Amid the new technology implemented by Student Access Services, students voice concerns about accommodations in class. // Ahjané Forbes / The Hofstra Chronicle.
Every year, Hofstra University’s Student Access Services continuously works to update accessibility on campus. Hofstra has implemented some advancements on campus with disabled students in mind. Although, some students have been appreciative of the changes, they still face issues pertaining to accommodations.
Otter.ai is one of the most recent technological advances put into action by Student Access Services. It’s an app which allows students to pull electronic PowerPoint slides into a note-taking app while also transcribing what the professor is saying. This provides more accommodations to students who may struggle with following a professor’s lecture. Students have said that while the app is a great concept, it could be improved.
“From my perspective, it seems like a great accessibility tool for people who may be hard of hearing or even people with auditory processing disorders,” said Hannah Cohen, a sophomore psychology major and a member of Hofstra’s Disability Rights, Education, Activism and Mentoring (DREAM) group. “But it seems like the program needs to be improved to better pick up the things that professors and/or classmates are saying.”
Otter.ai has also received praise for its universal design created to be accessible to people regardless of disability.
Additionally, the Hofstra Card Services Office began implementing tap ID readers on campus in August with the intention of making ID cards more accessible and easier to use.
“It’s very good and helps a lot of people,” said Maria Llave, a junior writing studies and criminology major who is physically disabled and uses a motorized wheelchair to move around campus. “At least for me, the swiping was inconvenient.”
Bianca St. Onge, a junior psychology major, has ADHD. Through SAS, she is able to have modified attendance, meaning that if she has to miss a class due to her disability, she would not be penalized. However, according to St. Onge, professors are allowed to deny the accommodation and not modify attendance.
“During the first two weeks of school, those with this accommodation are encouraged to meet with the professor to make an attendance agreement,” St. Onge said. “I was told if any of my professors were to deny my accommodation to drop the class, making that class inaccessible for me.”
Hannah Alfasso, an early childhood/elementary education and global studies double major who is also is a member of DREAM, is a resident safety representative. She is responsible for maintaining the safety of the residence halls. During her time in this role, she has witnessed broken elevators and the lounges not having automatic doors, restricting access to the residence halls for physically disabled students. Alfasso said it feels like “a cruel joke.”
Colin Sullivan, director of communications for Student Enrollment, Engagement and Success, said that if a faculty member perceives a student to need accommodations, they can reach out to Julie Yindra, the director of SAS.
“This is a large campus with a lot of people – all who have different needs and experiences,” Yindra said. “The only way that we can continue to improve the access that we provide is if people come to us and tell us when there’s a problem.”
Although Hofstra is taking steps to create a more accessible campus, students have made it clear that more accommodations are necessary.
Some of these include updates made to the Otter.ai app, different parameters surrounding modified attendance so that classes are not inaccessible and more awareness surrounding the functioning of elevators and sliding doors in residence halls.