One Student’s Triumph Highlights the Power of Disability Services in Higher Ed

Her grit, and Dickinson’s support, allowed her to thrive. Now she's giving back.

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Nell Alexander ’21 faced a gauntlet of challenges in college, from learning differences to serious health issues. With diligence and grit—and with crucial support from Dickinson’s Access & Disability Services (ADS) staff—she scaled every hurdle and thrived. Now, Nell and her family are helping current and future Dickinson students with disabilities to reach their fullest potential.

'Running through walls'

As a public-school student, Nell was diagnosed with learning differences, including autism spectrum disorder, dyscalculia and dyslexia. She and her parents set sights on a small, liberal-arts college with a strong track record of helping students with differences, and Dickinson topped their list.

“Dickinson had an established and robust program, and the people we talked to were transparent and clear about the process,” Nell explains. “I felt confident I’d get the help I needed.”

Once on campus, Nell worked hard and did well in class. With guidance from Dickinson’s ADS staff, she recorded lectures and used volunteer note-taking services when needed. When she was hospitalized with severe anemia, ADS provided online platforms that allowed her to finish her spring 2019 semester remotely.

Then Nell’s health issues, manageable in high school, began to worsen. She was diagnosed with lupus—a condition impacting her ability to climb stairs. She also experienced back pain. ADS staff found her a first-floor residence-hall room and procured a portable standing desk.

“I have friends who went to some of Dickinson’s competitors and had been told, ‘We can’t accommodate you at this level,’ ” remembers Nell. “I never had that experience at Dickinson.”

The pandemic struck during Nell’s junior year, sending all of Dickinson’s classes online. The following spring, Nell took on an eight-class courseload, determined to graduate on schedule. Even more impressive: Nell gradated on time with an economics major—a significant challenge, given her dyscalculia, which affects the ability to work with numbers.

“She’s very determined and stubborn,” Nell’s mom, Carol Higham P’21, says with a smile. “In our family, we joke that when Nell sees a brick wall, she runs straight through it.”

A family's perspective

Now, Nell is a paralegal, with several coveted law-school acceptances in hand.

The Alexanders recognize that, for all of the difficulties she encountered and the effort she invested, Nell is fortunate: As a public-school student, diagnosed early in life, she received appropriate interventions before college. She knew how to self-advocate. While not easy, her family could fund her precollege diagnostic tests. And Nell’s parents knew what to look for in a good-fit school for their child.

“[It's] not just about getting students in the door with scholarships. It’s also about helping them grow and thrive while they’re there.”

“People interested in access to college must understand that access is not just about getting students in the door with scholarships. It’s also about helping them grow and thrive while they’re there,” says Nell’s dad, Chris, an administrator at Davidson College. “Nell worked very, very hard, but it's no exaggeration to say that without [ADS services], her graduation from Dickinson wouldn’t have been possible.”

As higher-ed professionals, the Alexanders also understand the financial challenges private colleges face in providing sufficient services to qualifying students.

“I think a lot of parents just assume that the government pays for disability services, or that the costs are easily covered by tuition and fees,” says Carol, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. “That just isn’t the case.”

Investing in the future

"Nell worked very, very hard, but it's no exaggeration to say that without [ADS services], her graduation from Dickinson wouldn’t have been possible."

The family established an endowed fund to help Dickinson assist students with disabilities and health conditions that seriously impact functioning. The Nell Alexander '21 Access & Disability Services Fund is applied to the area of greatest need.

“A lot of times when accommodations aren’t able to be met, it’s because of financial limitations, and, in many cases, it’s a one-time investment that will help,” says Nell. “So we really wanted to help remove those obstacles and support a school that is so eager to support its students.”

Funding can help cover the cost of resources that exceed typical ADS and/or family budgets, such as if a student’s computer doesn’t have enough memory to handle the software for a useful assistive technology. The fund can also help the college facilitate diagnostic testing for a student with a suspected, undiagnosed disability. This is important because learning disabilities among very bright students often go unrecognized until college, when academic demands intensify and prior coping mechanisms prove insufficient.

The Alexanders hope others will consider supporting this good work.

“We know that the need for these services is increasing and that private institutions like Dickinson try to avoid passing on cost increases to families as much as possible. This means that people need to be willing to help schools like Dickinson,” Chris explains. “Because while a college education is expensive, it’s also really valuable. It allows us to harness as much of our young talent as we can.”

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Published March 13, 2025

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