By: Kristian L. Woodward
Coordinator, Disability Services
UGA Disability Resource Center

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is a department of the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Georgia. The DRC assists UGA in educating and serving students with disabilities. We promote equal educational opportunities at UGA for students who have a disability. 

The DRC serves nearly 2,000 students with diagnoses such as ADHD, anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing impairments, learning disorders, paralysis and visual impairments. The DRC provides students with accommodations such as alternative text (e.g., digital textbooks, audiobooks), assistive listening devices, assistive technology (e.g., speech-to-text software), captioned media, notetakers, preferential seating in classrooms, extended test time, reduced distraction test environments and improved campus accessibility.

Unlike K-12, universities are not required to identify students who need disability accommodations, and college students must self-identify and register with the DRC to receive services. The confidentiality of students who register with the DRC is protected, and services are not noted on transcripts.

If you’re uncertain about your eligibility, we would love to determine if we can assist you. Please contact us by telephone or visit our office between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To register with our office, follow the simple procedures that can be found on the DRC website.

The DRC prides itself on being a “one stop shop.”  We strive to assist students ourselves instead of referring them to outside agencies. For instance, the DRC has an Alternative Text office, Assistive Technology lab and an Accommodated Testing office. The Alternative Text office provides services such as converting textbooks to digital PDFs and audiobooks. The Assistive Technology lab allows students to explore and sometimes borrow new technology. The lab houses speech-to-text and text-to-speech software, equipment to enlarge or reformat texts and 11 fully-equipped, state-of-the-art computers. The Accommodated Testing office provides a low-distraction environment, scribes and extended test time for students with disabilities to complete tests outside of the standard testing environment. The DRC also provides Sign Language interpreting and C-Print captioning for UGA students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

We do sometimes refer students to other offices on or off campus. For example, we do not provide evaluations, diagnoses, therapy or counseling at the DRC. But, we are ready to refer students to other qualified offices as needed.

We hope this information has provided you with greater insight into who we are and what we do. We would love to meet you and explore opportunities for partnering together to enhance your academic experience at UGA. All the best, and Go Dawgs!

For additional information, please visit the Disability Resource Center website, stop by our office in Clark Howell Hall or call us at 706-542-8719.