Campus Directory

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Biography

Margaret Rose McDonnell is the director of the Center for Accessibility Resources at Saint Xavier University. She oversees an extraordinarily successful learning assistance program that is dedicated to a variety of academic support services and opportunities to enhance student learning and success at each stage of the university experience. One of her primary skills is to serve as the campus resource on issues related to the education, instruction and academic accommodations for students with disabilities. McDonnell has extensive experience with people with disabilities with an in-depth knowledge of disability rights and policies as set forth by state and federal regulations in Special Education, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

As an educator, she strives to support and to initiate services and resources that further enhance SXU's mission and help students thrive in an ever-changing and complex world. Fortunate to be a recipient and alumnus of Saint Xavier University, having earned her undergraduate degree in elementary education and an advanced degree in education, she has modeled the offerings within her area on the mission of SXU's founder, Catherine McAuley, and has faithfully been committed to social justice.

McDonnell is an empathetic, innovative, and impassioned leader and supervisor who is committed to and empowered to cultivating trust and leading with strong ethics, social responsibility and equity in all aspects of her leadership and decision-making. She wants to leave a legacy that places high values on the human dignity of each person. Having sustained a spinal cord injury 45 years ago, she has proven that she can adapt to any situation.

Every day, McDonnell strives to empower diverse people by seeing complex topics from varying perspectives, thus elevating these differences to achieve long-term goals centered around dignity and pride. One of her most profound hopes and dreams is for the world to not only recognize her students for their incredible achievements and accomplishments but to also honor their unique abilities daily.

What is her passion? Having sustained a spinal cord injury almost 45 years ago, McDonnell's greatest passion continues to be empowering all students with disabilities to lead independent and inclusive lifestyles filled with dignity and pride. Her main purpose as an educator is to be an example of how someone can deal with a life-challenging disability and still achieve academic success by advocating for their rights in all aspects of public and private life. She serves as a model of living up to one's potential, thus inspiring students struggling to do well in school to make the most of their educational opportunities -- moreover, to live with dignity and pride using the best opportunities that life has bestowed and empowered them to achieve in their future successes.

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