ABERDEEN, S.D. – Alissa Leier will soon complete a successful college career – the honors student and TRIO Student Support Services peer mentor is on track to graduate from Northern State University ahead of schedule next December.
It’s an impressive accomplishment, and it’s thanks in part to the NSU Disability Services Office.
“I definitely wouldn’t be able to graduate early, if at all, without it,” said Leier, a psychology major from Strasburg, N.D.
Leier has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Through the NSU Disability Services Office, she receives extended test time, as well as the opportunity to use a laptop for note-taking.
Northern’s Disability Services Office provides a range of services across campus in any venue for Northern students who have disabilities.
“We do whatever we can to help,” said NSU Director of Disability Services Doris Stusiak.
Every year, 20-plus students with disabilities get their bachelor’s degrees, Stusiak said. The last three years, at least one student has earned a master’s degree, and one or two have gotten associate degrees. Also, about a quarter of her students make the dean’s list every semester.
Student Numbers Rising
Last year, 192 students were registered with her office; of those, 144 utilized services at least some point throughout the year. That is up from 95 registered and 75 utilizing services when she started the position six years ago.
Stusiak attributes the increase to more students being aware of the services available, as well as more students taking advantage of services for a temporary disability such as a concussion diagnosis.
The largest group served by the office are those with mental health and emotional health issues such as anxiety and depression. The next largest group is students with learning disabilities. There are also students with mobility issues, other health issues such as diabetes or Crohn’s disease, students on the autism spectrum, students with visual impairments, hard of hearing and deaf students, as well as students with traumatic brain injury and PTSD.
Alternative testing is the most common academic service offered, Stusiak said. Last year, her office provided about 1,000 hours of testing. This is a need that touches a variety of disabilities, she said, including learning and intellectual disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, mobility issues, or emotional disabilities such as anxiety.
Provided Interpreter, Accessibility
Lexi Satterfield, a senior from Harrisburg, Ill., said the Disability Services Office has helped her a lot.
“They’ve provided me with an interpreter,” said Satterfield, who is majoring in general studies. “They’ve allowed me to come in here with my testing, so I do actually get more time as well.”
Tyler Goldade, a junior from Aberdeen who uses a wheelchair for mobility, also utilizes testing services for a few of his classes.
A graphic design major and business minor, Goldade said he chose NSU because it’s close to home and offered his programs. But also, he said, “they are one of the campuses I could tour and know what was accessible right off-hand.”
Now, every semester before classes begin, the Disability Services Office assures that everything is accessible. If issues arise, they are fixed – such as with a lift that goes up into one of the art classrooms.
“They were really good about getting it fixed when it was broken or finding another way to get me to class,” Goldade said.
Other Services Offered
Academic services provided by the NSU Disability Services Office also include accessible classroom spaces, adaptive technology such as alternative textbook format; assistive learning devices like text to speech; captioning for film and video materials, early access to syllabus, interpreters for the deaf, and medical needs.
While academics is the main area covered, Stusiak said other services include dining services or residence hall accommodations, such as requiring a single room. Her office also provides interpreters outside of classroom settings, such as athletic practices or theater performances if a student wants to attend a play.
Her office also starts the initial process for students needing emotional support animals, though ultimately a committee makes that decision, she said.
Stusiak also keeps an eye out across campus for potential obstacles for students with disabilities – a door that opens out, vending machines with buttons that aren’t tactile.
The office will also sometimes assist community members and visitors to campus. For example, last spring, a student graduated whose grandmother is deaf, and Disability Services provided an interpreter and arranged for special seating. They will also assure wheelchair accessibility if needed for campus visitors.
Helped Shape Services at NSU
When Leier first came to Northern, the Disability Services Office wasn’t her primary consideration. Though she used some services, she wasn’t using a wheelchair then. But her disease has since progressed.
“It kind of became more of a thing I needed over time,” Leier explained.
When Leier first toured campus with her parents, Stusiak asked her to “be our eyes and ears” so they could see through her eyes what spaces are truly accessible. She then gathered stakeholders to try to work on areas that needed improvement.
“We got some things done, but we still have a long way to go,” Stusiak said.
That means continuous monitoring and correction as needed, whether it’s doors that don’t have buttons for automatic opening – or doors that do, but need to be adjusted so they don’t close too quickly for a wheelchair to pass through.
Leier pointed out that even something technically compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act isn’t always completely accessible. During her first year, she lived in Kramer Hall, which has a chair lift from the main floor to the second floor. But the chair lift did not go to the basement, where the laundry is located, she said. It worked for her then but wouldn’t now that she uses a wheelchair.
To others on campus, Leier asks that they listen to students with disabilities.
“You never know who you’re going to meet, what they’re going to be like,” she said. “You can’t look at them and make judgments.”
Self-Advocacy Crucial
Stusiak said self-advocacy is crucial at the post-secondary level – her office cannot reach out to students unless they request services. So if a student has a need, they must bring it to her attention.
“I always count on my students to tell me if they’re not getting what they’re supposed to be,” Stusiak said. “Because if I don’t know, I assume they are. And more times than not … I’ll find out after class is done that a professor didn’t caption their films for a student who is deaf.
To students with disabilities looking to attend college, Goldade recommended: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Satterfield had similar advice.
“I think if you have a disability you need to learn how to advocate for yourself for one, and then you can ask for services if you need them,” Satterfield said. “You don’t need to be embarrassed about it. Just be straight up and honest and ask for what you need.”
Leier encourages students with disabilities to be prepared to use their voice.
“You’re going to have to fight. No matter if you go there and it seems accessible or not, things are going to come up. And it’s going to take a lot of fighting,” she said. “If you want to do it on your own independently, your mouth can’t stay shut or nothing’s going to get done. For future students, too. It’s not just about you. It’s about others.”
For more information on services available to NSU students with disabilities at NSU, visit NSU Disability Services.
Pictured, top to bottom: Alissa Leier; Lexi Satterfield; Tyler Goldade with Doris Stusiak
About Northern State University
Northern State University is a regional university that offers outstanding academics and exceptional extracurricular activities at an affordable price on a safe, welcoming campus. Northern State recently announced its Educational Impact Campaign, with a goal of raising $55 million for a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, new athletic and recreation fields, and an on-campus regional sports complex. Once the campaign is complete, NSU will be the recipient of more than $100 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.