Success Within Reach – for Everyone
One in four adults has a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The needs of those individuals are wide-ranging and sometimes even invisible to others. But whatever accommodations are needed, Tarrant County College has dedicated offices and employees on each campus to make sure all students have the tools to achieve their goals.
“[Accessibility] provides students the opportunity to achieve the same outcomes and receive the same benefits as people without disabilities,” said Kimberly Eason, coordinator of TCC Northeast’s Student Accessibility Resources (SAR) office, which has assisted as many as 350 students in a semester. “Accommodation only changes how students access and learn information without lowering the academic expectations or rigor.”
Paula Manning, SAR coordinator at TCC Northwest, says accessibility is important because “these students have a diagnosis that is outside of their control. We offer them access. Many of them would not be able to be successful and complete their goals or degrees without the accommodations for which they qualify.”
Committed to Helping Others
Manning has been drawn to assisting people her whole life. She holds an associate degree from TCC in Sign Language Interpretation and began her career at TCC as an interpreter in what was then Disability Support Services. She went on to pursue a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and has worked with students of all abilities for 12 years.
Assisting students who have disabilities is rewarding to Eason as well.
While many services are readily available to students, the most frequently requested accommodation from SAR offices is assistance with exams—such as extra time on tests, reading assistance and a quiet room for testing. Additionally, students need assistance with note-taking during lectures.
SAR staff can also explain to students the processes to receive services, including the documentation needed to secure accommodations and how such accommodations work on the college level.
Sammie Sheppard, who directs TCC’s Sign Language Interpretation program, says SAR is the very first place a student with accessibility concerns should go. “The folks in these offices are phenomenal at what they do, to train students on their options, college processes and support of all kinds.”
According to Sheppard, a common challenge Deaf and Hard of Hearing students face when they start college is learning how to secure communication access in their preferred mode. “So often, the ability to just ‘walk in’ to Advising, Financial Aid and on-campus events is just not accessible the way it is to other students.” Sheppard added that contract interpreters are in short supply, making it difficult to keep full-time certified interpreters on all campuses—which can create additional challenges.
In addition to SAR, there are several other resources available for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. Sheppard says the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is important in helping students transfer to college; most TWC offices have someone with sign language abilities. The Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has many support programs and workshops, and local resources are available through the Deaf Action Center in Fort Worth. At TCC, Sign Language Interpretation students also work with certified mentor instructors to interpret plays and events at all campuses.
Additionally, Sheppard said, “One of the unique resources we have at TCC Trinity River is several Deaf and Hard of Hearing faculty and staff members who can come alongside these students to guide them through the college experience as successful Deaf professionals, to encourage Deaf and Hard of Hearing students to stay the course and use resources.”
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