Meet the Team
The goal of the staff of the office for Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) is to assist students who can benefit from higher education and support them in reaching their academic potential. The ACCESS office provides a comfortable transition from high school to the SIUE campus. Students are encouraged to frequent the ACCESS office and enjoy the opportunity to meet other students in a relaxing atmosphere.
Dominic Dorsey is the Director of the ACCESS office. He joined the office staff on January 29, 2018, after serving in previous roles as Associate Director for Adaptive Educational Services at Indiana University Purdue University–Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Director of Accessibility at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC). He has worked with students with disabilities for over a decade and in doing so has developed a philosophy that pushes the conversation from one of limitations, to one of accessibility. One which focuses on removing the gatekeepers to student success through interactive processes instead of boilerplate accommodations. Acutely aware of the afterthought of equity, Dominic is passionate about being an accomplice to individuals with major life impairments. His favorite phrase is that "Accommodations are the floor, but accessibility is the ceiling." A statement he frequently brings up administratively, while demonstrating his commitment to achieving a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all.
Dominic earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from IUPUI in spring 2009. He also completed a Master of Science in Education in Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) at Indiana University in 2011 and a certification in behavior analysis from the University of Cincinnati in 2016.
Contact Dominic at (618) 650-3726 or by email at dodorse@siue.edu.
James (Jim) F. Boyle is the ACCESS office's Assistant Director for Inclusive Compliance. He has been with the office since August 2000, formerly serving as the department's Learning Specialist. He ensures university compliance with legal mandates pertaining to accessible higher education while promoting universal design principles to optimize access for all learners. In addition, he works with students from local schools to foster effective transition from their current educational setting to SIUE. Jim earned a BA from Illinois College in 1985 and an MA in Clinical Adult Psychology in 1997 from SIUE.
Contact Jim at (618) 650-2568 or by email at jboyle@siue.edu.
Andrew (Andy) Koch is the ACCESS office's Assistant Director for Instructional Accessibility. He joined the office staff on March 12, 2012, first serving as the Office Support Specialist before moving into a Program Advisor position in 2016. As the office was restructured, Andy moved into his current position in May 2021. His primary role is as a consultant to the campus community on ADA compliance in the online and digital sphere including but not limited to: WCAG compliance, universal design principles, existing and emerging technologies designed to improve accessibility for the SIUE campus community. This includes the provision of guidance to faculty on the development of curricular content that is accessible to students with disabilities.
Along with the Graduate Assistant, he coordinates the disability awareness programming for the office. He also serves as the staff advisor to New Horizons, SIUE's student organization dedicated to issues surrounding disability awareness, access, inclusion and intersectionality.
Andy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Eastern Illinois University in Spring 2003. He completed his Master of Science in Education in College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) at SIUE in Fall 2019.
Contact Andy at (618) 650-5692, ankoch@siue.edu, or @AndyKochSIUE.
Berthine Blanc is the BUILD Program Coordinator at ACCESS. Her primary duties include administration and implementation of the Bridging Universal Inclusion and Leadership Development (BUILD) Program. Including recruitment, screening, orientation, and training of incoming volunteer mentors as well as a responsibility for all mentor-mentee matches. In this new position, the BUILD Program Coordinator will oversee the implementation of associated workshops, provide ongoing support to mentors as well as outreach and communication to community partners and local area high schools in conjunction with our transition program. Originally joining the staff in October 2017, she was promoted to BUILD Program Coordinator in July 2021.
Berthine earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies with a minor in Sociology in 2000 from SIUE and completed her Master of Science in Education in College Student Personnel Administration(CSPA), also at SIUE, in 2019.
Contact Berthine at (618) 650-3747 or by email at bblanc@siue.edu.
Calandra Mitchell is the Test Specialist at ACCESS. Her primary duties include scheduling and proctoring students' exams and the coordination of test procurement and delivery. Calandra joined the ACCESS team in September 2015
Contact Calandra at (618) 650-3766 or by email at calmitc@siue.edu.
Testing information should be submitted to the ACCESS office at accesstesting@siue.edu
Michelle Nickerson is the Office Administrator for the ACCESS office. She joined the departmental staff in May 2016. Michelle's duties consist of supporting the professional staff of the office, maintaining records, handling purchasing, monitoring the budget, staffing the front desk, assisting the clerk and supervising ACCESS's student workers. Prior to joining the ACCESS team, Michelle served in a variety of roles in other campus offices.
Contact Michelle at (618) 650-3726 or by email at minicke@siue.edu.
Mari Chimitris will be the new Graduate Assistant at ACCESS beginning in August 2021 and her primary duties will include programming, BUILD, and outreach.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois and she is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at SIUE.
Contact Mari beginning in August 2021
