1. Win-Win: Partnering with Faculty to Promote Research and Data-Based Practices
Sally Scott, AHEAD
David Parker, Children’s Resource Group (CRG)
Larry Markle, Ball State University
Roger Wessel, Ball State University
Wade Edwards, Longwood University

2. Overview
Why partner with faculty/disability resources on research or data-based activities ?
Successful partnerships: Generating ideas from the panel
Opportunities for sharing your work

3. Disability resources: Why collaborate with faculty on research?
Inform the work of your office
Learn more about the students you work with
Enhance your own professional knowledge
Educate faculty colleagues
Gain access to different opportunities on campus (funding, outreach, scholarship)
Build respect for your office
Strategically position the disability office to align with academic departments
Contribute to the field of postsecondary disability

4. Faculty: Why collaborate with disability resources on research?
Collaboration can tap into faculty reward systems on campus (Teaching, Research, Service)
Opportunity to ground research questions in practice
Gain greater/easier access to campus data
Access to student research participants
Learn more about this form of student diversity
Collaborate with content experts
Broaden insights on student issues
Pragmatic perspective on interpretation of data
Interact with people outside of your department
Improve pedagogy and student learning

5. Panel discussion: Disability resource / faculty

6. Ball State University Collaboration
Roger Wessel, Professor of Higher Education
Larry Markle, Director of Disability Services
Knight, W., Wessel, R. D., & Markle, L. (in press). Persistence to graduation for students with disabilities: Implications for performance based outcomes. Journal of College Student Retention: Research,Theory and Practice.
Wessel, R. D., Jones, D., Blanch, C., & Markle, L. (2014). Pre-enrollment considerations of undergraduate wheelchair users and their post-enrollment transitions. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability,
Harris, J., Ho, T., Markle, L., & Wessel, R. (2011, May/June) Ball State University’s faculty mentorship program: Enhancing the first year experience for students with disabilities. About Campus, 16(2),
Wessel, R. D., Wentz, J., & Markle, L. L. (2011). Power Soccer: Experiences of students using power wheelchairs in a collegiate athletic club. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24,
Wessel, R. D., Jones, J. A., Markle, L., & Westfall, C. (2009) Retention and graduation of students with disabilities: Facilitating student success. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 21,

7. Longwood University Collaboration
Wade Edwards, Professor of French
Sally Scott, Director of Disability Resources (former)
Project LINC: Learning in Inclusive Classrooms
Problem Instructional strategies to address student success in the FL classroom
Process Local grants leading to federal grants
Products Research, workshops, publications

8. Guiding Questions for the Panel
How did your research partnership arise?
What are some of the benefits?
How do these partnerships enhance the work of your offices and benefit students?
What have been some of the challenges?
What advice would you offer someone interested in developing a partnership?

9. Disseminating your work

10. Getting Wider Exposure for Your Work
Two heads (or disciplines) are better than one!
Conferences
Journals
Grants/funding opportunities
Disseminate with research and practitioner audiences
On-campus professional development opportunities

11. Opportunities for Disseminating Your Work through AHEAD venues
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability (
Research articles
Practice Briefs
Special Issue (See Fall 2016 for ideas)
The Information Service portal (
Model programs or procedures
Case studies ( See this write up of Ball State’s partnership )
The Hub (AHEAD’s new quarterly newsletter)
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12. Questions? Feel free to contact us!
David Parker )
Larry Markle )
Roger Wessel )
Wade Edwards )
Sally Scott )