Beckwith Hall Newsletter, 2004

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Welcome

…to the Fourth Edition of the Beckwith Newsletter. This is our 
opportunity to share highlights of our students’ accomplishments 
and programmatic successes during the preceding year. Our first 
story is a follow-up article by former resident and recent law 
school graduate, Kristin Kaminski. Kristin talks about her last 
internship experience before graduating in December 2003 with 
her J.D. Next, we’ve included an article describing the substantial 
facility renovations that were introduced over the summer. We 
also feature a story showcasing some of the awards earned by 
Beckwith residents during the year, an update on a recent alumnus, 
and a tribute to a former employee who passed away in December. 

On a personal note, I’d like to share with you that this will be 
the last Beckwith Newsletter that I will personally produce. 
After nine years of service as the Associate Director and Director 
of Beckwith (I also served as a Beckwith Graduate Advisor one year), 
I will be seeking a career change. For those of you unfamiliar with 
me, I was a resident of Beckwith from 1989-1993 and began working 
as Associate Director immediately after receiving a Masters in 
Rehabilitation-Counseling in 1995. My two years as Associate 
Director and seven as Director have been anything but boring. 
While the years have been challenging, I am extremely proud of 
the progress that we’ve made in Beckwith programs, services and 
administration during that period, and I believe the program’s 
future has never looked brighter. I would like to say thank you 
to all of the individuals with whom it has been my pleasure to 
work. Specifically, I would like to thank the Beckwith staff for 
the out­standing job they have done throughout the years in keeping 
the facility and services running smoothly. To my academic 
colleagues at Beckwith and the Division of Rehabilitation-Education 
Services (DRES), I would like to say that it has been a pleasure 
working with you. I thank you for your support which has kept me 
going during the tough times. Finally, to the students whom I will 
miss working with the most, you have taught me so much, and leaving 
you is by far the hardest part of this decision. I wish the current 
students luck with the rest of their studies and careers at the 
University and beyond. I look forward to receiving future editions 
of the Beckwith Newsletter so that I can keep in touch with the 
successes of the program, the sta. and its students; I know there 
will be many to report. 

Peace, 
Kat Madayag 
Director, Beckwith Residence Hall


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Diary of a Law Student–Part 2


My name is Kristin Kaminski and I just finished my last semester 
of law school this past December. Last spring I was offered two 
opportunities for a summer internship. The first offer was to extern 
with the parole board in Springfield and the second was to clerk 
with Judge Joe B. McDade of the United States Federal District 
Court (Central District of Illinois) in Peoria. It was a difficult choice 
to make, as both seemed fascinating. Ultimately, I chose to 
be a summer clerk for Judge McDade, because I believed it would give 
me an opportunity to improve my research and writing skills. I definitely 
made the right decision. 

The move to Peoria was easier than I expected. I was able to sublease 
a totally accessible furnished apartment on the Bradley University 
campus. I simply called the student housing department, the director 
made some calls and within twenty minutes I had a place. I chose the 
Bradley campus area because it is close to the court­house. It is also 
close to a nursing school, and I felt I would have the best fortune 
there in finding personal assistants from the student body. In the 
end, I was able to convince a personal assistant from home to come 
with me. It was a great relief to not have to worry about finding and 
training personal assistants and starting a new internship at the 
same time. 

As a summer clerk, I researched and wrote orders for the judge on 
two cases: a Social Security case and an ERISA case. In writing the 
Social Security order, I essentially applied an eight-step test 
developed through statute and years of case law. Because of a slight 
twist in my case, it required numerous rewrites and meetings with 
the judge. I did become somewhat frustrated and began to question 
my competence. I finally was able to draft an order that the Judge 
signed. As I started my second order, ERISA, I had a little more 
confidence. However, I soon became frustrated as it was very complicated. 
I had to comb through documents online in order to figure out the 
basic structure of the act. In the end, however, I was able to draft 
an order that did not require near the editing that my first order 
did. In addition, the ERISA order required a lot more analysis and 
argument on my part than did the Social Security order. I was 
thrilled when, on my last day, the Judge called me in to discuss 
it and told me it was “great” and signed it without re-write! I 
was able to do all of my research online, so I did not have to ask 
for assistance getting books. (Fortunately, the only modification 
needed was to put the table on blocks, which they readily did.) 

I also had the opportunity to do a great deal of court watching. 
It was kind of a slow summer in terms of trials in the Central 
District, but I was able to watch a number of sentencings, bond 
hearings, and other proceedings. I observed and evaluated different 
attorneys’ styles and determined what I felt was effective and what 
clearly was not. I also saw behind-the-scenes activities and how 
Judge McDade made his decisions. He would often explain his rationale 
to me and the other externs after the proceedings. Additionally, 
I observed other proceedings unrelated to criminal law. There 
were two naturalization ceremonies, both conducted by Judge McDade. 
It was incredibly poignant to see the faces of these immigrants 
from all over the world as they became American citizens. Judge 
McDade and his sta. recognize the importance of these moments and 
create events that these individuals will always remember, as 
will I. 

In my last week as a summer clerk, we finally got a trial! It was 
not before Judge McDade, but we were encouraged to sit in anyway. 
The other remaining extern and I did not miss a thing. This trial 
was especially exciting as the defendant decided to represent himself, 
in spite of the strong recommendation by the judge not to. He was 
charged with possession and intent to distribute crack cocaine. 
The defendant was caught by police at a kitchen table cutting and 
bagging a large quantity of the drug. We observed the jury selection 
process, which was fascinating. Court began with a jury pool of 
about one hundred people, and after a morning’s work and about 
two-thirds of the pool dismissed, twelve jurors and two alternates 
were chosen. My colleague and I tried to determine the rationale 
behind the selection of the jurors and what type of juror we would 
look for under the circumstances. I was very impressed to see 
that while every juror was very candid, not one juror made an effort 
to be excused. They all seemed very willing to perform their duties. 
However, we were very troubled to see that while the jury pool was 
a random selection of names from all over the district, racial 
minorities were essentially unrepresented. 

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We then watched the government present its case, which consisted 
of three police officers who conducted the search and a laboratory 
technician who testified that the substance found was, in fact, 
crack cocaine. The defendant attempted to demonstrate that the 
police were lying and that they had tampered with the evidence. 
His cross-examinations were ineffective at best and utterly confusing 
at worst. His defense was not much better. He focused mainly on 
his disability, (a rare neurological disorder impairing his hands 
and feet) calling several witnesses, including a physical therapist, 
a physician, and his mother to testify as to his limitations. 
The government, however, was quickly able to diffuse this by pointing 
out that the physical preparation of the drug was not an element 
of the crime alleged. 

Finally, we were able to watch three totally different closing arguments. 
First, the government’s lead attorney made an aggressive, impassioned 
argument that seemed a little superfluous to us. Second, the defendant 
made a disjointed argument consisting of a great deal of improper 
argument. Finally, the government’s co-counsel made a simple, logical, 
and low-key argument that both my colleague and I found very persuasive. 
The entire trial lasted only three days and the jury deliberated only an 
hour or so before finding the defendant guilty. The whole experience 
was very educational. Watching the actual jury selection, opening 
statements, testimony, and closing arguments demonstrated very clearly 
the process of a jury trial. The fact that the defendant represented 
himself not only made it more interesting, it also provided a lesson 
in the rules of the court. As the defendant had no formal training, 
the Judge had to stop the proceedings with some regularity to give 
him brief lessons on the rules, which also refreshed the memories of 
the partially trained legal minds in the gallery! 

Following the trial, my colleague and I had the opportunity to meet 
the FBI agent who led the investigation. He let us look at the crack 
cocaine that was confiscated in the search. He explained to us in great 
detail how the drug is cut, weighed, packaged, sold, and used. While 
this was not particularly pertinent to my legal training, it was definitely 
a once in a lifetime opportunity! 

I learned so much that summer. I truly believe I learned more in this 
experience than I did in my first-year legal research and writing courses. 
I worked under the supervision of two great law clerks. Their doors 
were literally always open for me to ask questions. They gave me great 
assistance in the writing and editing of my orders. They also gave me 
great insight into legal careers in general, finding a job and 
interviewing skills. 

On my last day of work, Judge McDade asked me about my future plans. 
I told him that based on my experience this summer, I would like to 
pursue a permanent clerkship. He told me he thought that I have talent 
and that he would help me reach my goals. The research and writing 
skills from this experience, insight I gained from watching behind-the-scenes 
activities, advice from my law clerk supervisors, and confidence I 
obtained from the Judge’s kind words and encouragement combined to 
make this the best experience of my law school career. 

Beckwith Hall Receives Make-Over

This past summer, Beckwith received some significant upgrades to its 
fire protection systems. Fire protection and evacuation procedures have 
always been a priority for review every year by Beckwith management 
and the Division of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). With a two-floor 
facility and the reduction of live-in staff, an evacuation policy became 
harder to adhere to and there were several attributes of the building 
that needed brought up to current codes. In early 2002, Beckwith 
management, the Office of the Provost, EHS and the .re departments of 
Champaign and Urbana held meetings to discuss a change from the 
evacuation policy to a defend-in-place strategy. This strategy, 
recommended by the National Fire Protection Association, is based on a 
combination of sprinkler systems, detection and alarm systems, horizontal 
movement, compartmentation and staff. training to provide the residents 
with the protection necessary to ensure survival in a .re emergency 
while remaining in the building. Since Beckwith has an extensive sprinkler 
system and is divided into six separate fire compartments, the defend-in-place 
strategy was deemed to be the safest and most effective emergency 
response alternative, and will protect residents from having to be 
outside in inclement weather. 

In adopting the defend-in-place strategy, it was concluded that changes 
would need to be made to the staff response plan and the fire detection 
and alarm systems within the building would need to be substantially 
upgraded. Beginning in Fall 2002, Beckwith management, along with members 
of EHS and Facilities and Services, met with architects and engineers 
to discuss what would need to be done to upgrade the systems in Beckwith. 
In the end, Beckwith received a new fire alarm system (which would allow 
staff, as well as the fire department, to know the exact location of the 
troubled alarm), an extended sprinkler system, new and automatic fire 
exit doors, sidewalks and ramps from the exit doors, re-strengthened 
balconies, and a larger generator to accommodate the new systems. The 
timeframe for production and completion was a very short two months, so 
weekly meetings were established with the contractors to keep everyone on 
track. Despite a few glitches, the project was completed on time and 
Beckwith was operational for the Fall 2003 Term. 

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During the planning phases of this project, Beckwith management evaluated 
its staffing needs to determine what level would be required to meet the 
new policy. The defend-in-place strategy requires that there be enough 
staff available to perform the necessary functions to keep the residents 
safe while remaining in the building. To do this, it was determined that 
at least three staff would be needed to respond in the event of a fire alarm. 
Each staff member is assigned specific duties. The most important component 
of the defend-in-place strategy is compartmentation. Each wing and floor 
of Beckwith is separated by a firewall that provides a fire and smoke barrier 
for the entire hallway when the fire doors close, which happens automatically 
as the alarm is set off. The grouping of every two resident rooms acts as another 
compartment to further protect the residents should a fire be located in their 
hallway. Students are encouraged to stay in their rooms with the doors closed 
every time they hear an alarm rather than potentially get caught in the 
hallway with smoke. Managers on duty are assigned to respond to the location 
of the triggered detector and determine if there is a fire or another cause 
for concern. Should they find a fire, they are to remove any student from the 
area to another compartment. This is called horizontal movement and negates 
the need to evacuate. The two other responding staff members are performing 
duties such as closing room doors, therefore closing off each compartment 
within the building to prevent fire and smoke from reaching each area. To assist 
the staff in efficient communication during this time, Beckwith has walkie­talkie 
cell phones so that all responding members can communicate with each other 
all over the building and assist immediately if needed. 

In addition to this past summer’s activities, Beckwith has built upon 
its excellent relationship with the Champaign Fire Department in helping 
them to make their response as efficient as possible. Management has regularly 
given tours to fire suppression personnel in each engine company to show 
the facility and discuss the types of disabilities that they will encounter 
at Beckwith. These tours give the fire personnel a chance to familiarize 
themselves with the building when it is not an emergency situation. At the 
same time it allows the personnel to give us suggestions as to how we can 
help them be more efficient when responding to an alarm in the building. 
Finally, they have always been available for help with problems and concerns 
that arise during the year. 

Thanks to the efforts of Vice Chancellor Van Anderson, the Division of 
Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities and Services, and the Champaign 
Fire Department, Beckwith has been transformed from a very safe residence 
hall into an even safer one through the introduction of state-of-the-art 
fire detection and suppression technologies and life safety procedures. 
With this $400,000 investment, the campus has once again demonstrated its 
extraordinary commitment to the programs and services of Beckwith Hall 
and, more importantly, to the students who reside there. 

University Study Affirms High Employment Among Former Residents 

During the Fall 2003 Term, the University of Illinois Office of Planning 
and Budgeting used the University’s alumni database to perform an employment 
study of Beckwith residents who graduated between 1986 and 1997. The study 
found 58.3 percent of the former Beckwith residents who responded to the 
survey were employed one year following graduation. This correlates highly 
with DRES data indicating that 60 percent of alumni who graduated between 
1986 and 1997 and who formerly resided at Beckwith Hall obtained employment 
in the year following graduation, and another 32 percent were admitted to 
graduate schools. Thus, a total of 92 percent of alumni who resided at 
Beckwith obtained employment or entered graduate and/or professional 
school following graduation. 

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In Memory:

On December 28, 2003, Beckwith lost long-time employee and friend, Ellen Bowie, 
to cancer. Ellen had recently retired in August, 2003 after 20 years of service 
to Beckwith and its residents. She started as a part-time weekend housekeeper 
and became full-time in 1997. Ellen grew up in Indianapolis and most recently 
lived in Urbana. She attended Parkland College and the Moody Bible Institute 
of Chicago. Ellen had two children, Lawrence and Elizabeth. Lawrence, who 
lives in Jacksonville, Florida, was recently married and had Ellen’s first 
granddaughter, Chloe, whom Ellen got to meet before she passed. 

For Director Kathleen Madayag, Ellen will be remembered for her dedication 
to the residents. “I’ve known Ellen since I was a student here in 1989, and 
I believe she thought of Beckwith as her second family. She always showed 
concern for the residents, including me when I lived here as a student. She 
was a hard worker and even came in when she was sick, but it was her commitment 
to each resident that made her unique.” Former live-in personal assistant, 
Lubna Ali, agreed. “She was a very warm person. She was like a grandmother 
to me. Every time I’d leave for class in the morning, I’d see her and when 
I’d come back, I’d see her again and we’d talk. If I didn’t see her for one 
day, it would feel weird. She even came over to my house for dinner once 
in Chicago.” Associate Director Katherine Johnson expanded on Ellen’s sincerity, 
saying “She became more than an employee; she was a friend. Ellen took great 
interest in the students and her co-workers, listening to their difficulties 
as students and offering words of support and comfort.”

Ellen took great pride in her work and it was very important to her that 
the building looked good at all times. “Ellen was an exemplary employee 
from a management point of view. She was dependable and hardworking, 
staying late some evenings to make sure a student’s laundry was returned 
to them. As her supervisor, she was open to my suggestions and requests 
on improving our techniques in implementing universal precautions and 
sanitizing areas, often coming to me with her own improvement ideas.” 
recalls Johnson, adding “I miss my co-worker and friend.” 

Outside of Beckwith Ellen was no different. She was an active member of 
the Urbana Assembly of God Church, a volunteer at the Common Ground 
Food Co-op and served on the advisory board of the Urbana Community 
School District. Ellen left her impression on many places and many people, 
and Beckwith is a very different place without her. 

Award Winning Students 

At the 55th Annual Delta Sigma Omicron (DSO) Awards Banquet held in November, 
current and former Beckwith residents were recipients of several awards: 

Mike Gorman received his award from Dr. Kim Collins and her son, Quinn. 

Pamela Borelli and Family Achievement and Leadership Award:

The Borelli Award is given to two students who have demonstrated leadership 
in a campus social organization and have maintained a C+ or better GPA. Mike 
Gorman was one of the recipients. Mike finished his junior year, majoring in 
Finance with a GPA of 3.98. He has been an active member of the Finance Club 
and the Wall Street Club, two registered student organizations at UIUC. 
This past year he joined the Phi Chi Theta business fraternity serving on 
the Community Service Committee, and is the Vice President of Beckwith 
Student Government. Mike has a long history of community service and peer 
mentoring dating back to his teenage years. Last year Mike was the recipient 
of the Odelius Award. 

Matthew Allan Odelius Award:

The Odelius Award was established to honor the memory of former Beckwith 
student Matthew Odelius. Matthew is remembered for his independence, 
and above all, his positive attitude. The annual award is given to a 
UIUC student with a disability residing at Beckwith. They must be in 
good academic standing and demonstrate leadership in advancing the 
involvement of students with disabilities in all aspects of academic 
and co-curricular life. This year the recipient was Esther Lee. Esther 
finished her third year at Beckwith, majoring in English and Rhetoric, 
and is also a pre-law student. Esther has been active in the University 
community since she arrived, joining DSO and later serving as editor 
of their Sigma Signs publication. She is a member of the Volunteer 
Illini Project and served on the I-Vote Committee. Esther is most 
proud of being the founder of the Boccia Club and holding the office 
of president since it began. Esther previously won the 2001 Kevin T. 
Early Poetry Award, the 2002 Borelli Award, and the 2001 and 2003 
Bruce Schurman Scholarships. 

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Carol Ann Kosta Award:

The Kosta Award was established in memory of Carol Kosta who was a 
student from 1980-1987. It is given annually to enhance the educational 
opportunities for students with disabilities who utilize the programs 
and services of DRES. Recipients of the award must demonstrate academic 
excellence.  Brian Smith was this year’s recipient. He too has a long 
history of active involvement and advocacy for people with disabilities 
dating back to high school. While at the University, Brian has been active 
in Beckwith student government and social committees and served as treasurer 
for one year. Brian was also the treasurer of the Boccia Club from 2001-2003 
and was a member of the team that took first place at Nationals in summer 2003. 
Brian is a senior in the College of Applied Life Studies majoring in Sports 
Management. 

Timothy J. Nugent Award:

The Nugent Award was established in 1970 by members of the Alpha Chapter 
of Delta Sigma Omicron to honor the founder and Director Emeritus of DRES. 
It is given to a student in recognition of service performed for the 
rehabilitation program and fellow students. The honoree is judged on the 
following attributes: personal integrity, human dignity, intellectual 
endeavor, pride in self and concern for others. This year’s recipient, 
Dylan Boot, was a senior in Psychology and a former Beckwith resident. 
During his three years at Beckwith, Dylan was an active member of the 
student government and president for two of the three years he lived 
there. Since freshman year, he has been a member of DSO and treasurer 
for the past two. Academically, Dylan is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and 
Psi Chi, and has worked with the University program, Learning in the 
Community, where he assisted in the development of a horticulture center 
and adapted physical education equipment for a local area school for 
students with severe disabilities. Within the community Dylan worked 
for two years for the Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation District as 
a camp coun­selor for after school programs and summer camps. Dylan 
graduated in May and is pursuing a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling. 

Pat Thiessen presented awards to Brian Smith and Ester Lee.

Alumni Update

Amy Campos never expected to enjoy her time at the University of Illinois 
so much. In the mid 80s, the 17 year old from Buffalo, New York, was not 
enthused about attending a school “in the middle of nowhere.” Encouraged 
by her parents to at least try UIUC for a year, Amy began her freshman 
year in 1985 and after a few weeks of settling in, said her parents “had 
to drag me home for the holidays.” Born Amy Grishkat, she sustained a 
C5-6 spinal cord injury at the age of nine, the youngest on record at 
the time. Being the mid 70s, doctors told her parents to put her in an 
institution because she would be “little more than a vegetable.” Instead, 
with the help and support of her family, Amy underwent surgery and rehab 
for a year, and then returned home to a typical childhood at a more 
accessible grammar school. 

Attending UIUC from 1985-1990, Amy started as an engineering major 
but graduated with a Bachelors in English. She felt the accessibility 
on campus was outstanding and it was one of the reasons coming from 
out of state was worthwhile. She agreed the services for students 
with disabilities were equally impressive, noting that “the bus system, 
not to mention the bus drivers, were a treat and made the long winter 
months bearable,” but it was her time at Beckwith that was her fondest 
memory. She enjoyed the social atmosphere and the closeness she had 
with the other residents. Like most freshmen, she was experiencing 
freedom for the first time and found herself spending a lot of time in 
the social scene, eventually finding the right balance between that and 
her academics. Amy says the most important lesson she learned at 
Beckwith was independence. She had been accustomed to family and 
friends helping her with her every need and leading a somewhat sheltered 
life, but at Beckwith “I had nobody looking over my shoulder telling 
me such things as when to study, how to maintain my wheelchair and 
other medical equipment, order prescription medicines and schedule 
appointments when I needed them.” Despite some overindulgence in social 
activities, she learned to be responsible, self reliant and disciplined. 

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Outside of Beckwith, Amy was active in her sorority, Phi Mu. She was the 
first female with a mobility disability to attend formal sorority rush 
in the United States, a story which was picked up by United Press 
International. Amy found her sorority sisters to be extremely inviting 
and helpful for whatever she needed, including her personal needs. The 
house was not accessible, but Amy and her sisters were creative in figuring 
out ways to get her into the house and riding the buses to formal functions, 
such as barn dances. 

In 1986, Amy met pre-med student, Lee Campos, who was a new live-in 
personal assistant that year. They fell in love and married in 1991. 
Lee is now running his own family practice and they live in Libertyville, 
Illinois with their two children, Emily and Holden. After seven years of 
marriage and many doctor consultations, Amy and Lee decided to have 
children. With Amy’s spinal cord injury, there were several health risks 
to her body during pregnancy and labor. Fortunately she found an 
obstetrician with experience in pregnant women with disabilities who 
monitored her and the baby closely. At 36 weeks, Amy went into labor 
naturally and gave birth to Emily on Sept 9, 1998. Three years later 
she gave birth to a son, Holden, on June 29, 2001. Overall, Amy’s 
pregnancies went very well; her biggest concern was low blood pressure 
which eventually forced her to stop driving, a blow to her independence 
but well worth it. She said her second pregnancy was harder on her body. 
She was more tired and it affected her blood pressure more, and for that 
reason, labor was induced when it was safe at 36 weeks. Life since then 
has been challenging. While Amy was able to hold and feed her children 
while they were infants, she needed help diapering, dressing and bathing 
them. However, Amy never felt this took away from her role as mom. “Although 
I may not be doing a lot of the hands-on work, I’m always right there 
to help and to just be mom. They have never looked at the hired babysitters 
as parental figures…I’m always there to kiss their bumps and bruises 
and to hand out reprimands as needed.” 

In addition to being a full-time mom, Amy is a full-time employee for 
Canine Companions for Independence(CCI). Amy is the director of their 
Chicago satellite office and is responsible for fundraising, public relations, 
volunteer management and donor relations. CCI is a non-profit organization 
that places highly skilled assistance dogs with people with disabilities. 
Amy’s relationship with CCI began as a recipient of a dog in 1991, and 
soon after she was an active volunteer. When they decided to expand their 
program, they offered her the position which she happily accepted. She says 
she loves her job. It’s an organization she believes in and now that she 
has children, the fact that she works from home has been a huge bonus. 

When there is free time, Amy and her family love to travel. Before having 
children, Amy and her husband, Lee, were world travelers. They have 
traveled throughout Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of South 
America and Africa, as well as all over the U.S., even swimming with a 
dolphin in Hawaii. The most interesting was viewing the ruins of 
Carthage in Tunisia. She says that the plane rides were the worst part 
for her, but with a little creativity she managed. Otherwise, using her 
manual chair made traversing these old cities easier, and she had few 
problems. She recalls having a flat tire in Sicily and her husband 
walking through all the alleys looking for a tire insert. She has now 
switched to solid inserts on her manual chair. Since having kids, they 
have remained stateside in their travels, but as the children get 
older, Amy and her husband look to plan a trip back to Italy. 

Amy has always lived by her life’s motto, “If life hands you sour grapes, 
you have the ability to do two things with it -make vinegar or a very fine 
vintage wine; I choose the wine.” Amy has always been a strong person and 
she has never let anyone discourage her or alter her beliefs. To that end, 
Amy’s advice to fellow Beckwith residents is to “Believe in yourself and 
DO NOT let anyone tell you that you can’t or are unable to do something 
because of your disability. The sweetest revenge is accomplishing 
something that others have told you that you’d be unable to do!” 

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Mission 

Beckwith Hall was opened in 1981 to accommodate the residential needs of 
students with disabilities requiring the help of personal assistants to 
perform basic activities of daily living. While aiding students in the 
management of their activities of daily living (transferring in and out 
of wheelchairs, dressing, grooming, bathing, etc.), Beckwith also offers 
individualized training designed to help students learn to independently 
manage their disability-related needs and, whenever possible, to transition 
to mainstream community housing. The ultimate goal of Beckwith Hall 
programming is to make it possible for graduates to go anywhere their lives 
and career aspirations take them, confident that they can manage their own 
needs. 

Beckwith is much like any other university residence hall in that it has 
a cafeteria, student government, laundry room and a campus location along 
the Division’s bus route. In addition, Beckwith offers the unique convenience 
of private sleep-study rooms with adjacent semi-private bathrooms. A 
computer lab with four work­stations, voice activation systems, and a 
wide range of peripheral assistive input devices is also available. 

For additional information about Beckwith Hall or to obtain an application for 
residency, contact: 
Katherine Johnson, Interim Director
Beckwith Hall, 201 E. John St. Champaign, IL 61820, 
(217)244-8919(v/TDD)
or send an email to: johnso15@uiuc.edu. 

This Beckwith Hall Newsletter was produced by Kathleen Madayag, Brad 
Hedrick and Mindy Johnson.