Hope Talk: Making College Accessible

Are you or a loved one approaching college with a disability? If you have questions about what that transition will look like and how to make college accessible to you, this Hope Talk is for you.

Join us on April 23 at 3 p.m. ET for a free virtual webinar to learn everything you need to know about making college accessible – whether you are applying to colleges for the first time or returning to college after a life-changing medical event.

We will be joined by Annie Tulkin, Founder and Director of Accessible College. She will be accompanied by Kasie Somerville, mother and full-time care attendant, and her son, Help Hope Live client Austin Somerville, who is a sophomore at Clemson University navigating college with a spinal cord injury.

About Our Panelists

Annie Tulkin is the Founder and Director of Accessible College, as well as an educator, author, and public speaker. She is an expert in college preparation and transitions for students across the country living with physical disabilities and health conditions.

Annie previously supported undergraduate, graduate, and medical students with physical disabilities and health conditions and oversaw academic support services for the student body. She has been a part of the disability field for her entire career.

Kasie Somerville is the proud mother of four adult children—our client Austin Somerville is her youngest.

In May 2020, at the age of 16, Austin was injured in a swimming pool accident. He is living with quadriplegia from sustaining a spinal cord injury at the C5, C6, and C7 levels.

Austin is a sophomore at Clemson University who lives in a dorm on campus and works with the Clemson Tigers football team. Kasie is Austin’s mother and full-time care attendant.

After his injury, Austin went to multiple rehabilitation centers over three years and across three states while completing high school. To obtain his goal of becoming a Clemson Tiger, while still in the hospital, he resumed his schooling just one month after injury with multiple adaptive technologies. He graduated in spring 2023 with a 4.67 GPA.

Austin is here to reaffirm that college is harder in many ways when you are physically different from most of your peers, but it is worth it to build a life and a future. To Austin, giving up or just sitting at home is not an option.

Kasie is passionate about helping family members and care partners to believe that there is hope and help in the face of tragedy, insurmountable odds, and even great suffering. Kasie is passionate about proving that injuries like Austin’s are not the end of someone’s dreams for the future – from entering college and becoming part of the work force to enjoying hobbies, sports, and life to the fullest.