By: Melea Hwang
Located in a corner on the third floor of the Bietz Center for Student Life is the Disability
Support Services (DSS) office. There, Jahnil Ancheta is singlehandedly responsible for countless
students receiving the help they need for an enriched college experience.
DSS is an on-campus resource which “facilitates equal access to Southern’s learning community
for students who have documented disabilities or suspected learning differences,” according to
their website.
After moving from a position in Admissions to now being DSS coordinator, Ancheta was faced
with a challenge.
“I think for some reason DSS was just not super well known on campus,” she said. “It’s really
easy in this role to get stuck here in the office and… hard to get out on campus because you’re so
busy managing the day-to-day stuff.”
Ancheta said she is striving to be intentional about making connections across campus. She
works to forge partnerships with departments and relationships with professors, all to give the
students the experience they deserve.
“I have to partner with faculty and staff to ensure that students with disabilities have access,” she
said.
While she works with the students to create an accommodation plan, it’s the professors who
implement it. This networking has been vital to her growth of DSS, according to Ancheta.
On the DSS website, a disability is defined as “a condition that can substantially impact your
ability to think, eat, breathe, walk, work, see, speak, learn, etc.”
According to their website, DSS has services in place to assist students with psychiatric, physical
and medical disabilities. Students may not realize these services extend to temporary disabilities
as well, such as concussions or broken legs, according to Ancheta.
Axel Orellana, a junior mass communication media production major, was surprised to learn
about the services offered for temporary disabilities.
“I had no idea,” Orellana said. “I thought it was [only] for people that had learning disabilities
that they’ve grown up with. I think that it should be promoted more. It’s necessary for temporary
things, because accidents happen all the time.”
DSS can help guide students through everything from sports injuries to surgery recovery.
Many students said that they are only familiar with DSS services related to testing
accommodations, such as extended time, a quieter environment or speech-to-text add-ons. These
accommodations are some of the most frequently used services, according to Ancheta.
For Orellana, though DSS is mentioned in each of his classes’ syllabi, it is not something he ever
gave much thought.
“It’s a part that I always just skim over [in] the syllabus, so it’s not something I have seen much
about.”
Ancheta said accommodations can look like any number of things- emotional support animals,
service animals, changes in housing or meal adjustments.
According to Ancheta, one of the most underutilized resources offered at the DSS office is the
sensory room- a small, enclosed space, furnished with fidget toys and a massage chair. This
room is not just for those with sensory difficulties, but for anyone experiencing overstimulation
or in need of anxiety regulation. Ancheta recommends it as a resource before or after tests,
adding that faculty and staff can use the room as a retreat.
Many students hesitate to seek accommodation because of the strenuous process it might entail,
according to Ancheta. In the past, this has been the case, but the program has been refined.
The system has recently been streamlined through a new application portal called
“Accommodate.” Following a link on the DSS page of Southern’s website, students can apply
for services. They will need to submit documentation and medical forms, then book an intake
meeting with Ancheta to formulate a reasonable accommodation plan.
“It’s called the interactive process, where we collaborate to come up with a reasonable
accommodation plan … that honors both the student’s needs and the integrity of the curriculum.”
Ancheta said.
Being the only staff member of her department comes with limitations and advantages, Ancheta
said. She employs five student workers, who manage the front desk and proctor tests.
“It is rewarding and challenging at the same time,” Ancheta said. “Rewarding, in that it’s nice to
have the opportunity to create and update and change things… Challenging, in that the work is
heavy sometimes, and it can be a little lonely. But not in a way that I am discouraged by,
necessarily. It just comes with the job. But I love when there’s the vibrancy of the students that
come in to test that I build relationships with, or my student workers.”
One of her student workers is Ella Schwartz, a senior psychology major. Schwartz’s job includes
proctoring and scheduling tests, prescreening students for accommodations and corresponding
with parents and faculty. She spoke about the impact she’s seen DSS have on students.
“[Students] come in seeming so distraught, and they want a meeting with Janhil, and we set it up
and get it all taken care of,” Schwartz said. “Then, towards the end of the semester, seeing how
calm they are when they come in for their test, they’ve got it under control [and] they feel okay
again.”
Schwartz also explained how the online application system aids professors.
“Obviously [professors] can’t see confidential information, like what the diagnosis is, but they
can see students requesting tests with [DSS],” Schwartz said. “They can upload the tests, give
instructions for how to proctor a test, stuff like that.”
Acheta emphasized the confidential nature of the requests.
“Accommodations are not on your transcripts,” she said. “No one know has to know except the
professor.”
According to Ancheta, this privacy is central to the services her office provides. Being able to
articulate needs to their professors is a tool she seeks to sharpen in students.
“I just want students to know we’re here,” Ancheta said.
