Spotlight on Access

Spotlight on Access is an in-depth look at the people who comprise the NC State community who are striving to provide equal access to programs and services for persons with disabilities at NC State. These are their stories. If you have a comment, want more information, or have a story suggestion, please contact Cheryl Branker.

As the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of the university, I am the chief academic officer under the Chancellor, and am responsible for review and approval of all academic programs and policies, the appointment, promotion, and compensation of the faculty. Given that, I am privileged to honor those who have provided equal access to programs and services for persons with disabilities at NC State.

Warwick Arden

Jason Valencia, February, 2010
In the Fall of 2009, the Disability Services Office found itself without a Coordinator of Assistive Technology. In addition to the regular duties of the position, the former AT Coordinator had also taken responsibility for IT support needed by the DSO, so knowledge of the IT needs of the office and how they interacted with the Assistive Technology was limited. The DSO contacted the Office of Information Technology and Jason Valencia was sent to work with us. Not only did Mr. Valencia fix the problems we were currently having, he also identified potential problems and helped the DSO staff to understand the IT process. That would have been enough, but there was more work to do and Mr. Valencia jumped right into it, learning the use of AT software and hardware and the need for it to better serve us and our clients. It was not the role of the OIT to assess, recommend and support Assistive Technologies, but Mr. Valencia did all three.

For example, when the DSO wireless network went down late in the afternoon during a busy testing day, he made sure it was operational the next day, in time for us to administer online exams. Mr. Valencia has since identified a future need for updating DSO’s servers and is intent on making sure that happens without loss of access to our clients. He has maintained the technological infrastructure that our clients rely upon for using many Assistive Technology programs (such as JAWS, MAGic, TextHelp and Kurzweil 3000 and eReader) and has exemplified excellent customer service to our office with his seamless support. All of these things showcase the type of IT professional that is necessary to keep a large institution like NC State University running smoothly, but it is the ability to see the specific needs of our department and the desire to fulfill those needs that makes Mr. Valencia stand out.

For this we are very pleased to give Jason Valencia the Provost’s Spotlight on Access Award.

Hazel Kearney, November 2008
In NC State’s Transportation Biennial Update 2005-2007, (http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/trans/images/BiennialUpdate07.pdf) it was noted that the Wolfline was a “21-bus peak hour fleet (29 total buses) with an average daily ridership of 14,000.” Like most universities of our size, transit services are vital to assist in the moving of people from place to place on campus. NC State hires a national transit service provider company, First Transit, to run the Wolfline.
Of the 14,000 daily Wolfline riders, how many would actually take the time to memorize the stops, turns and lane changes that a bus takes as it loops from stop to stop on our campus?

The answer is: all those who cannot read signs nor gather information from environmental cues and do not receive it from the bus driver. Memorizing the stops, turns, and lane changes helps riders know exactly where they are and when they need to request stops.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 mandated equal access for persons with disabilities to transit services. Ramps, curb cuts, and lifts have replaced structural barriers, such as stairs and curbs, for those in wheelchairs; but for some people with print, vision, and/or cognitive impairments, riding the Wolfline can still be a daunting task. That is not true, however, for riders who are lucky enough to be driven by First Transit driver, Hazel Kearney.

It has been repeatedly acknowledged that Ms. Kearney provides excellent customer service to her riders by clearly calling out stop locations. This is a crucial service that most other drivers forget.

Kim Paylor, a University Program Associate in the Transportation Department here at NC State, acknowledges that Ms. Kearney’s actions improve transit access for all campus riders and that she is the epitome of the type of service delivery expected by all Wolfline drivers.
Ms. Kearney’s actions remove a barrier to transit access and further the development of a balanced university environment for all persons. It is for that reason, that Hazel Kearney has been given a Spotlight on Access award.

Philip Nye, April 2008
Many students pick up additional course pack materials at the Sir Speedy printing shop across from our campus on Hillsborough Street. Generally speaking, students can expect to pay $5-10 for these materials. But what if you are a student with a low vision disability and your materials need to be blown up to a size you can read? Should you have to pay for the extra costs associated with the print job? According to Philip Nye, the owner of the Hillsborough Street Sir Speedy, the answer is, was, and will always be no.

In the Spring semester of 2003, Thomas Martin, the former DSO Program Assistant, contacted Mr. Nye about a particular accommodations request involving a student with low vision. “We will be glad to help,” Nye said. The DSO was pleased to discover that, five years later, when a similar request was brought before him, Mr. Nye and his staff were just as willing to lend a helping hand. Mr. Nye's unwavering cooperation, and commitment to furthering the goals of the DSO have merited his Spotlight on Access recognition.

Janet Howard, June 2006
In the Spring semester of 2005, the DSO had finally outgrown its ability to administer all of the final exams scheduled by its student population. Fortunately, this situation had been predicted (after all, if the student population continues to steadily increase, it is only a matter of time until the testing accommodations requested do so as well) and Dr. Cheryl Branker, Director of Disability Compliance Programs, contacted Ms. Janet Howard, interim director of the African American Cultural Center (AACC), about using their facilities to administer final exams. The request was not simple: the DSO needed a large amount of space for at least six hours each day during which the AACC would not be able to schedule or hold any programs.

Janet Howard only needed to know one detail: when the space was needed.

Thanks to the efforts of Ms Howard, the DSO was able to schedule forty-six additional exams that semester. The DSO has since proctored more and more final exams with each subsequent semester at the AACC. With space on campus at a premium and appropriate reduced-distraction environments in short supply, Janet Howard provided a convenient, appropriate, and accessible facility which enabled the DSO to not just continue its mission but to further it.

Ken Duncan, January 2004
In the Spring of 2003, a DSO student with low vision requested accommodations for IE 210, an introductory to Engineering Graphics for Industrial Engineers course, which she planned to take during the upcoming Fall semester. This course was a degree requirement for the student and involved graphical representation, solution of 2D and 3D spatial problems, and served as an overview of the fundamentals and applications of computer graphics and computer-aided design. In addition, the course involved computer-based tools and Industrial Engineering drawing applications.

Accommodation planning began early since the course was visually intensive and large print format was requested. A team of University faculty and staff identified access problems and individualized solutions for the start of the semester. Once the semester began, ongoing adjustments and additional solutions were found. For example, homework exercises had to be completed on specialized paper called plates. The plates were too small in size for use by the student. Professor John Freeman, Department of Math, Science, and Technology Education, investigated the possibility of purchasing double-sized plates. These could be made, but at a great expense.

After learning the cost of such a project, Professor Freeman talked with Ken Duncan of Oce-USA Wide Format Printing Systems who offered to provide double-sized plates at no cost, saving NC State University almost $600.00. Mr. Duncan also offered additional copies and provided the University with a CD of the enlarged plates for future use.

Gary Gatling, January 2003
Gary Gatling has continually gone above and beyond his duties as the College of Engineering's Eos Lab Manager to support accessibility on campus. While his official duties require him to work with the DSO on accessibility issues, his responsiveness and the effort that he has put forth towards supporting our work and general accessibility improvements on campus have gone well beyond what is expected. His contributions range from immediately responding to and acting on our requests for help (such as moving equipment, installing AT software, etc.) to providing us with the hardware and software needed to set up our own Eos computing accessibility test facilities in our AT Lab.

Mr. Gatling has been an integral part in the work we have done and will continue to do to improve the accessibility of the Linux computing environment. His support for our work, however, does not just include technical support: Mr. Gatling has also sat on the search committee for the new Assistant Coordinator of Assistive and Information Technology, a time consuming task that was well outside the requirements of his position.

Cynthia Privette, January 2002
In the Fall of 2000, the DSO had an idea for its with ADHD and LD. The plan was to set up a mentor program in which college students with ADHD and LD would share their first-hand experiences with children with the same disability. The DSO contacted numerous middle schools in Wake County about partnering, but to no avail. That is, until we contacted Cynthia Privette, Outreach Coordinator at Centennial Campus Middle School (CCMS).

Since the Spring of 2001, Ms. Privette has been the link our office needed to start a partnership in the education and mentoring of young students in Wake County. She works very hard to match children with mentors who share their common interests, needs and disabilities, and who can help them see their full potential.

Louis Hunt, February 2001
By the sheer nature of our work, more specifically, by serving over 700 students with disabilities, the DSO collects and is bombarded by data. Until recently, we didn't have a simple way to organize, interpret, and query the data we collected. In turn, that made reporting our data to the campus and community at large rather difficult. That is, until Louis Hunt, Associate Registrar, saw the need and offered to help us gain access to, and working knowledge of, a query and reporting tool.

Because of Dr. Hunt’s willingness to help the DSO staff, we are now able to build sophisticated queries, generate emails to students, and produce professional reports with ease.