In 1977, Dianne S. Milhollin became the first coordinator of the Student Disability Services subdivision. This service fell under the Student Advisory Services department and was a result of the Rehabilitation Act in 1973. This act ruled that all federally funded institutions must provide accommodations to all programs for students with disabilities. It also made it so all newly constructed buildings were equipped for those with disabilities.
Milhollin, a U of I alumni, experienced blindness around the age of twenty-one. However, this obstacle didn’t hinder her from completing two masters degrees in guidance and counseling. She returned to work for the university after working as a certified rehabilitation counselor at the Idaho Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Milhollin stayed with U of I for thirty years, and was a significant figure both on campus and within the local community. Not only did she advocate for students with disabilities, she ran programs about substance abuse and was an advisor to the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. One of the first major projects Milhollin took part in was the renovation plan of campus facilities to meet accessibility initiatives.
Milhollin collected a lot of informational materials to share with the students she worked with. Some of these items included Idaho’s Coalition of Advocates for the Disabled publications, National Clearinghouse for Alcohol materials, the Diabetes in the News newsletter, and the Joslin Diabetes Center. She also kept copies of The Disability Rag, a periodical published from 1980 to 2004 that covered the Disability Rights Movement in the U.S.
To review more, check out the Student Disability Services records finding aid. If you want to see these materials in person, make an appointment with the Special Collections and Archives department.
Sources
Student Disability Services records, UG 079, Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, Idaho.
Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (September 21, 2018). “Dianne Stone Milhollin, 74, formerly of Moscow”. https://dnews.com/obituaries/dianne-stone-milhollin-74-formerly-of-moscow/article_80416086-035b-586c-94f7-f0b752f4a36b.html.