Director of the Services for Students with Disabilities Jeanne Doyle Kelly retired from Columbia after working at the college since 2012.
Her last day was Friday, Jan. 31. She had been head of the SSD office since 2014.
Under her leadership, Kelly focused on the way SSD approached students with disabilities. Instead of just reviewing their documentation and assessing accommodations, Kelly made a point to get to know the student’s personal lives. She also spearheaded workshops and presentations about inclusion.
When deciding on her retirement, she said it “wasn’t easy” and initially decided nearly three months prior. She said she told her direct supervisors first but didn’t want to make the announcement until January and closer to the start of the semester.
Kelly announced her retirement during a Faculty Development Session on Monday, Jan. 13, because “I thought, well, this is a perfect opportunity to introduce Danielle” Hirschhorn, the new interim director of SSD.
“It wasn’t meant to be a jaw-dropping moment at all,” Kelly said. “Danielle’s awesome, and I thought this is a great opportunity for them to see who she is and what the new interim director is going to be like.”
Kelly first was introduced to helping students at the college in 2012, after being a lawyer for numerous years and eventually switched to being a grade school teacher. Also being a parent of a child with a disability, Kelly said she wanted to combine her careers, experience and passion for helping others.
“I was basically able to utilize my experience as a parent of a child with disabilities, and then my legal experience to confidently inform and support students, parents and faculty about accommodations, accommodation processes and reasonable accommodations,” Kelly said.
When Kelly first was hired at the college, she worked for the IS program, the implementation of a student alert program, and would reach out to “hundreds of students” every year regarding faculty or staff submitting notifications when concerns about a student arise. The alerts would include a student’s amount of absences, having personal/emotional concerns whom teachers may believe could benefit from assistance and students falling behind on classes.
After two years of being at the college, Kelly saw an opening for the assistant director of SSD and reached out to the prior director offering her help if needed because “it was just a perfect fit.” In 2014, Kelly was hired.
Kelly ran the office since the year she was hired, but in 2019, while her role remained the same, her title changed to the director of SSD.
Everyday in the office was different and unexpected for Kelly, but she said she loved that it was.
“I loved working to resolve situations, trying to figure things out,” she said. “I learned so much from students – I just truly have enjoyed this job.”
Since starting 11 years ago, Kelly said more students identify as having a disability and are more comfortable to identify as having a disability. She also said while their disabilities are “far more varied and complex,” more than 60% of students at the college identify as having one or more disabilities.
While never informing a student’s teacher about what the student’s disability is, the SSD office would help strategize with the teacher in making sure the student is “getting equal access to the educational experiences they’re entitled.”
Kelly and her team would not only work with students through their classes, but would also participate in “so many different ways” – like workshops and presentations.
In Fall 2024, Kelly joined Julez Rhein, a current sophomore illustration major, in hosting an “artistic twist” on Chicago’s annual Ducky Derby, an event in Chicago that fundraises for the Special Olympics, with the fastest racing ducks earning prizes, for a town hall hosted by the Student Government Association.
While students were invited to decorate rubber ducks, Kelly was able to talk with students who attended about issues they had like navigating campus, having a classroom with accommodations and problems with disabled-accessible doors in front of the University Center.
“She’s always just been a great mentor and always giving great advice on how to reach out to students with disabilities on campus,” Rhein said. “I know that sometimes, as a disabled person, it can be really hard to reach out for help or any sort of need. She really created that safe space for everyone.”
Rhein said when they first came to the college in Fall 2023, they were “a little nervous” that they would be “ignored” or “pushed away.”
“Jeane Kelly was one of the first people I talked to at Columbia regarding my accommodations, and she was just fantastic,” Rhein said. “She welcomed me into her office with open arms and she was ready to hear me out and help me as best as she could. She has just done such a phenomenal job at that.”
Upon Kelly’s retirement, she worked alongside Hirschhorn for the past four years. Kelly said that “as things were crazy over the past two years,” referring to the seven-week part-time faculty strike, she wouldn’t have been able to retire if Hirschhorn decided to leave.
During the time Kelly was initiating her retirement, Hirschhorn said Kelly had “encouraged me to consider acting as interim director during the hiring process to fill her role.”
Working with Kelly throughout the years had impressed Hirschhorn with the “empathy and compassion that Jeanne brings to every interaction she has with others,” she said.
Undergoing the new role as director of SSD, Hirschhorn plans to support a wide range of accommodations and services to over 500 students on campus.
“I will always appreciate the time [Kelly] has taken to share that education with me, to encourage my own confidence, and to be a true ally for the students we serve,” Hirschhorn said.
Copy edited by Patience Hurston
Resumen en Español
La Directora de Servicios para Estudiantes con Discapacidades, Jeanne Doyle Kelly, se retiró de Columbia después de trabajar en la universidad desde 2012.
Su último día fue el viernes 31 de enero. Había sido jefa de la oficina de SSD desde 2014.
Bajo su liderazgo, Kelly se enfocó en la forma en que SSD abordaba a los estudiantes con discapacidades.
En lugar de simplemente revisar su documentación y evaluar las adaptaciones, Kelly se esforzó por conocer la vida personal del estudiante. También encabezó talleres y presentaciones sobre inclusión.
Al decidir sobre su retiro, dijo que “no fue fácil” e inicialmente decidió casi tres meses antes.
Dijo que primero se lo dijo a sus supervisores directos, pero que no quería hacer el anuncio hasta enero y más cerca del inicio del semestre.
Kelly anunció su retiro durante una sesión de desarrollo de la facultad el lunes 13 de enero y presentó a Danielle Hirschhorn, la nueva directora interina de SSD.
Resumen en Español por Araceli Ramirez
Copia editada por Manuel Nocera