Office is located in the Student Health Center, and their resources can be found on their website.
