The year and the fall semester are coming to a close so the staff here at the Office of Disability Services want to wish all of our students, families, colleagues, and friends a restful winter break. We have had another great year serving a record number of students with disabilities at Ball State. We strive to provide access and opportunity for the students registered with our office and we have been fortunate to work with many fine faculty and staff to achieve those goals.

As Director, I want to especially thank the two DS Assistant Directors, Jordan Grammas and Betsy Kiel. Not only do they do their daily work with big smiles and bright attitudes, but they also take on new, innovative projects – like the Summer Bridge program for students with disabilities. It’s the first of its kind here at BSU – where we helped several new students get acclimated to BSU and transition into their first semester of college. I am so appreciative of Betsy & Jordan’s hard work and their senses of humor.

I’m also grateful for the DS Administrative Coordinator, Sharon Harper. Sharon is the glue that holds our office together and we could not function without her knowledge base and hard work. We have also been fortunate to have three undergraduate student employees and three graduate student workers this semester. Joey, James, and Catherine have been wonderful assets to our office as undergraduates. They are often the first contact for people when they reach out to us and they do a great job telling students, families, faculty, staff and others the basic information they need to know.

Our graduate assistant, Mack, tackles anything and everything we ask her to do. She knows our processes and policies inside and out and is great with background research. Kyle and Payton served as our graduate practicum students this semester and I really enjoyed their perspective on our accommodations and other processes. I feel incredibly lucky to have had all these students on the staff this semester.

Best wishes for a restorative holiday season. Thank you for being a part of the Disability Services family.

Sincerely,
Dr. Courtney Jarrett
Director, Disability Services

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