By Mason Cosper

Disability Support Services (DSS) are integral to any college campus, especially a diverse campus like UAB. Students with disabilities need a campus that is easily accessible to them. Although DSS covers aspects of campus life both in and out of the classroom, many students who could benefit from those resources do not know they are eligible or don't seek that support. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, only one-third of college students with disabilities inform their college about it. Many students are unaware of the accommodations DSS can provide for them.

Students may not know what qualifies as a disability. According to the CDC, a disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions).

Although it may be easy to think of people with disabilities as a single population, they cover a diverse range of people and needs. Disabilities are not limited to any race, gender, sexual orientation, age group, or socioeconomic level. It is also uniquely a group that anyone can belong to at any time.

Caleb Rowe, a first-year neuro-engineering student, shared his experience with DSS and how it has assisted him throughout his college career, “I feel like DSS at UAB is what really took my academics to the next level.”

Caleb has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He struggles with test taking, the feeling of anxiety, and pressure from the timer. “I had a really hard time keeping my mind on the test I was always the last to finish, always.” DSS provided Caleb with extended test-taking time as well as a separate room to take his exams.

When asked how UAB's DSS compared to other experiences he's had, Caleb explained that it took hours of discussion to have access to a separate testing room in his previous experiences but at UAB it took maybe 30 minutes. Ease of access allows students to have a wide array of accommodations in their classroom, but what about outside the class?

Caleb Rowe,
photo courtsey UAB Student Affairs
Marketing & Communications.

Allie Reeves, a case manager for UAB’s Disability Support Services, detailed the different accommodations DSS may make for students outside of the classroom, “Housing accommodations, we work with housing to provide private bedrooms or bathrooms. If a student has IBS and they need their own bathroom, they may be eligible for an accommodation to have their own private bathroom.”

Reeves also opened up about her own experiences with DSS saying, “I had accommodations, well I did later on, I think one of the things I said was ‘I got this, I don’t need DSS’ then I noticed in some classes I realized ‘oh I do need them.”

Who should students talk to if they think they need DSS support? Caleb advised, “honestly, talk to your professor about it. Maybe not the professor for a specific class that you need it for but a professor you trust or DSS staff.” DSS resources can be a significant component of a diverse college campus. Eligible students with disabilities can seek out the DSS office and see if they can help you take your academics “to the next level.”

DSS provides support for other services such as captioning, sign language interpreters, note-taking assistance and more! You can begin the application process on the DSS website here. Students can contact DSS at 205-934-4205, dss@uab.edu, or visit their office at the Hill Student Center (Suite 409).

For more information about UAB DSS click here.