SJSU’s Accessible Education Center: Supporting Students During Finals Week and Beyond

Dane Lentz, ‘08 Theater, a staff ASL interpreter for the AEC, stands outside of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing office location during the fall 2024 semester’s finals week. 

For the past 52 years, San José State’s Accessible Education Center (AEC) has been dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities are able to fully participate in university programs and services. And finals week is no exception. 

Leading up to the fall 2024 semester’s finals week, AEC’s staff and student assistants worked diligently to prepare testing accommodations for over 650 students. The process started on November 1. 

“It’s kind of like playing Tetris,”says Ignacia Villavelazquez-Hill, director of the AEC. “We come up with seating that supports everybody’s individualized accommodations.” 

To serve the high volume of students during finals week, AEC utilizes various spaces across campus, setting up testing centers in places like their Deaf and Hard of Hearing office in the Industrial Studies building and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. AEC staff members have even opened up their own individual office spaces for students to take their tests. 

“Finals season is a busy time for all of us. We all jump in and do it together,” says Marilynn Flippin, who is a counselor and coordinator of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program. 

The AEC has a dedicated staff of 15 full-time employees and 12 student assistants who work throughout finals week in shifts to ensure that all students receive the support they need. Some AEC staff members come in at 6am to start setting up so they can open the doors at 8am for students. Testing goes from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. each day. 

“I love being that extra support and helping the students achieve their goals,” says Dane Lentz, ‘08 Theater, a staff ASL interpreter for the AEC.

Randy Rodriguez (left) is an autism coordinator and counselor for the AEC; and Marilynn Flippin (right) is a counselor and coordinator of the AEC’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing program.

There are staff members at each testing site, and Villavelazquez-Hill floats around as needed or helps to offer support to walk-ins. There’s also a dedicated runner that goes around all day to the testing sites to collect completed exams and run them back to the AEC office. The exams are then sorted and delivered to the proper faculty members. 

“It’s controlled chaos,” says Villavelazquez-Hill. “If you walked into the center on a finals day, you wouldn’t know that there are so many moving pieces.”

AEC’s Impact

In addition to finals week, AEC provides year-round support to students with disabilities. 

“It’s not just this finals period that we’re busy. It never stops. I have a great staff. They are troopers, and they adjust,” says Villavelazquez-Hill. 

The center’s services include housing accommodations, outreach to local schools, workshops for specific populations and crisis counseling. AEC also has a program for students on the spectrum and is currently working on opening a sensory room in the library for registered students.

During the fall 2024 semester, the AEC has served about 1600 students. 

Randy Rodriguez is an autism coordinator and counselor for the AEC. For him, there is nothing more fulfilling than students expressing their gratitude. 

“It really makes me feel good to know I was able to do something and provide a service to help students,” says Rodriguez.  

Villavelazquez-Hill, who has served as AEC’s director for three years, has worked at the center for a total of 18 years. For her, it’s immensely gratifying to witness the impact that the AEC’s work has had on countless students.  

“One thing that people don’t realize about AEC is that we are everywhere on this campus, from before a student arrives, all the way to post-graduation,” says Villavelazquez-Hill. “Sometimes alumni need accommodations for things like standardized testing. And if a student is taking part in an event, activity or class, we’re always there. We’re in the background of everything. We work with every department on campus, every program and every organization.” 

Learn more about the Accessible Education Center here.