This year, the Wright State University (WSU) Office of Disability Services (ODS) awarded over $50,000 through 19 scholarships and two special awards to 18 students, two faculty members and one campus department.
The 2026-2027 Disability Services Scholarship Banquet, hosted by ODS, took place on April 2. The ceremony was a celebration of the students’ success this school year and provided an overview of ODS's accomplishments and initiatives for the year.
Tom Webb, Associate Vice President for Accessibility, shared that 1,189 WSU students are registered with ODS.
Being named the third most wheelchair-friendly campus in the nation by New Mobility in 2020, ODS continues to take strides to improve accessibility for all types of disabilities.
A major aspect of this is WSU’s institution-wide investment in digital accessibility.
“[WSU], of course, has invested a lot of resources and talent into making sure that we are up to speed come the end of April and moving into the fall, to make sure that all of our content, websites, mobile apps [and] things like that are accessible,” Webb presented at the ceremony.
Along with an increase in digital accessibility, ODS has seen an increase in Fall-to-Fall retention in their Raiders on the Autism Spectrum Excelling (RASE) program. The last cohort had a retention rate of 93% with a five-year average GPA of 2.97.
“It’s really nice to see that the program is supporting those students, and that they’re able to be successful,” Webb said.
Mylie Greene, an elementary education major, was one of the awarded students. She shared that receiving the scholarship was an honor.
“ODS has provided me the opportunity to be successful in my academics through accommodating my needs," Green said.
Along with the scholarships, ODS awarded The Golden Spoke Award, a recognition of two faculty, staff or community partners that continue to go above and beyond to make WSU an inclusive environment for students with disabilities.
This year, one of the awards was given to the Department of Public Safety.
“For years, the Department of Public Safety has made a positive and meaningful impact on students with disabilities at [WSU],” Webb said. “However, their actions during our recent snow storm in January solidified our choice to honor their department.”
During the winter snow storm, walking pathways on campus were covered with inches of snow that took days to clear. Department of Safety Officers provided student employees of the PA program onto campus.
"This initiative ensured a continuance of critical support for our students with complex needs in a crucial time where other supports were not available,” Webb said. "Had it not been for the Department of Public Safety, these students would likely have experienced significant gaps in their care and support, potentially compromising their health in the interim.”
Also receiving The Golden Spoke Award was Anatomy and Physiology professors, Bridgett Severt and Dr. Nick Ritucci.
“Anatomy and Physiology has a reputation for being one of the most demanding courses on campus, yet Dr. Ritucci and Ms. Severt have created an environment where students feel supported, encouraged, and capable,” Webb said.
Both professors were praised for the continual efforts of working seamlessly with ODS and that leaves students feeling encouraged to tackle the demanding coursework.
“Dr. Ritucci is exceptionally easy to work with in coordinating test proctoring, regularly stopping by in person to ensure a smooth, well‑supported experience for every student,” Webb said. "Ms. Severt independently manages all ODS test‑proctoring accommodations for the anatomy lab exams, an enormous undertaking given the complexity involved and volume of students with testing accommodations passing through their courses.”
View the gallery below for photos of the award recipients.
