Office of Student Life
Disability Services

Our History

Celebrating More Than 51 Years of Access & Partnership 

Ohio State’s Disability Services began with the advocacy of Julie Cockran Rogers, who was denied admission to a speech and hearing program in 1966 due to the University's physical inaccessibility. Rather than leaving, Rogers enrolled and lobbied leadership for change, eventually leading President Harold Enarson to form a task force in early 1974. By November of that year, the Office of the Physically Impaired (OPI) was officially established to recommend and implement campus-wide accessibility improvements. 

Over the decades, the office name changed and evolved into Student Life Disability Services (SLDS), shifting its focus from solely physical mobility to a comprehensive range of complex accommodations.  

The number of registered students has seen an exponential increase, particularly in the last few years as support for non-apparent disabilities (like ADHD and mental health conditions) has expanded.  This expansion mirrors a national trend in neurodiversity and disability awareness, ensuring that the barriers Rogers once faced continue to be dismantled for thousands of Buckeyes. 

A Historical Timeline of Disability Services at The Ohio State Unviersity

  • 1970 – Ohio State starts to remove architectural barriers 

  • 1972 – Dick Maxwell is hired as the Assistant Director.  Dick was an Ohio State alum who became paralyzed in a fraternity intramural football game as a student. He helped to found Creative Living, accessible housing near campus.  The office gives an annual staff/faculty award in his name.  

  • 1973 – Library of the Visually Impaired established 

  • 1973 – Adapted transportation system started (now known as Paratransit Services) 

  • 1974 – Office of the Physically Impaired formed by President Enerson at the Board of Trustees on November 1, 1974. Nancy J. Brower named acting director.  Brower was serving as the coordinator for handicapped resources since January, 1974. 

  • 1974 – Creative Living was founded to solve the housing dilemma for individuals who had physical challenges 

  • Mid-70’s – A grant was written by Mary Daniels in Student Affairs, which provided adapted recreational sports for students and staff with disabilities 

  • 1977 – First student with a learning disability is registered in OPI 

  • 1978 – Lydia Block is hired as a Coordinator of Learning Disability Services 

  • 1979 – OPI becomes part of Student Affairs (now known as the Office of Student Life)

  • 1980 – Compliance deadline for Section 504 

  • 1981 – OPI name changed to the Office for Disability Services (ODS).  Warren King served as Director of ODS from 1981 to 1995.  

  • 1981 – Students with disabilities served by Disability Services exceeds 200 

  • 1983 – Warren King, Director, establishes the Consumer Advisory Council with students representing each of the major disabilities were appointed to the council. ODS registration was 447 permanently disabled students , 350 temporarily disabled students and 110 disabled staff and faculty members. Students with learning disabilities exceeds 200. 

  • 1984 – Disability Services was given responsibility for diagnostic testing of students having academic difficulties suspected of undiagnosed learning disabilities.  

  • 1984 – Disability Services is established on the regional campuses-Lima, Newark, Mansfield, Marion and Wooster/Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI). 

  • 1986 – Students with learning disabilities population exceeds 400 

  • 1987 – Disability Services moves to Pomerene Hall 

  • 1988 – Total student service population exceeds 850 

  • 1994 – Student organization, Students for Disability Awareness is founded 

  • 1998 - Office of Disability Services Director Ann Yurcisin the awarded the Ronald E . Blosser Dedicated Service Award by the Association on Higher Education and Disabilty 

  • 2000 – L. Scott Lissner is hired as the ADA Coordinator for the university; Disablity Services serves appx. 2,000 students  

  • 2002 – Assistive Technology Training Center (ATTC) is opened at 102 Pomerene Hall 

  • 2003 – Disability Studies academic program is established 

  • 2005 - Director Patricia Carlton reported to the Trustees ODS serves more than 1,000 students each quarter, over 60 percent with attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities or psychiatric conditions.  

  • 2014 – New office name: Student Life Disability Services (formerly Office of Disability Services); Autumn term, SLDS administers 5,670 exams. 

  • 2016 – Disability Services moves to Baker Hall from Pomerene Hall 

  • 2016 – Counselor job title changed to "Access Specialist" 

  • 2018 – Director Lois Harris retires from The Ohio State University 

  • 2019 – Cheryl Lyons hired as Director; SLDS adds Braillist Lisa Vogt to staff, who created The Buckeye Braille scholarship fund; accommodated exam request process moves online. 11,240 exams are administered in the Autumn term. 

  • 2020 - SLDS leads university efforts by building a COVID-related accommodation request process; brings regional campuses into the shared AIM database for seamless COVID-related accommodation processing during remote-only instruction 

  • 2021 - SLDS receives Wayne Carlson Friend of ACADAOS (Academic Advising Association of The Ohio State University) Award 

  • 2022 – Disability Services serves appx. 6.000 students. It is a population with a wide range of disabilities with the majority being those with nonapparent disabilities. 

  • 2023 - Over 6,500 students affiliated with SLDS. Access Specialist team grows from 5 to 8, including a Residential Access Specialist position to support campus living accommodations. An additional Interpreter/Transcriber is also added to the team. 

  • 2024 - 3 new Access Specialist positions and an additional Exam Program Assistant position added to support the over 7,000 registered students with SLDS.   

  • 2025 - First embedded Access Specialist added within Buckeye Commons to increase student programming.  Office serves over 8,000 students.  

  • 2026 - Addition of College of Engineering embedded Access Specialist.