The Daily Bulletin Archive

The phrase “people with disabilities” is part of today’s vernacular. But people with certain types of disabilities—such as learning disabilities—were not recognized even a few decades ago by most of society. Buffalo State, however, has long kept a careful eye on special needs and, in 1989, established the Disability Services Office.

Located on the first floor of South Wing, the office accommodates disability-related needs for Buffalo State students. Its staff members commonly provide academic support, such as note-taking assistance, extended time allowance and quiet locations for exams, and adaptive technology to aid learning.

According to director Marianne Savino, the office is considered a model by the New York State Disability Services Council. And it has had to continually evolve during the past two decades.

The office currently serves about 900 students, more than 13 times the number it did in 1989 (68 students). During her tenure as director, Savino has also seen new disabilities and new methods of documentation emerge. Roughly 10 percent of Buffalo State students with identified disabilities have multiple disabilities.

“Most of the students we serve have learning disabilities or attention disorders,” Savino said. “The college has one of the highest percentages of students with emotional disorders and substance-abuse issues in the SUNY system.” Other examples of disabilities include physical impairments and chronic illnesses such as diabetes or cancer.

The number of students with disabilities continues to grow, but Savino said many have been top scholars, athletes, and leaders on campus. “There’s a perception sometimes that they’re ‘less than,’” she said.

The office’s overall goal mirrors the college’s mission: to provide access for students. Savino adds, however, that the office doesn’t try to change admission requirements or departmental standards. Instead it works within the system to provide reasonable accommodations under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Given the local unemployment rate of 70 percent for people with disabilities, Savino and her staff want to do all they can to help students graduate and contribute to society.

“They have to survive out there,” she said. “We have to prepare them for work and life. Some students, for example, might need more time on an exam, but no one should be granted a paper extension without a mitigating circumstance.”

Savino said faculty and staff interactions with students with disabilities have improved “drastically” over the years, but challenges remain for faculty in knowing where legal boundaries lie.

Savino said it is illegal, for example, for a faculty member to ask a student if he or she has a disability. Likewise, the Disability Services Office cannot legally reveal a student’s disability to a faculty or staff member without the student’s permission, nor can it disclose the nature of the disability.

“We are the official clearinghouse for the accommodations that are being requested by the students, and our exam and classroom requests are meant to help faculty and staff as much as the students,” she said. “When in doubt about what to do with a student who has a disability or who they think might have one, we want faculty to call us to see what would be the best way to help.”

The three staff members of the Disability Services Office offer presentations at department meetings, assist theRisk Assessment Committee, and conduct research in addition to their daily support tasks for students. Savino says that no two days are alike, and each task is like solving a puzzle.

She advises faculty members to “keep planning for the fact that you don’t know who’s coming into your class” in order to ensure accessibility to higher education for all.