He is constantly networking behind-the-scenes with all of Ball State's vast array of faculty, from teachers to facility managers. But Larry Markle's true fight is for the equality of students with disabilities.
Markle, director of Disabled Student Development, has a hand in many of Ball State's decisions. From building blueprints to classroom accommodations, he strives to bring equal opportunity, no matter the obstacle.
"It's just a privilege for me to be able to come to work everyday and know that it's a small part we play," Markle said. "The student's the one doing all the work, but knowing that we can support the successful efforts of our students, that's a fun thing for me to do."
Markle and Courtney Jarrett, associate director of Disabled Student Development, strive to maintain Ball State's reputation as an accessible university. It is known as one of the top 75 universities to go beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines to accommodate its roughly 600 students with disabilities.
In 2005, Markle filled the shoes of Ball State's original director of Disabled Student Development, Richard Harris. Having gone to college for education, Markle's true tutorial on how to fight for students with disabilities came from Harris.
"When I got my master's degree, I realized, ‘Gosh, I don't want to teach history to a bunch of middle schoolers everyday. I want to do administrative work in higher education,'" Markle said.
As a Ball State graduate, Markle knew Ball State's reputation with disability, he said. When the position opened, he interviewed with Harris and got the job as assistant director. Over the next five years, Harris served as his mentor, Markle said.
Nationally recognized for his work with Disabled Student Development, Harris originally held the position in a time where disability was often overlooked following the Civil Rights Movement. Gradually building the school's accessible reputation, Harris had a hand in all things Ball State, from greek life to orientation. This allowed for cross-campus networking.
"I think the most important thing that I learned form him, and it's something that has really served me well, is that everybody on campus plays a part with disability services," Markle said. "That's something that's very important to me. I don't want this office to be a one stop shop for all things disability. I don't want students with disabilities to be segregated to one place. I want students with disabilities to have the same opportunities on campus as everybody else, and also deal with the same frustrations and bureaucracy and everything like that. It's part of the college experience."
Markle and Jarrett work to follow in the footsteps of Harris by building Ball State's reputation as an accessible Indiana college.
"Richard is the genius behind that," Jarrett said. "He worked with people all over the state, at the School for the Deaf, the School for the Blind. He would know people in those fields and learn about what the best accommodations are for students with those kinds of disabilities. Larry and I, that's just what we continue."
Theatrical studies major Jake Lipson has worked hand-in-hand with Markle and his staff, en route to being the first wheelchair user to ever enroll in Ball State's theatre department.
"Everyone in the department has been fantastic to me," Lipson said. "But because I am the first chair user they've ever had, sometimes none of us know what my accommodations need to be in certain situations until we try it and find out. In such cases, Larry is available to consult about these issues."
Lipson is truly thankful for Markle and his barrier-clearing staff, he said.
"Larry and his entire staff go above and beyond for their students and genuinely care about our success," he said. "I have worked with my fair share of disability coordinators throughout my school career, but Larry and his team are far and away the best I've ever had the privilege of working with at any level of school."
Ball State's power soccer team, the first of its kind at a United States university, spotlights the school's efforts to accommodate for wheelchair users in all walks of life, not solely the classroom.
"Students with mobility impairments also have other things outside of classroom accommodations that they need, like housing accommodations and things," Jarrett said. "Working with them and making sure that they can have a good daily life and also have a good class life is a challenge. To be able to work with 40-some students like that is a big deal because we have more chair users on our campus than all the other schools in Indiana combined."
Rubbing shoulders daily with successful men and women with disabilities, Markle's passion for his job is fueled by first hand snapshots of hope.
"I've been fortunate to work with a lot of really good people, a lot of terrific people with disabilities have been so helpful for me," Markle said. "Wanting our students with disabilities to have that same level of success is a driving force for me."
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