A Little Assistance Yields Great Success

Before Nicholas Goldsberry '09 traveled with a group of 20 Butler students to Mexico in 2007, he needed one bit of assurance: that the Office of Student Disability Services would make sure he'd have a guide to assist him during parts of the trip.

No problem, he was told.

Three weeks later, after a memorable trip to Guadalajara and total immersion into the native language, he'd fulfilled the final requirement for his Spanish minor.

"One of the reasons I chose Butler was that when I stepped into the Student Disability Services office, they said, 'We will accommodate any reasonable need that you have,'" said Goldsberry, who is blind. "I knew I was home."

Over the years, SDS has helped Goldsberry by:

• Getting his textbooks electronically so he can listen to or read them on his PAC Mate Braille reader.
• Providing the computer software he needs to take his classroom tests.
• Creating job-shadowing opportunities for him – and made sure he's had transportation to get there.

"They're just great friends too," he said. "They're more than people on the job. They're great role models as well."

Goldsberry was born prematurely and has been blind since birth. He said his parents wanted him to have as mainstream a life as possible, so after attending the Indiana School for the Blind for kindergarten through fifth grade, he went to public schools for middle and high school.

To prepare to come to Butler, he and his father visited campus almost every day during the summer of 2005 to "walk routes" – from Residential College, where he lives on campus, to Jordan Hall, for example. That way, by the time fall rolled around, getting around campus would be second nature.

By any measure, Goldsberry's time at Butler has been successful. His achievements include a 3.559 grade point average, a summer job in the accounting department at Eli Lilly and Co. and active participation in the Butler Recording Industry Club. Goldsberry produces his own CDs.

"We with disabilities just have to work harder," he said. "It's what we have to do."

After he graduates in May 2009, with a degree in international studies, he hopes to get a job in government or somewhere he can use his Spanish skills.

Michele Atterson, director of Student Disability Services, said students like Goldsberry are a true asset to the University.

"Nicholas, in particular, is a very articulate and poised young man," she said. "In addition, he's one of the most positive students on campus.  It's truly a pleasure for my staff and me to work with him as he so successfully advances through his academic career."