Abbie Liechty was in her first year at the University of Iowa when it became clear that “something was wrong, because I wasn’t able to get through things as fast as other kids were able to get through things.”
Technically, this had been a problem since middle school, but no one thought much of it because it never affected her grades. Liechty had learned early not to waste time on assigned readings in high school. Instead, she focused on study guides and memorizing what teachers said in class. And it worked.
Until it didn’t.
Eventually, testing diagnosed Liechty with a reading disability, ADHD, and some accompanying anxiety issues. It was unclear what this meant for the future. Could college continue? How could she make it work?
Then, Liechty heard about Vocational Rehabilitation Services – and the people Abbie now credits with showing her the pathway to a rewarding career.
“I think having an advocate really helped me, especially when I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to do,” she said. “I don’t know that I would have gone to law school if I hadn’t talked to Voc Rehab. They made it all seem possible.”
Rehabilitation Counselor Susan Sumers estimates that at any given time she is helping 110-120 Iowans with disabilities navigate through college. In Fiscal Year 2024, Vocational Rehabilitation Services spent more than $4.8 million helping a total of 1,254 Iowans from across the state who were enrolled in some form of community college, four-year university, graduate school, or university training.
Depending on individual need, the program assists students with tuition and fees (reducing the need to work while in school), as well as providing supplies and/or adaptive technology. Mostly, Voc Rehab staff explain the system, advise students on available accommodations, and help them plan ways around the obstacles created by a disability.
“The biggest tool we have is guidance and counseling,” Summers said. “We’re really about making sure that the person doesn’t have any barrier to their employment.”
For Liechty, assistance included help both with tuition and in obtaining audio versions of textbooks – both at the University of Iowa and later at the Gonzaga University School of Law. Summers also helped Liechty find adaptive technology and PDF-reading software.
For Margaux John, help from Vocational Rehabilitation came in the form of tuition and textbook assistance, as well as guidance in advocating for medical accommodations such as stand-up desks and the special yoga balls that John must use to sit on instead of chairs.
John, originally from Garner, Ia., was a graduate student in Chicago working on a master’s degree in child development when a bicycle accident changed her life. Seriously injured and unable to work for six months, she returned home to Garner for rehabilitation.
It was there that John connected with Vocational Rehabilitation Services for help planning her next steps. She qualified for Social Security disability payments but yearned to support herself. VR counselor Susan Fabor showed John the opportunities available if she attended graduate school at the University of Iowa to become a vocational rehabilitation counselor.
“I’m really grateful for IVRS and especially my rehabilitation counselors,” John said. “The reality is that it’s really hard to survive with multiple disabling conditions in this world… IVRS believed in me and showed me a path to help use my own experiences and abilities to help others with their journey navigating disabilities through their lives.
“Working with Susan Summers during my time in graduate school at the University of Iowa allowed me to learn more about the resources available and how to advocate for myself within the workplace,” she said. “Through IVRS and the university, I was able to replot my course in life and grow in a field of work that utilizes my knowledge, skills, and passion for helping people empower and advocate for students with disabilities.”
John now works as Coordinator for Disability and Accessibility Services at San Francisco Bay University in California.
“I don’t think I would have been able to finish graduate school without their support and assistance,” she said. “I owe the success that I had to the wonderful support systems in place with my counselor Susan Summers and the faculty and staff at UI. They were both extremely instrumental in helping me learn and grow in the rehabilitation counseling field that changed my life for the better.”
Abbie Liechty agrees about the value of Voc Rehab support.
Liechty, who once was urged by educators to seek a career in real estate instead of the law, passed the bar exam last fall. She now works with her father in a Mount Pleasant law firm, handling misdemeanor court-appointed criminal cases and whatever else comes through the door.
The assistance from Vocational Rehabilitation “kind of evened me out with everybody else,” Liechty said. “I was put on an equal playing field so I could have an equal chance.”
For more about postsecondary education assistance through Vocational Rehabilitation Services, visit https://workforce.iowa.gov/vr/students-schools/post-secondary.