This year the Office of Disability Services (ODS) decided to utilize new technology, including assistive software and hardware like Zoom Text and Wynn Wizard, to enhance campus life for students with disabilities.
This software can now be used at various locations around the University. These tools will be completely up-to-date by the end of April, according to the ODS spring 2014 newsletter.
Jordan Hall, a freshman philosophy major, is one of the many students who take advantage of some of the services offered by ODS.
Hall was born with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and was diagnosed at 18 months old, but said her condition is one that does not define her.
“I’m not the girl in the wheelchair that happens to be named Jordan,” she said. “I’m Jordan who happens to be in a wheelchair.”
Hall said that a common misconception of her condition is that it is associated with a lack of cognitive development. She said that the form of CP she was diagnosed with only affects her muscle and physical movements.
“I used to walk in a walker, but as time progressed, it was just too painful, so the wheelchair has been better for me,” Hall said.
Hall also said that since her disability only limits her movement, she mostly uses tools that help with test-taking and writing. She uses the Dragon Naturally Speaking software, one kind of software provided by the ODS, which converts voice to written text.
“I use the Dragon recorder on my computer to record my voice first, and then it transcribes what I say,” she said.
Along with voice-to-text software, ODS provides other various assistive software/hardware specific to certain disabilities.
Some software tools provided include Zoom Text, a software that enlarges everything on a computer screen for low-vision individuals. Jaws software outputs email, word processors and other content on computer screens to speakers for blind and visually impaired individuals.
Other software include Wynn Wizard, a tool for those who need reading and writing assistance that scans printed pages and turns them into electronic text and speech.
Donna Hardaway is an Administrative Secretary in the Office of Disabilities.
One popular hardware tool provided by ODS is the CCTV or closed-circuit television, according to Donna Hardaway, administrative secretary for the ODS. For individuals with visual impairments, this tool makes it easier to accomplish daily tasks. It does so by projecting a magnified image like an article in a newspaper, or a photo of a loved one, or just a difficult crossword puzzle onto a TV screen for the individual to view clearly.
“It’s like the student’s personal projector,” Hardaway said.
Along with the CCTV, students can also take advantage of the Braille Embosser, a printer that renders text like handouts and tests as Braille for students with visual impairments.
There is also the BIGtrack mouse that uses a large and brightly colored trackball that only requires thumb use for individuals with some difficulty with motor control.
Hardaway joined Disability Services three years ago after starting at Georgia State as a student in 2009. She said her experience working in the office equated to working alongside family.
“I really do love working in this department. All of the students and all of the staff here are absolutely awesome to me. We’re a family here,” Hardaway said.
Staff members of ODS are especially unified in their efforts to better campus experience for students with disabilities, according to Hardaway.
“We all are on the same page as far as wanting to help the students to be able to achieve their goals,” she said. “We’re always growing and we’re always open for improvement that are going to help the students.”
The Office of Disability Services includes twelve rooms, six with computers and six without, equipped with many of these tools for students to stop by and use when working on homework and classwork.
Being a frequent visitor to the office, Hall said that her experience is always a positive one.
“One thing that I do like is that it feels personal and I don’t feel awkward,” she said. “Like, I don’t feel like a burden.”
Hall said that people often take on an attitude of pity when interacting with students with disabilities, but the ODS staff do not.
“It feels really good to go to a place and know that they don’t view you like that,” she said. “Nobody’s life is perfect; everyone has disabilities – the only difference is that mine is one you can see.”
Along with the ODS office, students can also visit the 2nd floor of Library North or the 2nd floor of the College of Education to take advantage of the newly updated software for their needs.
They can also visit room 130C in the College of Law’s Library in the Urban Life Building, room 230 in Career Services in the University Center and the MILE at the Commons building.
