Adrianna moved to Michigan in 2017 from Northern California. She earned her Associate's degree from Santa Rosa Junior College located in Santa Rosa, CA. As a transfer student she earned her Bachelor's degree in History at Humboldt State University located in Arcata, CA. She then gained experience and training working as a paralegal at law firms in California and then Michigan. She is passionate about student advocacy and disability rights. She joined the SSD team in May of 2019.
Lori Bolchalk joined the SSD staff in February 2019. She has over 25 years of management experience in the non-profit and healthcare sectors. Lori brings a broad range of professional experience in fund and project management, communication, and leadership training. She is very passionate about advocacy and support for students and staff affiliated with SSD. Lori has an associate’s degree in theology, and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management.
Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities
Bio:
Jordan Funk joined Services for Students with Disabilities staff in January 2021. Previously, Jordan worked as an Accessibility Specialist for Student Disability Services at the University of Toledo. Jordan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Capital University, and a Master's in Higher Education from the University of Toledo.
Coordinator of Services for Students with Learning Disabilities (LD), ADHD, TBI, Mental Health, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Bio:
Prior to coming to the university, Lisa was at Baker College in Allen Park for 12 years where she was an adjunct instructor in addition to being the Disability Services Coordinator. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Western Michigan University, and Master’s in Counseling from Spring Arbor University.
Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities
Bio:
Rachel Hargis joined the Services for Students with Disabilities office in December 2020. Prior to joining the SSD office, Rachel held the position of Access Consultant at the University of Arizona's Disability Resource Center.
Rachel holds a Master's degree in Sociology with a concentration in Disability Studies and Gender from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Oakland University.
Coordinator of Services for Students with Chronic Health Conditions, Visual, and Mobility Impairments
Bio:
Megan joined the Services for Students with Disabilities staff in 2017. Once a student with a physical disability at the University of Michigan, Megan served as Chair of the Michigan Student Assembly Disability Affairs Commission for which she received the Council for Disability Concerns’ Certificate of Appreciation Award. While also representing the voices of students with disabilities on campus in the Dean of Students Advisory Board and U-M Student Safety Work Group Initiative, she founded the first-ever SSD Student Advisory Board.
Dr. Oluwaferanmi Okanlami was appointed as the Interim Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) and assumed the role of Director of Adaptive Sports, a newly established unit within Student Life, on July 1, 2020. Dr. Okanlami serves as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine & Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine.
As an Academic Coach, Brianne works with students to locate academic resources and explore effective time and stress management and alternative learning strategies. Her approach to learning is holistic, and students benefit from her proactive and empowering support. Brianne’s research activity focuses on the subjects of kinesthetic and sensory learning, arts-based pedagogy, habits of mind, self-advocacy as self-care, and the role of affect in writing and research; she is committed to the creative and practical applications of these interests in her work with students.
Coordinator of Services for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Bio:
Jill came to Services for Students with Disabilities October 2006. She is a nationally certified sign language interpreter. Jill graduated from the Interpreting Training program at C.S. Mott Community College. She is an alumnus of the University of Michigan-Flint 1995. Jill had been staff interpreter at Communication Access Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for 21 years.
Fun facts on Jill: Jill likes to travel, spend time with family and go camping when possible. She also likes to scrapbook in her spare time.
Coordinator of Services for Students with Learning Disabilities (LD), ADHD, TBI, Mental Health, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Bio:
Natalie Ridgway joined the SSD staff in October 2019. Previously, Natalie coordinated services for students with disabilities at her alma mater, Bowling Green State University. Natalie holds a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders and a master's in counseling, with a specialization in higher education in student affairs, from Walsh University.
Erik earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Health Science from York University in Toronto, Canada. He worked for four years at Wheelchair Basketball Canada managing the operations for the National programs. He then pursued a Master of Business Administration at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada that included his major research project “Examining the Potential Inclusion of Adaptive Sport in the NCAA”.
As a highly dedicated proponent of education, Cortney Totty joins the office of Services for Students with Disabilities with ten years of experience developing learning support services and programming focused on college success and retention at Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, Madonna University, Miami University of Ohio, and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Her work in providing academic resources and support for first generation, students with disabilities and historically underserved students has helped many successfully complete their collegiate studies.
Jane Berliss-Vincent is the Assistive Technology Manager for U-M. Her responsibilities include oversight of the Knox Center Adaptive Technology Computer Site (2064 Shapiro Library), where she provides information and demonstrations of hardware and software that make computer use easier or help with academic activities such as reading, writing, and notetaking. She also participates on campus teams addressing accessibility for Google Apps and other widely distributed programs.
