Tyler Krenzin
Lantern Staff
For Butler, catering to people with disabilities is a must. Butler hosts 280 students.
“It grows everyday,” according to Teressa Eastman, director of disability services. “This includes our Andover campus as well.” Eastman said.
The growing program has and will be a great contributor to excellence at Butler by helping students gain an advantage in their life that would have otherwise been taken away from them by their disability.
The Disability Center is also home to 30 students who serve as note takers for students who may have trouble focusing during notes or cannot physically take their own notes. Note takers are suggested to the center via teachers who have disabled students in their classroom. Along with note takers, Butler also offers other accommodations including: extra time on tests, test readers, registration assistance, tutoring, and coordination with instructors, placement testing and sign language interpreters.
“Sometimes students try to start off on their own, which is great;[however], we are a service available to help them if it becomes too difficult,” Eastman said.
Disability Services also shows the differences that students are to expect fresh out of high school. Butler students must seek the help that they need as it will not be provided unless asked for. Disability Services is also not responsible for finding personal care services. Personal Services are left up to the student to find assistance.
While Butler’s Disability Center can handle students with mental disabilities, they do not fall under HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. They actually fall under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) meaning that all medical documents are confidential, which only authorized staff or Eastman has access to documents.
To contact Disability Services, they can be reached at their office in Andover or El Dorado and by e-mail disability@butlercc.edu.
