SIUE Faculty, Staff and Students Receive ACCESS Awards

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Office for Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) hailed the late disability rights activist Ed Roberts as a hero and pioneering leader. ACCESS also praised SIUE faculty, staff and students for their part in moving access rights forward during its 6th Annual Ed Roberts Champions of Accessibility Celebration and Awards on Monday, March 17. Roberts contracted polio that paralyzed him from the neck down and required him to use an iron lung or respirator to breathe, but it did not keep him from being the first wheelchair user to attend the University of California, Berkeley. 

The awards ceremony was the highlight of the program. 

“One of the ways that we recognize people on this campus who embody the spirit of Ed Roberts is through our Defender of Equity Awards,” said ACCESS Director Dominic Dorsey. “Many times, we talk about the disability rights movement as a social justice movement. But when we talk about social justice, it’s always through the lens of equality.” 

What is needed is equity, because equity will meet the needs of the individual, he informed the audience. 

Dorsey went on to announce the following winners: 

• Defender of Equity Award for Faculty – Maurina Aranda, PhD
• Defender of Equity Award for Staff – Ashley Jones
• Messenger of Inclusion Award (Student) – Makayla Rowe 

“I use Universal Design for Learning principles in my courses,” said Aranda, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “Then, I recently helped create tactile materials to support blind students in my BIO111 course. I also worked with the Office of ACCESS to purchase tactile materials.” 

“Everybody deserves the right to learn,” added Aranda “We need diverse voices in our scientific community, and that needs to include those with accessibility challenges.” 

Jones, program coordinator for community engagement with SIUE’s Kimmel Belonging and Engagement Hub, also voiced her beliefs on access after receiving her award. Jones believes that all students should be able to have a pleasant dining experience, so much so that she initiated Helping Hands. 

“I launched Helping Hands, a volunteer initiative that stations students, faculty, and staff in the Center Court of Morris University Center Dining during lunch and dinner hours to assist anyone with disabilities who may need help retrieving their meals,” explained Jones. “This semester, after New Horizons President Emily Milano, raised additional concerns, I expanded Helping Hands into the program, Campus Companions, which allows for the assistance to extend across campus. Through these initiatives, my goal is to not only ensure that folks with disabilities have immediate access and support, but also to foster greater awareness of disability culture and the resilience of these individuals. By encouraging empathy and engagement, I hope to cultivate a more inclusive and supportive campus community.” 

The guest speaker for the celebration was SIUE alumna Leighann Fuller, Student Success coach in the Office of First Year and Transitional Advising. 

“It’s not a question as to if anyone in this room will face adversity,” noted Fuller. “It is a question of when.” 

As a child, Fuller was in constant pain because of rheumatoid arthritis. At the age of 14, the same age that Roberts contracted polio, Fuller developed glaucoma in both of her eyes, loosing most of her sight in her right eye. Approximately 10 years ago, the eye condition deteriorated in her left eye, causing her to lose sight in that eye as well. Fuller started working at SIUE in 2022 and enrolled in a master’s degree program in kinesiology in 2023. 

“It worsened to the point that I honestly thought my life was over,” shared Fuller. “I went to my doctor and asked him if I was legally blind, and he said, ‘yes.’ I want to share the rough parts with you, because what’s behind having a disability is hard. I cried every day for a couple of hours a day. I felt bad for my kids. Then it hit me that my kids needed a functional parent, and I needed to go back to work.” 

“I didn’t want to give up, but I didn’t see, literally and figuratively, the path forward for me,” Fuller said, joining in with the laughter in the room. “But I knew my life wasn’t over. My kids needed me, and I needed to accomplish the purpose I was set on this Earth for.” 

Fuller reached out to Kaitlyn Hall, SIUE graduate student who was born blind, and the Office of ACCESS. She received encouragement, compassion, and much needed practical help. 

“I learned how to use a screen reader,” Fuller continued. “I continued to cry at first. Doing the simplest of things was a battle. I just kept reminding myself, ‘I don’t give up. I don’t give up. I don’t give up.’” Fuller completed her master’s degree at SIUE in December 2024. 

Also, on the program were students who shared their struggles and victories as part of the State of Accessibility Address. 

• Bruce Wilkerson, freshman, history major
• Emily Milano, senior, human resources management major, president of New Horizons
• Kathryn Roeck, senior, history major
• Robert Figueroa, junior, psychology major
• Maddison Proctor, sophomore, secondary English education
• Ximena Verduzco Gil, senior, College of Arts and Sciences 

“I was the student senator for disabilities,” said Wilkerson, who has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  “And through that I was able to help students with disabilities, whether it was mental or physical. I have an opportunity to grow and help these students achieve their dreams.

My dream is to help as many people as I can.” 

“One of the bad things I want to mention is that ACCESS is not getting enough funding,” Wilkerson continued, to a round of applause in the room. “I believe that ACCESS can help so many more people. It just needs to have the proper funding.” 

ACCESS staff and students helping with the Awards Celebration included Taylor Cross, assistant director of inclusive compliance; Natash Kabir, sociology graduate student; Emma Barham, senior, social work practicum; and Rebecca Lunn, senior, social work practicum. 

Office for Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS)

Formerly Disability Support Services, ACCESS is dedicated to providing reasonable curricular and co-curricular accommodations to diverse learners with major life impairments at SIUE. Each year, ACCESS assists hundreds of students with a variety of diagnoses as they pursue their academic disciplines. ACCESS also provides resources which students can use to increase skills in learning, time management, and test-taking. Both accommodations and resources are offered to students who have provided appropriate documentation and are approved through the application process. 

Photos: Students, faculty and staff participated in the Office of ACCESS’s 6^th Annual Ed Roberts Champions of Accessibility Celebration and Awards on Monday, March 17.

First row, left to right: Emily Milano, Maddison Proctor and Robert Figueroa.
Second row, left to right: Dominic Dorsey, Bruce Wilkerson, and Ashley Jones (left) and Makayla Rowe. Third row, left to right: Ximena Verduzco Gil, Leighann Fuller, Kathryn Roeck and Dr. Maurina Aranda.