Fortunately, the limitations of the Rehabilitation Act were no match for Betty, and she immediately rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Over her three years in the role, Betty drastically changed not only the architectural layout of the campus, but also the attitude of faculty, staff, and students toward those with disabilities. She recruited a group of student consultants to “be the voice of accessibility” and apply their expertise to the situation. (4) The primary two locations that students wanted to frequent on campus were the Hall of Music and Mackey Arena. These campus hot spots had previously been inaccessible to handicapped students, but Betty and her team of consultants were on the job. They created accessible entrances and lifts in Mackey Arena, as well as took out seats in the Hall of Music to create room for wheelchairs and offered companion tickets for friends to accompany them. 

     Outside of these locations, other improvements around campus were essential. Former students Gregg Poorman and David Huxhold developed a plan to construct critical curb cuts around campus. To provide funding for this endeavor, student organizations could buy a curb cut for $250 and their name would be stamped in the concrete. As a result of the team’s creative idea, about 25 curb cuts were sponsored and built. The list of improvements Betty and her team made on campus seems to never end, and their work exceeded the expectations that had been placed upon their task. Throughout Betty’s three years in her role, she led Purdue’s efforts to improve the architectural landscape, provide sign language interpreting in the classroom, locate and schedule qualified interpreters and notetakers, locate or train oral interpreters, authorize “90” parking permits and other parking permits, refer students to the Psychological Services Center for learning disability evaluation, and publish “Removing the Barriers,” an information booklet for faculty and teaching assistants. (5) 

     One of the most challenging parts of Betty’s job was inspiring the Purdue and West Lafayette community to share her passion for the issue. Betty stated, “at that time, there was no mainstreaming of students with disabilities so students and faculty had never been exposed to that. There was a steep learning curve to have people work cooperatively and collaboratively.” (6) Accordingly, in the late 1970s, the group of student consultants planned an “Awareness Day,” during which 20 members of Purdue’s administration, staff, and faculty were assigned disabilities for a day. Some traveled around campus in wheelchairs, others used walkers, and the rest were blindfolded or prevented from hearing. The result of the experiment was profound, leaving some in tears. Barb Cook, Dean of Students Emerita, was deeply affected after spending Awareness Day blindfolded. Betty said, “It was traumatic for Barb. She burst into tears at the end…[She] was disoriented the whole day and feeling very, very vulnerable.” (7) 

     Similarly, Betty noticed that Purdue faculty and staff had a difficult time appreciating and accommodating students with learning disabilities. She stated, “If you can’t see the disability, you’re not sure if there is one.” (8) Although there were over 500 students with learning disabilities when Betty retired, Purdue administration did not respond to their needs as actively as they did for the physically handicapped. To address the discrimination, Purdue created the Adaptive Learner Program, which dramatically increased the number of students with documented learning disabilities. (9) Betty said, “we found that the more we could get students in contact with the University personnel, the more committed the staff would be to helping, and they would carry the message to others. Our employees now had a face for the students who needed modifications.” (10) 

     In a letter of recommendation, Barb Cook stated: “[Betty] approached this lack [of disability services] the way she approached everything she undertakes with precision, with determination, with irrefutable facts and figures. She simply whittled away in her quiet but determined way. She accomplished miracles and she did this with good spirit and in a manner in which the Purdue administration believed that they wished to make significant changes all along.” (11) With intellect and grace, Betty mobilized an entire campus not only in their physical capacity, but in their attitudinal outlook.