The traditional classroom set up can be challenging for students with disabilities. The Disability Resources Testing Center creates an environment that ensures student’s tests are fully accessible and that they can receive all of their accommodations.

The testing center is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. most weekdays, serving hundreds of students on busy days. A day operating the center starts at 7:30 a.m., said Maria Ortega, Disability Resources associate director. Students can arrive starting at 7:45 a.m. for 8 a.m. tests.  Each student is checked in individually so staff can ensure that they receive correct accommodations which might include a test scribe or specialized equipment. Students are proctored via cameras that are monitored by staff. While tests are running, office staff is already preparing for upcoming tests by scheduling exams, printing test booklets, and communicating with faculty and students.

All this is facilitated by just five full time staff members, a program coordinator, and a few graduate students. As Texas A&M’s student population grows and the testing center is utilized by more and more Aggies, staff have had to think of innovative ways to continue to serve students.

“No one is really doing it to this scale,” said Ortega. “We are continuously thinking of creative ways to address issues with the least amount of impact to our Aggies and making sure that they continue to have a good experience when they're here.”

This has looked like booking conference rooms to serve as overflow space on busy testing days, recruiting volunteer proctors, and changing the way finals are administered. “The cool thing about Aggieland I think is that we're always thinking about the student experience,” Ortega said.

The testing center reduces visual distractions and has space to accommodate wheelchairs, scribes, readers or other adaptive equipment as needed. The center gives faculty the ability to provide accommodations without the time or space constraints of administering them in the classroom.

“The testing center helps me be on the same level as my peers. I know the material like they do, but I have disabilities that prevent me from keeping up,” said student veteran Rachel Wheless- Smith ’24. She said that without the testing center, her dreams of graduating with her degree in biochemistry, obtaining her master’s and pursuing a career in public health wouldn’t be possible.

Donations to Disability Resources directly support the department’s vision of a campus community in which students with disabilities are equal members without barriers. To be a part of this vision, you can give online to the Disability Resources Improvement Fund.