Newswise — College students often have trouble getting to class, and those at Texas A&M University are no exception, as they face parking and other issues - but for wheelchair-bound Aggie Susan Holle getting to class can be a monumental struggle, even though the university has won national recognition for campus accessibility.
Holle's big blue wheelchair sometimes just can't squeeze through the doors of small classrooms, she can't navigate the steps of certain structures, and if buildings where successive classes meet are not in easy rolling distance, she may have to forego a favorite class selection. Susan's mother, Lois Holle, can personally attest to the daily challenges Susan faces, because she accompanies her daughter to class - every class, every class meeting. But as recently as two years ago, it wasn't meant to be that way.
Susan was born with cerebral palsy. She is confined to a wheelchair and can speak only with difficulty. Yet, this spring Susan will complete a degree in American Studies in the College of Liberal Arts with a 3.5 GPR, and she looks forward to becoming a writer. Determined and courageous are adjectives often used to describe the bright, pretty 24-year-old Washington, Texas native, but Susan herself gives plenty of credit to her family, her professors and her fellow students for helping her achieve her goal of earning an Aggie degree.
"Susan was one of the first severely disabled students to be mainstreamed all the way from kindergarten through her senior year in the Brenham Independent School District," says Lois Holle, Susan's mother. "When she was small, we traveled outside our hometown to consult a doctor, who counseled me to put her in an institution, but I had her tested at age 5 and found her to be highly intelligent, although it was challenging to understand her speech. By the age of 9, she was reading advanced literature, so her father and I became determined to see that she received a fair and equal education, and we've continued to push for that, all the way to college."
"Mom just always told people that there's nothing wrong with me," Susan says.
Susan's older sister and several other relatives graduated from Texas A&M, and Susan wanted that Aggie ring, too. Her long-time school district aide dreamed of going through college with Susan, perhaps even becoming a teacher herself along the way, but that dream came to an abrupt end when she suffered a fatal heart attack just before Susan entered the 12th grade. Just one week before this tragic event, Susan's best friend also died.
"At first, I just wanted to give up, after losing these two important people," says Susan. "But then I realized that I had to do it for them, I had to fulfill the dream for them." Inspired by her accomplishments and dedication, Susan's Brenham High School classmates elected her homecoming queen that year, and when her name was announced as the winner, "there wasn't a dry eye in that stadium," says Kelley Ragusa, Susan's older sister.
Lois' retirement from her job of 30 years with the Texas Department of Human Services coincided with Susan's graduation from high school, so Lois became Susan's aide and right-hand, helping her to succeed, first at Blinn College in Brenham, then beginning in 2004, at Texas A&M. Lois and Susan have had to plan each semester's class schedule carefully, scouting room accessibility in advance, making sure that the large motorized wheelchair Susan travels in can fit through doors and that classes are not too far apart for Susan to arrive on time. There was often a conflict between what classes Susan wanted to take and what classes were accessible, she says.
"I basically serve as a mediator and an interpreter for Susan," Lois says. "I help her get to class, then I take notes for her. Sometimes, if she has very long assignments or for exams, I take dictation from her. All the professors have been very good at accommodating her disability, usually by giving her extra time to complete exams or by rescheduling exams if she has two that fall on the same day. "Texas A&M's Office of Disability Services and Susan's American studies advisers were extremely helpful in arranging testing times and places for Susan to complete her exams," she adds.
"Some professors have been doubtful at first about having Susan in class," says Kelley, who's also an Aggie, "but once the class begins, they see how determined she is and how hard she works, and they become her whole-hearted supporters. Every one of her professors has become her advocate."
Susan laboriously types much of her own schoolwork, using a mouthstick grasped between her teeth.
"She has succeeded because of her determination," Lois says. "For many students, a college degree means the path to a good job, but for Susan, it meant proving she could do the work, that she could succeed at something she loves, keeping up with her peers."
"I think she's a success because she's so hard-headed," chimes in Kelley, like sisters everywhere, causing Susan to roll her big brown eyes. "Susan's biggest challenge has been to convince her teachers that even though she can't verbally communicate everything she knows, she's getting the lessons."
Susan's classmates displayed typical Aggie friendliness and eagerness to help, says Lois.
"Some buildings are not very friendly for disabled students," says Susan. But fellow Aggies were quick to help with opening doors and assisting her in getting into the classrooms. "My classmates were always very understanding of my physical problems, and I made a lot of friends."
Susan's father Thomas Holle, a rancher near Washington-on-the-Brazos, and her brother-in-law, Jean Ragusa, a professor of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M, are both "very proud" of her achievements. Although Susan's entire family has struggled and sacrificed much time and energy to make sure her needs are met, they all are adamant that the struggle was worth it. The Aggie family seems to agree - The Association of Former Students recognized Lois Holle's integral part in Susan's success by making her an "honorary Aggie."
"I hope to be a freelance writer and an author," says Susan, "and maybe a song writer if I can find someone to write the music to my lyrics."
Kelly points out that the Internet has been a doorway to the world for Susan, as she posts her writings on the Web and even has developed a "fan base."
Her family and a large contingent of Aggie friends and professors will be cheering for Susan when she rolls across that stage on May 12th, but she says that, as proud as she is to be receiving her diploma, like most college seniors she's also finally looking forward to finishing school and "having some fun."
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