Siena accommodates disabled students

Juliet Pellegrini, director of Siena College's Office for Students with Disabilities, wants everyone on the Loudonville campus to have an equal chance at success.

She is the ally of 140 students who have learning disabilities, physical impairments, medical conditions or serious illnesses.

It's her job to connect them with the services they need to succeed academically and the independence they require to achieve at exam time -- and throughout life.

Level ground

Ms. Pellegrini, a 1996 Siena grad and parishioner of St. Mary's Church in Ballston Spa, said that the students "work hard to keep their grades up and do the best they can, since they often have to work harder than other students. The accommodations [we make for them] are not meant to give students an advantage. They are designed to give them a level playing field."

Some of the services disabled students might need include:

* longer time periods to take exams, write or work, or an alternate exam location with fewer distractions;

* student volunteers who take notes for those who can't write quickly or can't take notes by themselves; and

* audio recordings of tests, books and other classroom materials to aid with reading comprehension for students with dyslexia or other problems.

Student's needs

When Alison Powers, a junior social work major, transferred to Siena, one of the first things she did was seek out Ms. Pellegrini. Ms. Powers has profound hearing loss.

Ms. Pellegrini held meetings with professors to instruct them on what Ms. Powers would need to keep up with the rest of the class. For example, videos had to be captioned; lecturers had to stand in a location that would ease lip-reading; and professors had to repeat questions asked by other students so Ms. Powers could be clear on what was said.

Ms. Pellegrini also checked buildings on campus to make sure that the fire alarms had strobe lights to supplement the sirens.

"In the middle of the night, we had a fire drill" at her previous college, Ms. Powers noted. "I would not have awakened if it weren't for my suitemate coming in to wake me up."

Assistance

Michael Potter, a junior marketing and management major, has cerebral palsy and physical impairments that keep him in a wheelchair. Scribes assist him with getting his thoughts down in writing for term papers and essay-based exams.

Each week, a work-study student helps him scan textbook pages into a computer program, which then reads the words aloud and highlights associated text to make it easier for Mr. Potter to follow.

"It really helps with my reading comprehension," he said.

Common roadblocks

Ms. Pellegrini said that Siena takes pride in making sure its campus is accessible to wheelchairs and walkers. Nevertheless, said Mr. Potter, he still deals with aspects of daily life that other students may not even think of.

For example, he often must find alternate routes in case of heavy snowfalls, and wonders, when he's required to visit a new place, "Is this a building I'm able to get into?"

Recently, he and another student in a wheelchair brought up an accessibility concern to Ms. Pellegrini: The writing and tutoring centers are located on an upper floor of a building that does not have an elevator. Although a system of ramps connects floor to floor, the collegians have found them too cumbersome to navigate.

After meeting with administrators, Ms. Pellegrini said, Siena is now considering accessibility options for the building. "We'll come up with a solution," she added.

More to do

Ms. Pellegrini hopes to streamline the office's policies and paperwork with computer software specifically designed for higher education offices dealing with disability issues.

She also plans to raise awareness of disabilities on campus and help those who work with her office to "be open with talking about [their disabilities]" with others.

She wants to promote an environment that's even more understanding of the needs of disabled students -- and assure that special accommodations do not mean special treatment.

"Our campus is so inviting and open; it's a very comfortable environment for all students," she said.

Faith's role

Ms. Pellegrini said that being at Siena "is a different experience than being in other organizations. Catholicism is recognized; it's the basis for the college. It's nice to have a religious symbol out in the open."

Mr. Potter, who also attends St. Mary's Church, said that his faith "gives me an appreciation and strength. It makes me more of a well-rounded person. I appreciate my life more and all the challenges I've overcome.

"It makes me keep going, to show people that I can do it. Whenever you have a tough time or people doubt you, it is something that is always there."

(11/10/05) [[In-content Ad]]