By John Carter Simmons, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Ouachita Baptist University takes accommodation requests very seriously. These requests are not an afterthought or put to the side. Every request is treated with as much care as possible, and immediate action is shown. But don’t just take my word for it—two incredible, talented men shared their perspectives on how Ouachita provides accommodations for students.
Evan Wilkerson, a blind swimmer here at OBU, was born with an eye condition called Libra Congenital Amitosis, leaving him blind at birth. He was originally from North Carolina and was introduced to OBU through swimming. His original plan was to take a gap year to train at a national training facility, but after the program lost funding, he started searching for a college to attend. This unfortunately meant Wilkerson was starting his journey late into the recruiting cycle.
He began reaching out to colleges, but he was faced with rejection because of his blindness. “I reached out to some schools before…but I either didn’t like them much or got denied on the basis of being blind,” said Wilkerson. When he contacted the head coach at OBU and the former coach Austin Boston, he said both were not just open but excited about him joining the team. He immediately felt welcomed and supported when coming to Ouachita Baptist University. He affirmed that he doesn’t want to be treated any differently than other students. “I’m not going to get anything differently than anyone else. If they get 50 minutes to take a test, I get 50 minutes to take a test. There’s no difference.”
Wilkerson praised Jarboe and the OBU staff for being responsive and proactive upon his request. “If I need something, I know I can go to him to get it,” said Wilkerson.
Dan Jarboe, coordinator of the University Counseling Center, explained the accommodations placed around campus. “We have been creating braille signage all over campus. Many of our buildings are already equipped with braille signage for office spaces as well as classrooms.” These help individuals be able to navigate buildings and find classrooms or offices independently.
Coordinator of University Counseling and Counseling Service
Wilkerson noticed upon arrival that some of the campus intersections lacked tactile bump mats. These pads help blind people identify a street crossing by raised pads with bumps. Wilkerson mentioned the issue to Jarboe, and he addressed the problem quickly. Wilkerson recognized the fast response to the issue. “He was like ‘Yeah, I already put in the order. We’ll have them soon.’ A bigger university would’ve taken months and months to get that approved,” Wilkerson noted.
Wilkerson often works directly with the professors when he runs into an issue in the classroom. He appreciates being seen and heard by his professors and notices the community Ouachita is. “You’re not just a name and a student ID here, you’re actually treated like a person,” Wilkerson explained. He appreciates how the staff genuinely care. They hear his needs and do their best to adapt to these needs. “At a bigger University it would be harder to make changes like that happen, but here teachers care – people care,” Wilkerson said. This emphasizes the relationship between students and faculty at OBU and Wilkerson is just one example of what this means for the students.
