During the past year, Student Disability Services has explored several avenues for expanded student support. Collaboration with other university units and student input has led to three new initiatives to help all Vols reach their full potential on campus.
Kurzweil Expansion
The office has expanded the availability of Kurzweil, one of the most popular digital learning tools on the market, in collaboration with the Office of Innovative Technologies. While this tool was previously being used primarily for neurodivergent students and those with visual disabilities, it’s now available to anyone in the university community with a valid NetID and password.
The interactive software is simple to use and has many features, including text to speech, 13 languages and 18 additional native dialects, voice notes, idea mapping and organization, all of which can be used to enhance a student’s learning. Students, faculty, and staff can access this learning tool simply by visiting the Software Distribution page on the Office of Innovative Technologies website.
Assignment Planner
Angela Tyson, a Student Disability Services coordinator who now is teaching overseas, handled welcome meetings with students who were just arriving on campus for their first year. She noted that students were struggling with executive functioning deficits, which is to say that they struggled to organize their work, plan assignments, and generally manage the transition from a K-12 experience where teachers are much more hands-on and a university experience where students are largely autonomous and responsible for their own success. Tyson wanted to fill in those learning gaps with accessible tools that would contribute to student success on campus.
“With 5–6 classes to manage assignments and deadlines for, it can be quite overwhelming to many students,” says Tyson. “But lots of classes have similar assignments like research papers or poster presentations.” Tyson consulted with her supervisor, Sara Conrad, assistant director of SDS, who found a tool created at the University of Toronto that helped break down large assignments into smaller, manageable goals for students struggling with executive functioning. She used that example to create a similar tool for UT students.
“The Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center was already using templates to help students break down large writing projects,” she adds. “So we collaborated with them and incorporated a perspective that focused on students with disabilities and the accommodations they need, and voila, the Assignment Planner was born and launched in spring 2024.”
Tyson notes that the magic of the assignment planner is that it incorporates a calendar feature. Not only does it break down large assignments into bite-size tasks, it also creates due dates and reminders along the way to help students manage a workload over several weeks ahead of the final deadline when the assignment must be submitted.
Academic Support Program
In addition to utilizing available software and technological tools, Student Disability Services staff also focused on identifying other ways to support students on campus. Following the model utilized in the Division of Student Success, the team launched an academic support pilot program in the fall of 2023 to help meet the needs of students facing challenges in their classes.
In the fall of 2022, 90% of students registered with SDS surveyed said they would utilize a service like the academic support program, so based on that feedback the program is open to any student registered with Student Disability Services. Through this program, students are paired with an academic coach to help them improve in their coursework.
“Realizing that there is an opportunity here for us to help students succeed has been great,” says Tamara Griffin, a coordinator in Student Disability Services oversees this program. “I get to develop a relationship with a student and hear how they are impacted by their disability in their day to day lives, academics being a part of that.”
In weekly sessions, Griffin notes that in addition to discussing time management or executive functioning concerns with students, they delve deeper into identifying the underlying causes of the students’ challenges.. Sometimes they’re facing food or housing insecurity or mental health concerns. Griffin says that she collaborates with campus partners to ensure the student receives the support they need. She also works collaboratively with the student to formulate a plan for their academic success.
“I’m trying to help students navigate these issues in their lives so they can meet their academic goals. Even how to have conversations with their instructors to advocate for themselves is a huge help to them.”
Tamara griffin
Coordinator
Student Disability Services
“This office is really leading with these campus collaborations to make the Volunteer student experience more accessible and inclusive to the entire community.”
byron hughes
Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students