Office of Student Life
Disability Services

2026 SLDS Annual Award Winners Announced at Student Life Leadership Awards

April 22, 2026

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2026 SLDS Annual Awards

Sophia Nagy – Outstanding Undergraduate Student Advocate Award

Sophia Nagy has been an exemplary advocate for disability access and inclusion here at Ohio State. After recognizing how many students move through higher education without the resources, support, and reassurance needed to understand their neurodivergence, Sophia founded “Distracted Divas” – a student organization dedicated to cultivating community, education, and advocacy around ADHD while centering accessibility, wellness, and lived experience. Distracted Divas helps to address the lack of visible, peer-led spaces centered on ADHD awareness, support, and inclusion on campus. Sophia made it a priority to ensure other students were aware of and comfortable accessing Disability Services by coordinating SLDS representatives to attend organization meetings to speak directly about accommodations and access, helping to demystify the process and reduce fear around seeking support. The nomination highlighting Sohpia’s accomplishments included this incredible praise:

“Sophia’s impact is evident not only in the growth of Distracted Divas, but in the culture she has cultivated: one that values accessibility, empathy, and empowerment. Her work has created lasting pathways for disability advocacy on campus and has provided students, like myself, with confidence and a sense of community.”

Code Beschler – Outstanding Graduate Student Advocate Award

Code Beschler is an exemplary advocate for disability access and inclusion at Ohio State University and beyond. As a multiply disabled wheelchair user and student, Code understands that accessibility is vital not only to receiving an education, but also to feeling a sense of belonging. Code has substantially contributed to the physical accessibility of campus, as well as to the visibility of disability history, community, and culture through research, advocacy, and community-building efforts. As an expansion of a project completed during undergrad, Code’s final graduate research product, “Access as Justice, Access as Care: An Abridged Disability History of The Ohio State University,” presents the progression of disability movements at Ohio State and argues for moving beyond compliance towards collective care, liberatory access, and disability justice. Code is developing an open access and screen reader accessible archive through the Reclaiming Our Histories (ROH) project, has served as a student officer and current co-president of Buckeyes for Accessibility (B4A), and works as an Accessibility Committee Member for the Ohio Museums Association, all with the goal of amplifying disabled voices in public health, museums and archives, and throughout Ohio State. The impact of Code’s many works and initiatives can be succinctly boiled down to this nomination quote:

“Without fail, when I think of students who have contributed to disability access and inclusion at Ohio State, Code comes to mind first.”

Lauren Schmitt – Celena Irby Award

Lauren Schmitt, a student employee of Student Life Disability Services (SLDS), has demonstrated a positive attitude, given exemplary assistance, and provided dedicated service to students with disabilities. Lauren approaches her work in SLDS Exam Services with immense kindness and empathy, and has a passion for advocating for students that feel uncertain or overwhelmed about navigating their accommodations. Without hesitation, Lauren has been seen effectively explaining the SLDS registration process to students and reassuring those who are nervous about requesting support. She is a model of what compassionate, student-centered service looks like. The nomination provided this first-hand experience of Lauren’s empathetic demeanor:

“As I walked out of the exam room… I was convinced I had performed poorly, and I felt the familiar weight of anxiety settling in. Instead, I was greeted with a warm, genuine smile. Rather than mechanically collecting my exam and sending me on my way, Lauren paused, looked me in the eye, and asked how everything had gone. She didn’t rush through the interaction or treat it like a task to check off. She took a moment to talk with me – about anything other than the exam – and in doing so, she pulled me out of my own head. By the time I left the office, I had completely forgotten about the panic I had walked in with.”

Anna Yocom – Dick Maxwell Award 

Dr. Anna Yocom has contributed significantly to enhancing the quality of the higher education experience for a student with a disability. Dr. Yocom works as an instructor, team leader, and most recently as an instructional designer for the GE Bookends program. She contributes meaningfully across the program and was an integral part of advancing the accessibility of the GE 1201 Launch and GE 4001 Reflection Seminars. In just 12 weeks during summer 2025, Dr. Yocom quickly and expertly developed an accessible version of the newly redesigned Launch Seminar in fall semester 2025 for students with visual impairments and has created a more inclusive model for the Reflection Seminar for spring semester 2026. All while overhauling GENED 1201 to integrate Ohio State’s new AI Fluency Initiative learning outcomes and to incorporate three years of feedback from students, instructors, and campus partners. The result was a fully revised, student-centered curriculum. Through the Bookends program, Dr. Yocom partnered with a Reflection Seminar instructor to support a student with a visual impairment, meeting weekly to provide guidance, practical strategies, and inclusive activities. She not only provided meaningful consultation but, she reviewed all course materials and created fully accessible assignments designed to support the student’s participation alongside peers. Dr. Yocom’s important work will be felt by students, staff and faculty for years to come:

“She developed a strategy that leveraged familiar University-supported tools and embedded accessible pathways that felt seamless for both instructors and students… Her work made course materials significantly easier to navigate for students with visual impairments, and her detailed documentation ensures that any future instructor can readily implement these supports.”

Krista Lowden – Patricia M. Carlton Award

Krista Lowden has shown strong academic achievement while balancing the unique challenges of an adult learner. Krista overcame personal-life stressors and a limited support network to thrive academically, graduating from the TOPS program with an Early Childhood Development and Education associates degree. While pursuing her education, she joined several student groups – becoming treasurer of the Autistic Students Union – and did hundreds of hours of community service.

Each of these individuals has embodied dedication to high quality work and has taken the initiative to support community members with disabilities at The Ohio State University.