Image Description: A selfie of Lessa, a white non-binary person with brown hair, tucked in a graduation cap and wearing a blue shirt.
Author Bio
Lessinaydraa “Lessa” Astercourte is a freelance artist and aspiring disability advocate. They’ve lived in Indianapolis for 4 years and intend to stay for a while yet, continuing to work on projects with various homeless and disability causes in the city. Their pronouns are they/them, they identify as a nonbinary lesbian, and their favorite animal is the tarantula.
Image Description: A headshot of a Black man with short hair and glasses, wearing a gray suit jacket, a patterned dress shirt, and a blue plaid tie.
Author Bio
Three words adequately describe the Reverend Doctor Milton Keys: Preacher, Teacher and Producer. Keys uses these three gifts to change the world. Although he was born with cerebral palsy, and a bleak diagnosis, Milton has let nothing stop him from achieving his goals. Despite being given a two-year life expectancy and being supposed to have severe cognitive disabilities, Milton has earned 3 degrees. He has produced and released 13 musical albums, 4 plays, 1 ballet, held 8 youth summits, and completed numerous small projects in the last two and a half decades. As a disability theologian, Dr. Keys has been working to promote the rights of people with disabilities and to create a more inclusive society. His writings and speeches are aimed at inspiring and empowering people to overcome their challenges and to achieve their goals. Keys is the founder and executive director of Advocates Embassy, an organization that helps churches create environments where people with disabilities feel safe, are welcomed, and have access to abundant life. In 2025, AE released Dr. Key’s first book, Finding My Place: A Devotional About Disability and the Human Experience. Dr. Keys is an ambassador from a world without boundaries.
How would I feel supported or empowered with my disability?
My name is Ayden Marietta. I am 22 years old, and I am currently a student in my senior year at Indiana University – Indianapolis. As a student with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Anxiety Disorder diagnoses I do make use of Accessible Education Services (AES) at Indiana University. This year, the AES accommodation I utilized was extended time provided to complete my exams. This included taking my exams in the AES Lab at the University Library. While I found the accommodation useful and helpful, I found one area of the testing process still presented barriers. As a person on the Autism Spectrum, writing out lengthy answers by hand is not only a challenge due to my poor handwriting/fine motor skills; but also challenging for me to express my thoughts when handwriting answers. For some reason, my mind communicates much more clearly when I type out my answers. Not only that, but with my poor handwriting it takes me much longer to write my answers by hand, making it difficult to complete all test questions to the best of my ability. In this area, I would feel much more supported by being able to type my responses. I did ask about being able to type my responses on a computer with no internet access, but was told that the blue book format was required for grading purposes.
In order to ensure that testing accommodations are more supportive for those with disabilities, I would suggest universities allow more leeway in how testing is done. First, I believe that essay questions should have the option to be typed out. For people like me, typing out our answers is easier as we are able to think and focus more clearly than when struggling with our handwriting and trying to put our thoughts onto paper. Second, asking a student which accommodations they believe they can use to best help them succeed on a test or other assignment, even if different or unusual, should be considered as long as it does not provide an unfair advantage. Finally, allowing a student to navigate at their own pace if they need to slow down to focus on one assignment or an exam can improve their ability to concentrate and allow them to put their best effort in each assignment.
To conclude, I believe that students who are provided flexibility in their choice of accommodations, accommodations that are as unique as the students themselves, allows students with disabilities to feel supported in their coursework and to be able to succeed in their classes.
About the Author
Image Description: A smiling young man standing on a stage, dressed in a black double-breasted suit and a tie.
Artist Bio
My name is Ayden Marietta. I am a senior at Indiana University – Indianapolis majoring in Applied Theater, Film, and Television and plan to graduate in May 2026. Since childhood, I have had a real passion and interest in politics, government, and American history. This passion has led me to volunteer and intern for both local and statewide political campaigns, including Mike Braun’s gubernatorial campaign. I also served as an Indiana State GOP Delegate at the 2024 State Convention. I also co-host, along with my friend Justin George, “The Neurologic Podcast” where we both talk about history, sports, politics, and life on the Autism Spectrum. In my final year in high school, I received the governor’s work ethic certificate in 2022 for my academic performance.
Image Description: On the left, a large, halftone-style illustration of a mouth is open as if speaking, positioned above a hand writing in a journal. Text boxes nearby read “Patience for me when I’m struggling” and “A safe space for me to share and open up about my feelings.”
The center features a cluster of microphones, a globe with a blue flower growing out of it, and a teal flag. Text boxes in this area say “Realizing not every problem has the same solution” and “Making accommodations to advocate for my success.”
The right side shows a photograph of a group of people sitting on the front steps of a brownstone building. Overlapping this are stylized, flat-color icons of two people hugging and a simple red house. Text boxes here read “Clear communication and guidelines that help to benefit me” and “Creating community where I can feel empowered.”
About the Author
Image Description: A headshot of a woman with long dark hair wearing a black top, smiling slightly at the camera, with a brick building in the background.
“Kristianna Eaton is currently studying Marketing at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Indianapolis. While navigating her academic journey, she manages anxiety, and with the support of Indiana University’s Academic Excellence Services (AES) program, she has been able to thrive academically. With the resources provided by AES, Kristianna has found strategies that allow her to succeed and plans to graduate in May 2026.”
