Cabrini University's Disability Resource Center Accommodations

As an employee at Cabrini University's Disability Resource Center, I have firsthand experience with the policies and procedures Cabrini follows to make our services accessible to students with disabilities.  As described on our website, Cabrini's DRC believes that "success in life should not be restrained by individual limitations" and we are "firmly committed to offering support and appropriate accommodations to qualified students with disabilities."  Students Cabrini's DRC serves are those who have "an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working)."

Students with disabilities considering Cabrini often meet with the DRC to discuss how their needs will be met as part of their college search process.  Students with disabilities who have not met with the DRC during their college search are made aware of the DRC through academic advisers, professors, and our website. Students enrolled at Cabrini University must self-identify with Kathy Johnson, Director of the Disability Resource Center, and provide necessary documentation to secure a "VISA."  The student's VISA, or Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations, document outlines specific accommodations recommended for the student based upon the student's documentation and an analysis of the student's needs. 

Cabrini provides a variety of AT to make programs and services accessible to students.  For note-taking, the DRC provides Live Scribe pens, recorders, and the Sonocent software program.  For students with reading and attention disabilities, the DRC offers Read and Write Gold software. Students can use this software for text-to-speech access with textbooks we provide for them in PDF form. We also provide audio format of texts through Learning Ally and Book Share.  For assignments and testing, students can use calculators, word processing, spell checkers, and reading software.