Kennesaw State Student Government Association Director of Academic Affairs J.J. Lopez proposed changing the name of Student Disability Services to Student Accommodation Services at an SGA meeting Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Lopez said she started advocating for the name change because she felt uncomfortable with the negative connotations associated with the term “disability.”
“I think that I would have been much more willing to go get the services had it just been called Accommodation Services,” Lopez said.
Lopez qualifies for SDS accommodations but she said it took her time to get the services she needed due to the name.
“The current name of SDS is offputting to students,” Lopez said. “Students do not want to identify as disabled to get the support they need to excel academically.”
By changing the name, students will be able to receive the accommodations they need without the need to identify as disabled if the term makes them uncomfortable, Lopez believes.
“Changing the department name to Student Accommodation Services eliminates any negative stigma that anyone may have with the department due to them no longer having to self-identify as disabled and [they are] instead received with a hub of resources available to them,” Lopez said.
The name change has support from the entire SGA, some KSU students and student body presidents from universities that have made similar changes, such as Georgia State University, Lopez said.
SDS Director Paula Almond is not against the change but wants to see more support from the student body, Lopez said. Lopez plans to release a petition to the student body to get more support.
“My goal right now is to get a lot of signatures,” Lopez said. “I need a significant amount of the student body to sign so that we can put this into action.”
Once the SDS department sees evidence of student support, the proposal will move up the chain to KSU President Dr. Pamela Whitten and then to the University System of Georgia for approval, Lopez said.
Lopez is uncertain when the name will be changed if approved but plans to meet with Almond again within the month to discuss the progress.
“This change will only ensure that the students who need to receive assistance are actually getting adequate help and that all students at Kennesaw State are able to receive equal opportunity to succeed,” Lopez said.
Other schools such as Georgia State University, University of West Georgia, Valdosta State University and Atlanta Metropolitan State College have all undergone similar name changes, Lopez said. The UWG office is called Accessibility Services, the VSU office is called the Access Office and the AMSC office is called Student Support Services.
