No Disability Too Small

I Just Need a Little Help

Many people think that the campus Disability Resources (DR) office or Disability Resource Center (DRC) is only for students with major, lifelong disabilities.

That's not true. Disability Resources works with a wide range of students who have all levels of disabilities and conditions, permanent or temporary. (1)

An example would be Julie, who has limited use of her left hand due to an injury she had as a child. She can do most of her work in school just fine but finds that she can't type fast in an Accounting class that requires a certain typing speed.

Julie could try to do it on her own and struggle through it, but the Disability Resources office might have tools or technology that could help her with the typing task that she doesn't know about.

So, something that a student might think is minor, might actually impact one or more unanticipated "major life activities " in college. Think about activities such as:

• Taking lecture notes or typing papers
• Getting between classes in time
• Keeping up with reading assignments, with vision in one eye
• Hearing class discussions, with mild hearing loss or hearing in one ear

Even though you don't think you'd use DR throughout your time at college, because you have a "small" disability, it's still a good idea to contact them and register with the office just in case.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (2) protects people with disabilities from discrimination in school and work. If you register with DR, they can verify that you do have a disability and are protected.