Message from the DS Director, Dr. Courtney Jarrett 

As the Fall 2022 semester closes and we jump into Winter Break, I took time to reflect on the tremendous semester we had in the Office of Disability Services. As with every semester, there were highs and lows, but there are plenty of successes to share. Here are some highlights. 

First, we received funding to hire a third professional staff person as the new Assistant Director of Disability Services for Outreach. After a national search, we made an offer to Betsy Kiel, who accepted immediately. Betsy has three degrees from Ball State and spent some time working in the DS office while in graduate school. 

She also has experience teaching and providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities. Finally, this new role is geared toward accessible programming and individual student outreach; both of which Betsy has experience with from her graduate assistantship in Women’s and Gender Studies. Betsy started in the office full-time earlier this semester and we’ve already noticed the difference. Her help and hard work have been invaluable! 

Ball State was also recognized again as one of the “15 Best Disability Friendly Colleges in 2023.” The article mentions that BSU “maintains a welcoming campus, with accessible housing to wheelchair sports and attendant care. Adjustable chairs and tables in the classroom allow students to learn comfortably regardless of their disability. Ball State also provides on-campus transportation to and from classes that are both safe and convenient.” While we don’t do this work for the recognition, it is nice to be noticed for our continued accessibility efforts. For more details, please see: https://www.premiumschools.org/best-disability-friendly-colleges/ 

I appreciate you taking the time to read our blog and support the BSU Office of Disability Services. If you’d like to support our work with a donation, donate here: https://connect.bsu.edu/18/give In the drop down menu, choose Other then enter 8603 which is our fund #. Then you should be able to choose your donation amount under that. 

Best wishes for a restful & enjoyable holiday season!

Director Dr. Courtney Jarrett's signature

Courtney Jarrett, Ed.D.
Director, Disability Services