Moose Hoagland
Connector Contributor

Colleges in Massachusetts provide a vast amount of accommodations for students, as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Disability Services provides accommodations to students with disabilities. Students, Disability Services, and professors collaborate to apply accommodations to classes.  

The IDEA Act, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, was passed in 1990. It states that all children with disabilities should have equal access to education through appropriate accommodations. Even though this act does not apply to colleges and universities, every accredited college provides at least minimal accommodations for students with disabilities. Accommodations for students can range from the Tutoring Center to alternative testing environments to class transcripts, and more. 

Sarah Mosher, an adjunct professor in the Elementary Education program, defines accommodations as “individualized for each student…not one-size-fits-all” and that each student is “an individual, regardless of their disability label and even within that disability label, they’re unique within that disability.” At UMass Lowell, every student with disabilities has a unique set of needs, which are recorded and discussed with Disability Services in the Freshman Year. Programs such as the testing center, priority registration, and the Delta Alpha Pi (DAPi) Honors Society are among the many resources Disability Services can provide. The DAPi Honors Society is a very special group, as its mission is to reduce stigma around disabilities, recognize students with disabilities for their academic success, and help develop leadership skills, advocacy and support education for students involved. 

Jake Curran, a Junior English Major, states that his experience with Disability Services has been “mostly positive.” Curran tells of a time when using the testing center, disability services had not communicated with the proctors, and it took upwards of 45 minutes for him to begin his exam with his accommodation in place. Instead of using the service as intended, Curran states that he “tried to explain to the people that the reason I was there was because I had an accommodation allowing me to type my responses, but they’re still insisting that I handwrite it.” he describes the situation as “rather annoying.” This description of a lack of communication echoes some of Mosher’s concerns. 

Professors might need further clarification on accommodations; they may not know about Disability Services or want to know more. Mosher says, “There has not been any resources that I’ve seen from my end.” This suggests a shared perception: not only do students feel there is a lack of communication, but faculty also do not receive communication from disability services.  

Students express that they experience long wait times with accommodation applications, and do not receive communication about processes or timelines for them. Curran states that when applying for disability services during the summer before his freshman year, it took 3-4 months from the time he initially submitted his documents to hearing back. Alden sheds light on the behind the scenes of the work being done at Disability Services, that there are many laws and logistics that Disability Services has to abide by. For example, the ADA prohibits discrimination against and provides equal access and accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Alden states, “there’s a process, there’s laws, there’s rules, and they’re [Disability Services] not just doing it to be unkind.”  

Disability Services at UMass Lowell makes a point to support students through peer coaches, DAPi, and many student groups. Their office is staffed by professionals educated on disabilities of all kinds who dedicate themselves to providing accommodations and services to students in need. Alden provides this metaphor: “…we’re very big on anti-fragility… glass, for example, if it breaks, it’s falls apart, it’s broken, right?
It’s fragile. A basketball is resilient because you’re able to bounce it around, it doesn’t fall. But anti-fragility means something can be difficult or hard, but there’s like a resilience for it. So in our office, we really love to help students go against their own expectations or beliefs of what they can do.”