Luke Taylor: DRES celebrates 75 years

Apr. 20—The University of Illinois campus is known for its accessibility, especially for wheelchair users, and it isn't hard to figure out why: it was the first post-secondary institution to offer a program specifically supporting students with disabilities.

From 1947-48, a Veteran's Affairs Hospital in Galesburg was converted to a UI satellite campus to handle an influx of veteran students after World War II.

Under the G.I. Bill, veterans with disabilities could receive education and rehabilitation training, so the already-accessible Galesburg campus became a site to experiment with that education.

Tim Nugent, the first director for that program, fought to have it relocated after the Galesburg campus was closed, eventually winning UI over by pointing out out a technicality in the G.I. Bill which meant that the university must let all veterans attend.

Soon, UI expanded the program to include civilians with disabilities, too.

"His vision, from what I understand and what I've interpreted, was about giving disabled students a chance to fully engage in college," said Heather Stout, current director of Disability Resources and Educational Services. "It was not just about the degree, it was about being able to reside on campus and to engage in student organizations and student activities, including athletic opportunities."

Nugent helped found and was the first coach of the Gizz Kids, the first collegiate wheelchair basketball team in the U.S. which became the current Illinois Wheelchair Basketball program.

He also pushed for general accessibility, making UI the site of the first curb cuts and the first buses with wheelchair lifts.

"Far ahead of even the Rehab Act of 1973, which was about access for disabled students to education, and then predating the Americans with Disabilities Act, he was already talking about, 'Well, we need to have ramps and we need to have curb cuts so that people can cross the street safely," Stout said.

Echoes of the Nugent's work can be seen around the community and across the nation as his work led to architectural standards which are now required by law in many cases.

Stout has only been at DRES for around eight months, but she said she is already appreciating the difference between how accessibility is handled at UI compared to some of her previous jobs.

Some things that seem small at a glance can make all the difference: the DRES building is all one story, located close to high-traffic areas of campus and the bus routes.

It's also close to Nugent Hall, which was named after the aforementioned Nugent and hosts Beckwith Residential Support Services.

Beckwith has gone through some changes since it was founded in 1981, but even its origins can be traced back to Nugent's work and goal of making an accessible living facility.

When Nugent first started these programs, he only had around a dozen students.

Today, DRES serves 4,100.

"Though it did initially have a focus on physical disability, it began to grow and expand and now, students can document any disability and indeed, we have representation across all disability areas," Stout said.

The folks at DRES work with students on an individual level to address their specific needs, from American Sign Language interpretation to alternative testing facilities.

There is even a team at DRES which just works to make various materials accessible, like adding captions to videos or converting physical print into digital documents that can be read aloud by ereaders.

Outside of academics, DRES still has ties to the wheelchairs sports programs as well as the Paralympics; the UI was designated a U.S. Paralympic Training Site for wheelchair track and road racing in 2014.

Illini athletes make very frequent appearances at the Paralympic Games.

"Much of this community has been impacted by Dr. Nugent whether we realize it or not," Stout said. "Accessibility spread from working with 11 students to the entire Champaign-Urbana region and certainly the university and it's an incredible program here."

DRES hosted an open house on Friday to celebrate its 75th anniversary and all of the work it has accomplished.

If you want to learn more about its history and some distinguished alumni with ties to the program, it's as easy as paying the facility a visit: most of the walls are covered in murals with fun facts and photos.

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