Jackson College is making it easier than ever for students with disabilities to access the resources they need to succeed. The college has integrated the Symplicity Accommodate platform, an accessibility services management system that helps students easily access the school’s Accessibility Services Office.  

Accommodations and Student Resources Coordinator Ariel Maturine says the user-friendly system is a game-changer for both students and staff.  

“They really couldn’t do anything independently,” she said. “They had to wait on every step from everybody from our department to reach out to them and coordinate those services. We really wanted to put the power back in the hands of the students. This is their education. They’re starting this journey to do whatever their future may look like and we wanted to make sure that they had everything they needed to have the tools to be successful.” 

From the initial request form to sending out accommodation letters to students and faculty, the managers in the Accessibility Services office can tailor the system to their needs and efficiently track where students are in the process. The system will integrate with the school’s student information system.  

Students can book their exams to use their testing accommodations while faculty can upload exam materials directly. There is an alt format module for students who need to request textbook materials in formats such as audio, digital or braille. Students can be assigned peer note takers, staff interpreters and cart transcribers.  

“It automates those processes which frees up time to do the things that actually are more important,” Accommodate Client Manager Amy Jobst said. “People don’t get into disability services to process. It really is about serving the students and helping build a community on those campuses that support students with disabilities.” 

According to Maturine the impact has been immediate. About two and a half percent of the student population utilizes Accommodate with a 200 percent increase in students completing the intake form and starting accommodations processes.  

“We’ve seen an uptick in students requesting accommodation services,” she said. “There are several data points out there to tell you that students really don’t report disabilities – visible or invisible – so we really wanted to make it easier for student to have the ability to do so. We’re trying to market those students to make sure they have those supportive services, because they don’t know that they’re eligible for them or they may not know that what they’re going through needs some extra support that we’re happy to make sure they have.” 

Building Connections

Beyond efficiency, the platform has helped build more student connections. 

“More students are now coming in and engaging with us,” Maturine said. “They’re attending tutoring services. It’s great to build those connections. We really lost those during the COVID years, so our team has been doing a lot to improve that outreach, to have students come in. Accommodate gives us the ability to do so.” 

Students interested in learning more about accessibility services at Jackson college can click here. All information is private and is not shared without the student’s permission.  

Jobst praised Jackson College for its commitment to the project. 

“Jackson College has been an amazing partner,” Jobst said. “From the beginning they have been go getters. Ariel and her team were dedicated during implementation, learning and practicing the system. Jackson’s IT department was also involved in each step. They worked to understand what the needs of the office was and how data from the student information system needed to be brought over. They’re really using this to make sure that the focus on students is being served.”