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Disability Resources and Educational Services

by Erin Murtha, Program Assistant

A quick walk around campus reveals that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the most accessible campuses in the nation. Buses are equipped to be accessible to everyone, crosswalks beep to let those who cannot see know when it is safe to cross the street, and square buttons on almost every campus building make it easier for everyone to enter and exit the buildings. The Urbana-Champaign campus is home to the oldest post-secondary disability support program in the world, the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES). This Division has made it possible for the University of Illinois to be a leader in post-secondary education for persons with disabilities.

Susann Heft, MEd, Disability Specialist, says what she believes makes DRES successful is when they can "provide students the resources for transition from high school to college to employment." Susann and many others work with students, staff, and faculty to ensure that every student is afforded every opportunity they need for equal access. The Division offers the following academic services for students to take advantage of:


In addition to assisting students in the classroom, DRES is committed to the everyday needs of students. Transportation at the University of Illinois campus is the best system for students with disabilities at any college in the country. Students are able to get a ride to class, to off-campus activities associated with class, university sponsored activities, concerts, sporting events, and many other activities.

DRES also offers physical therapy and functional training to students who qualify right on campus. Adapted equipment and a fitness gym are located in the Rehabilitation Education Center. Qualified students interested in taking advantage of this service can earn class credit at the same time by enrolling in Kinesiology 111.

Students with and without disabilities have the opportunity to become involved on campus in a variety of ways through the campus life department at DRES. There are adapted varsity athletics for qualified students to join, including wheelchair basketball, track and road racing for men and women. Delta Sigma Omicron (DSO) is open to any student who has an interest in equal opportunity for people with disabilities. DSO is responsible for co-sponsoring the first National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in the spring of 1949, hosting an annual holiday party for children with disabilities and their friends, doing wheelchair basketball demonstrations at local schools, contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to education and to countless charities throughout the United States on behalf of those with disabilities, and much more!

Beckwith Residence Hall was created to give students with severe physical disabilities the extra assistance they need to be successful during their college years. Students are provided with personal assistants to help with daily activities and are also given the opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge on independent living. Beckwith provides spacious private rooms with semi-private bathrooms, a computer lab, internet access in all rooms, the opportunity to participate in student government, and the list goes on.

The services don't stop here. There are many other ways DRES assists students. The following are yet more ways in which DRES helps students succeed at the U of I:


For more information on DRES Services, visit www.disability.uiuc.edu or contact (217) 333-4603 (v/tty) or disability@illinois.edu.