Topics: Student Affairs, Administrative
January 13, 2009
Ball State has received a three-year, $427,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will enhance the university's ability to provide increased benefits to students with disabilities.
The Ensuring a Quality Education for Indiana's Students with Disabilities grant will enable the university to increase its faculty mentoring and tutoring programs. It also will help create a lecture series and high school outreach program.
The university will expand its faculty mentorship program, which this year will bring together 45 faculty members from all seven colleges and 33 departments who volunteer to mentor a student who has a disability, providing leadership, guidance and resources throughout their college experience. Visit www.bsu.edu/dsd/participants for a complete list of faculty mentors.
A lecture series, which will include 15 speakers over the next three years, also has been formed to educate faculty and staff on best practices and current issues when working with students who have disabilities.
The university's Learning Center will expand its tutoring and study strategies assistance by providing additional training for its tutors in order to better work with students who have disabilities.
Ball State also will work with Indiana high schools to facilitate speaking engagements and outreach opportunities, designed to assist students with disabilities in their transition to college. Other efforts will include creating and distributing educational brochures and DVDs to all Indiana school systems.
Larry Markle, director of Disabled Student Development, says the grant will not only provide the necessary means to extend the many services and programs Ball State already offers, but also educate faculty on how to better work with and accommodate students with disabilities in the classroom.
"With all of our classrooms already accessible to every student, the cornerstone of this initiative will be to help build healthy, long-lasting relationships between faculty and students with disabilities," Markle says. "The creation and expansion of these programs and services will allow every student equal opportunity to succeed at the university."
For more information, log on to www.bsu.edu/dsd or contact Markle at 765-285-5293.