Blugold receiving national award for disability advocacy efforts

“The value of self-advocacy is something I know doesn't come easily to everyone else,” says Eisele, a fourth-year student from Eagan, Minnesota, majoring in communication with an organizational communication emphasis and a kinesiology minor. “If I have the chance to use my voice to speak up for someone around me, you can count that I'm not going to stay quiet.”

Eisele’s advocacy efforts haven’t gone unnoticed as she is the recipient of a national award from the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). The Student Recognition Award that Eisele will receive at AHEAD’s annual conference July 15-18 in Denver, Colorado, acknowledges outstanding efforts by a college student in representing disability identity or community on campus by increasing campus access through advocacy or involvement.

“It's the honor of a lifetime and I'm just so grateful to be recognized for the work that I've done,” Eisele says. “Winning this award has only made me more invigorated to make positive change on our campus and in my community.”

Eisele credits her parents, who both work with the disability community, for instilling in her the desire to better understand her own brain and to help others in similar situations. Eisele also was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis when she was 12, so she understands the challenges that students with physical and neurodiverse disabilities face in higher education.

Eisele calls it a "no-brainer" the she should work to make sure UW-Eau Claire is as accessible as possible.

“Community is so important for the neurodiverse community, and being an advocate on campus means that I can help other students find others who learn differently just like them,” Eisele says.

Eisele was nominated for the award by UW-Eau Claire’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. Eisele expressed gratitude to Katie Bublitz, SSD director, for “being an incredible partner to work with and for being an advocate on campus for every student.”

Dustin Behlke, tutoring and career coordinator for TRIO Project AIM, calls Eisele a kind, smart and caring person who always is willing to help those in need. Eisele has been a mentor for the TRIO Project AIM program, helping to make incoming first-year and transfer students with disabilities feel welcome and connected to campus.

“Her dedication and commitment to being involved in her local community, with her goals focusing on improvement and growth, is inspiring,” Behlke says. “Her work ethic in unmatched. Her ability to balance academics and her extracurriculars at such a high level speaks to her time management skills and ability to prioritize.”

Eisele, a member of Student Senate leadership as personnel director, has introduced legislation advocating for student accessibility on campus. She led an effort to amend Student Senate bylaws to comply with digital accessibility regulations for public institutions which encouraged faculty to use built-in live captioning and open dyslexic fonts during courses.

Eisele’s other advocacy efforts have included the following:

• Served on a committee to develop sensory space in Davies Center, the first such space in a UW System student union.
• Helped to create a new Commission on Student Health and Wellness with a focus on making the campus more accessible for disabled students.
• Participated in student-faculty social problem research about neurodiversity in K-12 education.
• Organized an accessibility tour of The Sonnentag to ensure the complex could be utilized by students with disabilities and has started a project to create sensory kits for the facility.
• Served as a campus chapter leader of the national organization Neurodiversity Alliance to mentor middle school students with learning disabilities.
• Interned this summer as social media and communications manager for the Neurodiversity Alliance.