Turn Student Support Into Academic Success: How the Disability Resource Center at University of Nevada Las Vegas Advances Education Accessibility

For thousands of students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, academic achievement depends on more than attending lectures and completing assignments. It depends on access — to course materials, to testing environments that match their needs, and to staff who understand that disability services are a foundation for success rather than an afterthought. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) at UNLV, one of the most established student support offices in the USA, illustrates what happens when a university treats education accessibility as a core institutional priority.

What began as a small office serving roughly 750 students has grown into a comprehensive operation that now supports about 2,500 registered students each year. Behind those numbers are individual stories: a military veteran managing dyslexia on her path to a healthcare career, staff members who once navigated college without the help they now provide, and graduates who credit the center with making their degrees possible. If you are considering UNLV and want to understand how accommodations could support your studies, explore the Disability Resource Center’s services online or write to the office with questions before you apply.

A Model of Student Support: The Growth of UNLV’s Disability Resource Center

When Bryan Hilbert arrived at UNLV in 2015 as director of the Disability Resource Center, the office relied heavily on manual processes. Medical documentation had to be printed, completed, and hand-delivered. Students sometimes commuted to campus for a single use of an assistive device. Anyone who wanted to use a study room for exam proctoring needed written permission from a professor. Compounding the logistical hurdles, the center’s staff and equipment were scattered across several offices around campus.

That changed in August 2022, when the DRC moved into a larger, consolidated space within the Campus Resource Center. The timing mattered. Demand for services was rising steadily, and a unified location allowed staff to centralize testing, assistive technology, and alternative media production under one roof.

Today, approximately 2,500 students are registered with the center, and each academic year DRC staff work directly with around 2,000 students across roughly 4,000 courses. For Hilbert, though, the measure of the office is not volume.

“What is most important to me about my job is that there are bright and capable students who have graduated from UNLV and gone on to great success,” he has said, “and that the supports that we provided those individuals were key to that success.”

What Education Accessibility Looks Like in Practice

Accommodations can sound abstract until you see the tools involved. At UNLV’s Disability Resource Center, education accessibility takes concrete forms designed to remove specific barriers to learning.

Testing Accommodations That Address Real Barriers

The center’s testing facilities include small-group, distraction-mitigated rooms built to minimize auditory and visual distractions during exams. Students with documented needs can receive extended time, take exams in private rooms, or read questions aloud when processing written text is a challenge. Requesting accommodations happens through the DRC’s website, and scheduling exams is handled through the RegisterBlast platform — a process designed to be straightforward once students complete initial registration.

Assistive Technology and Alternative Formats

Beyond testing, the DRC maintains a range of assistive technology that makes coursework accessible:

• Refreshable braille displays that let students with visual impairments take notes and read digital materials through tactile pins that translate text in real time.
• Document enlarger workstations that allow students to independently view and navigate enlarged course materials.
• Kurzweil 3000 software, which uses Optical Character Recognition to convert scanned textbooks into accessible digital formats, adjusting reading zones so students with print and visual disabilities receive the same content as their peers.
• Alternative media production, including specialized equipment that converts physical books into digital formats for students with print disabilities.

Staff also coordinate practical supports such as notetaking services and lab aides for students with limited mobility — work that former student workers describe as essential even when it happens behind the scenes.

If you are weighing whether accommodations could make a difference in your own studies, review the range of services offered through the DRC and write to the team with your questions. A short conversation with a specialist can clarify what documentation you need and which supports match your situation.

Real Students, Real Outcomes: Student Support at Work

The clearest evidence of the center’s impact comes from students who use it. Emoniqueka “Emma” Campbell, an applied health sciences major and U.S. Air Force veteran, first learned about the DRC through UNLV’s Military and Veteran Services Center. A first-generation college student from Los Angeles, Campbell served from 2016 to 2024 as a certified pharmacy technician at Eglin, Travis, and Nellis Air Force bases — experience that inspired her to enroll in UNLV’s School of Integrated Health Sciences.

Campbell uses the testing facilities to manage testing anxiety and dyslexia.

“I typically need more time to read questions and sometimes need to read them aloud — so being able to take the test in a private place with no distractions helps me focus,” she explained.

Her experience points to a shift in mindset that many students with disabilities describe: accommodations stopped feeling like a concession and started functioning like any other academic resource.

“One of the biggest things I learned was that asking for support doesn’t mean that you’re not capable of succeeding,” Campbell said. “Sometimes you just need access to the right resources to give yourself the opportunity to perform at your best.”

She also emphasizes the human element. Knowing she can call the DRC and reach friendly, responsive staff has, in her words, made the entire process feel much less stressful — a reminder that strong student support is as much about relationships as it is about equipment.

Staff Shaped by Lived Experience

Several members of the DRC team bring personal understanding to their work, and that background shapes how students experience student support at the center.

Kat Palma: Connecting Students So No One Feels Alone

Kat Palma, now a disability specialist and communication access coordinator who works primarily with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, started at the DRC as a student worker while completing a bachelor’s degree in nutrition sciences. She processed alternative media, worked with assistive technology and notetaking, and served as a lab aide for students with limited mobility. She graduated in 2024 and returned to the center in her current role.

Palma went through K-12 and much of college without a diagnosis or access to support. Working at the DRC changed how she understood her own experience.

“Working at the DRC made me realize I missed out on an entire community and the support that could have been offered to me,” she said. “So I’ve made it my mission to get my students as connected as possible with our office and our campus partners, so no one else goes through college feeling alone.”

Rebecca Robinson: From Late Diagnosis to Disability Specialist

Rebecca Robinson’s path followed a similar arc. She returned to college at 24 after an earlier attempt, and a professor noticed that her academic struggles followed a pattern and encouraged her to seek an evaluation for a learning disability. Her first accommodations — extended testing time and lecture recordings — gave her the repetition she needed to process and retain information. She describes the effect plainly: the accommodations changed her life.

Robinson went on to earn a degree in liberal studies, complete a teaching credential at California State University San Marcos, support assistive technology services at the university level, and teach in special education before joining UNLV.

Her conclusion after years in the field: “I have met many students that did not view themselves as a learner until they got equitable access to their education.”

Practical Advice for Students Seeking Accommodations in College

The experiences at UNLV offer lessons that apply at universities across the USA. If you are a prospective or current student with a disability, consider the following steps:

• Start before the semester begins. Registration with a disability services office takes time, and accommodations are not retroactive. Contact the office as soon as you accept admission.
• Prepare your documentation. Most centers require medical or psychological documentation of a condition. Ask early what format they accept so you are not scrambling later.
• Reframe what accommodations mean. As Emma Campbell’s experience shows, using accommodations is a strategy, not a statement about ability. Students who adopt this mindset tend to engage with services more consistently and get better results.
• Build a relationship with the staff. The difference between a transactional office and a supportive one is responsiveness. Ask questions, follow up, and treat specialists as partners in your education.
• Use the services you qualify for. Some students register but hesitate to schedule exams or request materials. Consistent use produces consistent results.

If you are ready to take that step, schedule a meeting with a disability services office at your institution — or, if you are considering UNLV, contact the Disability Resource Center directly to discuss your needs. Have questions about a specific accommodation? Write to the team and ask before the semester starts rather than after.

Why Education Accessibility Matters Across Higher Education in the USA

UNLV’s experience reflects a broader pattern in American higher education. More students than ever arrive on campus with documented disabilities, and institutions that invest in consolidated, well-staffed disability services see the results in retention and graduation. The shift from paper forms and scattered offices to integrated centers with dedicated testing facilities, assistive technology labs, and specialized staff represents meaningful progress in education accessibility nationwide.

For families and educators evaluating universities, the strength of a disability services office should rank alongside academic programs and campus culture. Look for centers that offer proactive outreach, streamlined scheduling, in-house assistive technology, and staff with expertise in specific areas such as communication access. The DRC’s model — pairing practical infrastructure with specialists who understand disability from the inside — offers a useful benchmark for what to expect.

Support That Becomes Success

The story of the Disability Resource Center at the University of Nevada Las Vegas is ultimately a story about outcomes. A veteran preparing for a healthcare career, students reading braille displays in real time, and specialists who once sat in the same seats as the students they now serve all point to the same conclusion: when universities provide the right resources, capable students perform at their best.

If these experiences resonate with you, share your own experiences in the comments below — your perspective may help another student decide to seek support. And if you want to learn more about studying at UNLV or about disability services in higher education, explore our related articles or contact the university’s admissions and Disability Resource Center teams for guidance tailored to your situation.