AUSTIN FOLKERTSMA
senior editor
austin.folkertsma@my.tccd.edu

NW student Jeremy Glenn Sr. is a retired military veteran and is one of the hundreds of students that receive accommodations for his disabilities through Student Accessibility Resources.

SAR is a service offered districtwide to students with disabilities, aiding them through their academic careers.

Glenn Sr. suffers from a traumatic brain injury and combat post-traumatic stress disorder, which he sustained during his employment in Iraq.

It has affected the way he forms his sentences together, gave him short-term memory loss and made recalling information difficult which makes studying more challenging for him.

“When I first got to TCC, I first got in touch with Ms. [NW student accessibility resources coordinator Paula] Manning,” he said. “I was trying to be assertive because I didn’t want to be pushed around because that’s happened to me at some colleges where they just kind of push you off, but here, she kept reaching out to me.” 

He said he had an issue with the Online Readiness Test TCC requires students to take before registering for an online course. He passed all of the sections, but he couldn’t pass the reading retention and comprehension part. Fortunately, he was able to get it waived via the NW SAR office.   

“One of the big standouts in the NW office is [NW student development assistant] Anita Ohrn,” Glenn Sr. said. “She’s the most positive person on that campus, always quick to give a word of encouragement. I can’t say enough about her.” 

He said adapting from the military to being a civilian has not been easy. 

“I had a lot of work to do, adapting my new normal to my life,” he said. “You go from being a soldier who has it all together to someone who feels like half a man sometimes, and it’s taken a lot of therapy, support from my veteran community and support from the SAR office.”

South student Zachary Chapman said his experience with his disability is positive because people are so much more accepting of him now than when he was younger.

“In grade school, people used to think I was strange, and they used to look at me like I was a space alien from Mars,” Chapman said. 

He said the SAR office has helped him so much and opened so many doors for him in the past few years he’s been at TCC. 

“They gave me that push I needed to get to where I needed to be,” he said. “Just the accommodations alone have been a big help for me. I can’t focus very well, so I really like one of the accommodations I get, which is I’m allowed to be in a quiet room to take my tests.” 

SE student Megan Meier has an undisclosed disability she receives accommodations for.

“Getting accommodations was at first a pretty daunting task for me, but the SE SAR office was incredibly helpful,” Meier said. “I was initially hesitant, worried even, going back to school, especially since as an art student, the art studio seating arrangements and equipment are not friendly for people with physical disabilities because of the high tables and stools.” 

Fortunately for Meier, the SE SAR office was able to work with her and get her equipment and seating arrangements more suitable for her disability. 

“On campus, I feel like pretty much any other student, and other than a few passing glances, everyone pretty much treats me the same as any other able-bodied student,” she said.

Outside of school, she has experienced quite a bit of ableism.

“People feel like they have the right to ask you personal invasive questions or make inappropriate comments just because I happen to be disabled,” she said. “A lady once screamed at me to cover up my prosthetic leg while I was picking up some cereal, but thankfully, nothing like that has happened to me on campus. I feel safe to just exist and be myself here.”