Office of Student Life
Disability Services

Student Life Disability Services 50th Anniversary

Please note that some of the historical articles linked within this page may contain language that is outdated or no longer considered appropriate by contemporary standards.

Accessible versions of these featured stories are available here:

History

Blind student with aide walking across street

Disability Services: Compliance, Understanding and Change

There are more than 4000 students and nearly 2000 OSU faculty and staff members who endure a wide range of disabilities. The Ohio State University is committed to providing access and accommodations to those in need so they can reach their full potential.

Listen to the stories Ohio State students and staff members as they take the time to reflect on the resources that Student Life Disability Services has provided and the ways in which they have shaped their college experiences.
Two paintings with placards underneath hang on a wall.

Disabled artists showcase talents

In the former location of the Office of Disability Services, Bricker Hall housed a collection of artwork created by students from SLDS.

Aside from bringing incredible artwork to the halls of Ohio State’s campus, the mission of the collection was to spread the message of equity at the intersection of accessibility and art.
A person in a wheelchair, wearing a suit, holds a microphone. Dr. Gordon Gee shakes a volunteer's hand.

Disability volunteers honored

With the help of student volunteers, the Office of Disability Services provided accessibility services to hundreds of students in the 90s.

Former Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee, former academic coordinator at the Office of Disability Services Jim Baker, and Ohio State students expressed their appreciation for the many volunteers who made the office’s work possible.
An article title that reads "Handicapped receive aid" from November 12, 1971.

Handicapped receive aid

In 1971, still it’s first decade of existence, the Office of Disability Services was assisting 689 Ohio State students. With a limited staff at the time, the Office of Disability Services was only just beginning its work of narrowing access
An SLDS banner in red and white featuring buckeye leaves

Accessibility, services attract handicapped to OSU

The presence of the Office for Disability Services greatly impacted the accessibility of Ohio State’s campus and academics, paving the way for a doubling in the number of students with disabilities enrolled at Ohio State in the early 80s.

With the help of a council of students with disabilities, former Director of the Office for Disability Services Warren King was able to prioritize the concerns of students directly facing issues of accessibility on campus.
The facade of Pomerene Hall that faces Mirror Lake

Pomerene makes room for Disability Services

With a budget of just over $350,000, the Board of Trustees started a renovation project that would move the Office of Disability services from the Baker Systems Engineering building to Pomerene Hall in 1986.
An SLDS banner in red and white featuring buckeye leaves

OSU extends assistance to students with visual disabilities

In 1996, the Office for Disability Services worked to keep up to date with new accessibility technologies as well as the changing Ohio State campus in order to accommodate visually impaired students.

Some of this work included creating a new braille map and providing transportation services.
A black and white logo for AHEAD (Association on Higher Education And Disability)

High honor bestowed on director for Disability Services

Ann Yurcisin, former director of the Office for Disability Services was awarded the Ronald E . Blosser Dedicated Service Award by The Association on Higher Education and Disability in 1998 for her outstanding service.
A person in a wheelchair

On the Oval

Taking part in a former tradition, the Director of the Office for Disability Services Warren King participated in wheelchair races on the Oval in 1992.