Student Disability Services: Five ways to access personalized help and support
By Laura Pohl, Contributing Writer
The population of adults who need disability services continues to grow, said Angela Szczepanik-Sanchez (pictured left), Director, Student Disability Services at Governors State University (GovState).
She oversees Access Services for Students with Disabilities (ASSD). The staff there helps provide an accessible environment and equality of educational opportunities for students with documented disabilities. The ASSD office is housed within the Academic Resource Center and free services are available to students registered at GovState.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many more students are now experiencing ongoing chronic health conditions, and there’s also more education and awareness around mental health and well-being,” said Szczepanik-Sanchez about the growing need for services. “And in the preK-12 population of students, there’s more advocacy and prevalence of diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disabilities that affect a student's physical, learning, language, social skills or behavior.”
During the 2023-24 academic year, ASSD worked with 325 students who registered and qualified to receive services and accommodations. This is up from 280 students in 2022-23 and 218 students in 2021-22.
Even a temporary condition, like an injury, pregnancy, or surgery can qualify for temporary accommodations. “Our goal at GovState is to provide students with all available options and resources to assist when needed to be able to continue their coursework," said Szczepanik-Sanchez.
With March designated as Development Disability Awareness Month, here are five ways that ASSD supports GovState students:
1. Determining accommodations to meet students’ needs. ASSD helps students and consults with faculty on classroom and learning access. New students should begin the process on the GovState website here, by submitting an Intake Application, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) form and verification of their disabilities.
2. Coordinating academic testing services with the Testing Center. The center offers services and accommodations like extended-time testing, alternative testing environments, test readers and test scribes to qualified students registered with ASSD. To learn more about the Testing Center and testing services, click here.
3. Making referrals to Academic Resource Center services. Students might need academic assistance from Subject Tutoring, the Writing Center, and/or a retention coach to provide guidance on a variety of learning strategies and goal setting. “It can be hard at times for students to ask for help,” said Szczepanik-Sanchez. “We highly encourage students to connect with their instructors about what they need to be successful in their classes.”
4. Obtaining textbooks in alternative format and additional services. This includes 
interpreting/captioning services and note-taking assistance. “ASSD works with publishers and vendors to obtain alternative formats for textbooks and to provide interpreting/captioning services,” said Szczepanik-Sanchez. Students are also encouraged to use an app called “Glean,” a note-taking tool that supports independent learning on and offline and on any device.
5. Suggesting additional campus resources. Students may need assistance with financial aid, food and housing insecurities, getting involved with campus activities and referrals to the Counseling and Wellness Center, among many other support services. “It is important to get to know students and their needs,” said Szczepanik-Sanchez. “There’s so many resources on campus available to students and we want them to utilize these resources and support services.”
How students can receive assistance from ASSD:
Completing and submitting an intake application, students identify their need for accommodations and go through the process of providing documentation and scheduling an intake meeting to review their needs. The information provided by students is voluntary and confidential. Legally mandated access and accommodations are available to all qualified students who self-identify with ASSD. Learning is a major life activity as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Access Services for Students with Disabilities (ASSD) is located in the Student Success Commons B1215.
For more information, visit https://www.govst.edu/disability-services/ or email assd@govst.edu.