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Campus Review
October 8, 2014
Page 22
Tameeka Hunter Appointed
Director of the Disability Resource Center
The Division of
Student Affairs at
Clayton
State
University is wel-
coming Tameeka
Hunter as the new
director of the
Disability Resource
Center
(DRC).
Hunter has served
as assistant director of DRC since 2008.
Her selection as the director is the result
of a comprehensive search to fill the posi-
tion vacated when Louise Bedrossian
retired last month.
“Under Ms. Hunter’s leadership, the DRC
will continue its mission of creating an
accessible, inclusive campus where stu-
dents with disabilities have an equal
opportunity to fully participate in and
benefit from all aspects of the educational
environment while also serving as a
resource for students, faculty, staff and the
community regarding disability issues,”
says Dr. Angelyn Hayes, Clayton State
assistant vice president for Student Affairs.
Clayton State is known for empowering
its students. From faculty members
empowering students and to students
empowering faculty members, the
University strives to increase empower-
ment for any individual involved on campus.
One individual in particular who defines
empowerment is Hunter, who has long been
known for exceptionally providing accom-
modations to students with disabilities.
An Athens, Ga., native, Hunter has lived
and worked around the Atlanta area for
more than 10 years. In addition to her
being a nationally-certified Rehabilitation
Counselor, Hunter holds a Masters
Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling
which provides her with medical knowl-
edge of various disabilities as well as
additional knowledge on counseling inter-
ventions.
Prior to her employment with Clayton
State, she served for six-and-a-half years
at Georgia Tech as the Disability Services
Specialist. Before she received her job at
Tech, Ms. Hunter was appointed as the
Disability Affairs Coordinator for the City
of Atlanta, Mayor’s Office.
“Working with people who have disabili-
ties is not merely a profession for me, but
rather a passion,” says Hunter. “Early on,
I realized I wanted to work with students
who have disabilities.”
Hunter has demonstrated this passion and
proven strong leadership skills throughout
her work experience by being appointed
to the Georgia Governor’s Council on
Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) in
2002 by Governor Barnes, and reappoint-
ed in 2005 by Governor Perdue. She was
also named the 2008 C. Anthony
Cunningham Council Member of the Year
and was elected 2008 Vice Chair of the
Council.
Knowing she could continue that passion
and continue doing what she loves, she
chose to provide all of her experience,
knowledge and willingness to help others
with disabilities at Clayton State.
“I am proud to work at a university that
provides such a quality education,” says
Hunter. “Another thing I really love about
Clayton State is the familial campus cli-
mate; there is a true feeling of community
here.”
One thing she enjoys most about her job is
the fact that she can empower students by
helping them to discover what is possible
despite their disabilities. She enjoys
working for a department that provides
more than enough assistance to students
with disabilities.
“We equip them with the tools, technolo-
gy, and training necessary to help them
reach their full potential and achieve their
goals. What I enjoy most about working in
my department is helping students discover
the power of possibility. I enjoy being a cat-
alyst for student discovery, empowerment,
and self-advocacy,” she says.
The DRC offers a myriad of services,
accommodations, and training opportuni-
ties for people with disabilities, as well as
the campus community. In general,
Clayton State prides itself on the ability to
empower students, faculty and staff
through departments on campus as well as
the classes that are taught by some of the
most educated professors.
As an individual with her own disability,
cerebral palsy, Hunter believes that
empowerment comes as a result of being
an example.
“As a child growing up, I did not see
many career professionals who had obvi-
ous disabilities, like mine. I decided that
if I did not see an example, I wanted to be
an example for other people with disabili-
ties, and my desire to work with the dis-
ability community was born,” she states.
Being an example is exactly what she did.
Earlier in her employment at Clayton
State, she met an undergraduate student
who was concerned that he would have
limited employment opportunities.
Despite being extremely intelligent and
capable, he was nervous about how poten-
tial employers would react to his disabili-
ty and worried that he would miss out on
great career opportunities.
Over time, Hunter and the student devel-
oped an amazing relationship that
empowered him to go out and reach his
goals. Hunter shared with him her road to
obtaining an amazing career as a person
with a disability, and he confided in her
because not only did she have the formal
education in the field of disability, but she
shared the same disability with this stu-
dent.
The student has since earned both his
undergraduate and graduate degrees in
psychology
from
Clayton
State
University, and is now contributing to the
University in a professional capacity. His
dreams had truly been made real.
As a person with her own disability, the
new director of the DRC is making her
dreams real by providing the guidance
and knowledge to others, with a disability
or without, in hopes that they can, too, one
day make their dreams real.