Fresno State student Ruben Lopez gets instructions on how to use the closed-circuit television (CCTV) for the visually impaired located in the Services for Students with Disabilities Adaptive Technology Lab on campus. Demonstrating the instrument are lab assistant Taline Kasparian while Carlos Diaz, disability management specialist, observes.

Disability Awareness Week will be observed at California State University, Fresno Oct. 19 -22 in the new Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office in the Henry Madden Library, Suite 1202 and other locations.

The observance, sponsored by SSD and University Health and Psychological Services, will include a tour of the new SSD Adaptive Technology Lab on Wednesday, discussion panels and presentations and informational fairs.

Services for Students with Disabilities coordinates academic support services for students and provides counseling, registration assistance, blue curb parking, testing services, orientation and advocates with off-campus agencies to help individuals with disabilities.

The new SSD office is housed on the ground floor of the south library wing, next to the south elevators. It features additional testing rooms and an expanded Adaptive Technology Lab with a separate entrance.

The program, which is part of the Division of Student Affairs, serves 560 current students and more than 100 others preparing for admission to Fresno State in the future. Nearly two-thirds of the students served identify themselves with a hidden disability, including ADD/ADHD and psychological disorders.

This year’s Disability Awareness Fair focus is hidden disabilities, which will be the subject of a student panel at 1 p.m. Tuesday in the library, Room 2206. The Accessible Awareness Technology Fair, scheduled 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, includes multiple campus technology groups to assist with accessible technology and a hands-on experience in the Adaptive Technology Lab.

The office also offers the Scout Program, similar to a campus bus system for students with disabilities, in conjunction with the University Police Department’s Traffic Operations.

The SSD staff, led by director Janice Brown, comprises disability management specialists Jeanette Johnson and Carlos Diaz; Rima Nijmeddin, the testing and reading accommodations coordinator; Lorna Saiz, Accessible Technology Lab coordinator; Holly Philpot, lead interpreter; and Cari Calad, who is coordinates the Scout Program.

For more information, contact Brown at 559.278.2811.

Disability Awareness Week Oct. 19-22 Fresno State
Monday, October 19 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.	OPEN HOUSE - Services for Students w/ Disabilities Henry Madden Library (HML) Suite 1202
Tuesday, October 20 Noon - 1 p.m. 1 - 2 p.m. 3 – 4 p.m.	SSD - Informational Session HML Rm. 2108 Student Panel on Hidden Disabilities HML Rm 2206 Anxiety: Is it A Disability? - Psychological Service’s Presentation HML, Rm. 2108
Wednesday, October 21 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 3 – 4 p.m.	Accessibility Awareness Fair & SSD Adaptive Technology Lab Tour HML - 1st Floor, south wing ADD / ADHD - Psychological Services Presentation HML Rm. 2108
Thursday, October 22 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. 9 - 10 a.m.	Disability Awareness Info & Activities Memorial Court Learning Disabilities - Psychological Services Presentation HML Rm. 2108


Related link:
Services for Students with Disabilities