Office of Disability Services | Photo by Kelsey Allen | The Wright State Guardian
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities invested $2.1 million to aid college students with disabilities. Here is what this initiative means for Wright State University students.
Background
On Aug. 24, 2022, DeWine announced that $2.1 million would be invested towards eligible students with disabilities to ease tuition and other education costs, according to a news release.
“By supporting college students with disabilities through services from OOD and its partners, they are afforded a greater opportunity of success as they transition from academic life to in-demand careers,” DeWine said in the news release.
According to Chief of Communications at OOD Kim Jump, extra funding made available in the OOD yearly budget made this financial support possible.
“We just thought this really is an investment that makes sense. We know there was a need here and wanted to make it available to all college students with a disability that are in Ohio,” Jump said.
Eligibility
According to Jump, students are eligible for the award after providing documentation of a disability and opening a case with OOD.
The investment will be split into $1,000 award amounts for students who have a registered case with OOD, according to Ashley Mixson, an employee of OOD who serves as a vocational rehabilitation counselor at WSU’s Dayton campus.
“In order for us to provide that amount, it’s $500 for each semester, so the people that get the full $1,000, they’re currently already in a plan with me,” Mixson said.
Mixson mentioned that students who have not yet opened a case with OOD but want to could still earn $500, which would apply next semester.
Referrals have been made by the Office of Disabilities on campus, but students who do not self-identify as having a disability do not utilize these available opportunities, according to Mixson.
Benefits
Students can receive financial support even if qualification for financial aid from Free Application for Federal Student Aid is unavailable, meaning students who come from families with high expected family contributions could still be supported, according to Mixson.
“Just because their parents might make a lot of money doesn’t mean that they’re guaranteed to help these students pay for tuition and things like that,” Mixson said.
Jump assured that all college students with a disability in Ohio could potentially qualify for this support. Mixson noted the excitement that referrals are increasing.
“I’m excited to have more people in my case load, to be able to serve more people,” Mixson said. “Wright State does it right when it comes to disability services.”
Reaction from ODS
WSU’s Director of the Office of Disability Services Tom Webb expressed satisfaction with the financial support being provided to students with disabilities, which will allow students to complete goals faster than before while also facilitating the missions of both ODS and OOD.
“I think that, you know, in terms of the mission, you know, ultimately we’re trying to get folks out the door and graduated to where they can get a job, and kind of like all of us want to be self-sustaining, to make a living,” Webb said.
More information
The ODS office is located at 180 University Hall, where students can go for more information about financial assistance and other services. Mixson has an office at ODS where students can walk in with questions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays.
