Some students require additional accommodations to concentrate on a test, take notes accurately or to study in a quieter environment. Thankfully, UH offers a solution to these learning-impaired students.
In addition to the learning disabilities programs, LSS offers a one-on-one tutoring atmosphere. | Mary Dahdough/The Daily Cougar
On campus, there are several student resources that aid students in accomplishing their goals, such as the Center for Students with Disabilities and the Learning Support Services, which offers up to 50 different workshops each semester.
“I had a lot of trouble with reading because I have dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD as well,” said Tyler Collins, a construction management junior.
“So how I got over that trouble was I would make friends as soon as possible so I could have someone fill me in on whatever I seemed to miss. Everyone has their different ways of studying, but I think these workshops will definitely be useful,” Collins said.
LSS, located on the first floor of Cougar Village, is known for its free tutoring services, which include 50 people on staff that are trained by CSD, but the workshops have seemingly slipped through the cracks.
“Honestly, I’ve lived on campus for a couple years now, and I’ve heard of the tutoring center in Cougar Village. I’ve even been past it a couple of times, but I had no idea that they provided workshops,” said art junior Teri Mills.
The LSS workshops include a graduate student workshop series, as well as an attention deficit disorder workshop series. Students can sign up for these workshops on the LSS website.
“Immediately after the workshop is done, we hand out an evaluation form, and about 95 percent of the time, we get positive comments and feedback,” said UH counselor Laura Heidel.
The LSS specialty workshops include graduate student workshops that prepare students for their comprehensive and qualifying exams, help students use the APA writing style effectively and prepare graduate students for their dissertation. The ADD workshops are also held but fairly new.
“The attendance at the general workshops is around 30 to 40 students, but for the Attention Deficit Disorder workshops, we generally have around 10 students per workshop,” Heidel said.
The ADD workshops benefit the attendees by teaching new skills in time management and concentration. They are free to exchange tips and ideas with other students at the workshop in a lax area.
The CSD provides quiet testing facilities, wide-screen computers for those with visual impairments, a transcriber, audio books, special counseling, enlarged notes, a sign language interpreter or a real time captionist that sits in class with the student and types out his notes.
In order to receive these accommodations from CSD, there must be medical documentation from a doctor given CSD. CSD directors then come up with a plan for the student in order to be successful in his school work.
If there is an in between stage where a student still needs to use the CSD’s technologies and services, he may bring in whatever medical documentation he has and CSD will honor it with what is a temporary accommodation until there is an updated medical record.
The student must also get an accommodation form from CSD and have it signed by the professor in order to have permission to receive the accommodations in class.
“Most students who come in here say ‘I don’t want to be here,’ and they leave saying ‘I’m glad I came here because all of these resources are really going to help me with getting through school,'” said Cheryl Amboruso, CSD director.
