Ball State Disability Services Marks 50 Years of Expanding Access and Opportunity

Ball State’s Office of Disability Services currently supports more than 5,100 students with disabilities through accommodations, mentoring, and campus partnerships that help students succeed academically and feel a sense of belonging.

Providing students with the resources they need to succeed in college begins with ensuring that all students have access to education. That means offering accommodations, tools, and support that help them excel academically and feel a sense of belonging on campus.

Ball State’s Office of Disability Services (DS) plays a vital role in that work.

Disability Services strives to foster an accessible, opportunity-rich environment for students with disabilities. The office’s staff supports more than 5,100 students with disabilities as they pursue their academic and professional goals, often through strategic collaborations and partnerships across campus.

Assistance that empowers

Ball State junior Amelia Stirm, who has cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair to get around campus, uses essential DS-facilitated accommodations—including the on-demand shuttle, flexibility with class arrival times, access to a reader and scribe for tests, extra time for assignments and tests, and the option to take tests in a separate room, as needed.

Having this support, Ms. Stirm said, gives her access to education, an inclusive college experience, and something else she values: independence.

“I love being independent,” Ms. Stirm said, with a burst of enthusiasm. “DS provides me with the appropriate accommodations I need for my classes and everything—and I am grateful for that. But I do the classwork and projects, and take tests, just like other students.

“Still, I keep in touch with my parents every day so they know I’m doing well,” she added. “I’m 60 miles away from them, and I know they can’t just hop in a car and get to me quickly. But I’m doing fine.”

Other services and accommodations offered through or facilitated by DS include note-taking technology or scribes, and sign language interpreting and/or captioning services.

Decades of service, impactful collaborations

During the 2023-24 academic year, the Office of Disability Services celebrated its 50th anniversary—a testament to Ball State’s longstanding commitment to students and their success. The office has a long history of contributing to the University’s mission to provide students with the foundation for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives.

One important collaboration, with Ball State’s Office of Student Life, resulted in CARDS, a Summer Bridge program designed to ease the transition to college life for students with disabilities. CARDS stands for Connecting Accessible Resources with Disability Services. August 2025 marked CARDS’ third year. Ms. Stirm was among the student participants in the program’s pilot year.

“I’m grateful for the CARDS program,” she said. “That’s when I started meeting people and was able to adjust to life as a college student, which was big for me.”

Another successful collaboration is with faculty across campus on Disability Services’ Faculty Mentorship Program, which makes one-on-one connections between incoming students with disabilities and a faculty member in the student’s major. In its 16 years of existence, the program has served more than 700 students.

“I am incredibly proud of the work we do,” said Dr. Courtney Jarrett, ’04 MA ’07 EdD ’12, director of the Office of Disability Services. “And, I am grateful for our campus partners who collaborate with the DS office to support these students in the classroom and beyond.”

Students being seen, celebrated

Each year, DS hosts an awards program that recognizes students with disabilities who have made exceptional achievements. For example, the Markle Award is given to a student who is excelling at Ball State and has completed an internship at Eskenazi Health through the Fehribach Center. During the 2024-25 academic year, Taylor Bowen, ’24, was the recipient of the Markle Award.

Additionally, DS acknowledges faculty and staff whose efforts contribute to Ball State being a disability-friendly campus. The Accessible Teacher Award recipients for 2024-25 were Becky Satterfield, ’99 MAE ’19, from the Department of Family Studies and Gracie Sherrow, ’23 MA ’25, from the Department of Media, recognized for their efforts to ensure student access. That same year, four staff members received Access Awards for going above and beyond in promoting disability access on campus.

Another way DS shows students they and their needs are being seen is through the connection and trust they build with students.

“If I have an issue DS can help me with, I know I can go to the people there and they will help me,” Ms. Stirm said. “I know the people there. I feel comfortable with them. I trust them.”