Erin Garriott
Senior Lecturer, College of Education
Dr. Erin Garriott has been teaching in the Indianapolis area her whole teaching career, starting at MSD Pike Township as a 3rd grade teacher in 1996. Her interest in inclusive classrooms took her on a path to study Disabilities and Special Education in grad school (Butler '01). Her relationships with her professors here at Butler kept her connected to the College of Education, and when they needed someone in Special Education to fill an open teaching spot for a year, they called on Erin. A few years later, as a full-time Faculty member, Erin returned to grad school to earn her Doctorate. This time from the University of Dayton ('22), where she studied Leadership in Organizations.
Dr. Garriott has had amazing experiences here at Butler. She has led a Study Abroad Trip to Germany to learn both the history of Disability Rights and the current understanding and treatment of people with Disabilities. Oh, and while there, they experienced the Special Olympics World Games! She and her family also lived on Butler's campus in Residential College and Schwitzer Hall (where Irvington currently stands) for almost ten years. Dr. Garriott was part of the Faculty-in-Residence Program, where faculty work at building a bridge between academics and residential life.
Disability advocacy is Dr. Garriott's passion. She believes that all people deserve the chance to learn together and that spaces are better when all people are included. That belief is lived out by her leadership in the relationship between Special Olympics IN and the Butler College of Education. Dr. Garriott and her students lead and participate in Athlete Leadership University, a leadership workshop for people with Intellectual Disabilities created by Special Olympics. Dr. Garriott was also instrumental in the creation of the Inclusive Physical Well-Being courses, where she co-teaches courses that include people with Intellectual Disabilities. The classes are as much about acceptance and access as they are about the physical benefits of the activities being taught.
Here are some interesting stories about Dr. Garriott's work:
https://issuu.com/butleru/docs/2024_coe_year_in_review?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ (page 14-15)
https://issuu.com/butleru/docs/butler_coe_year_in_review_2017 (page 10-11)
https://stories.butler.edu/a-shared-mission/
https://stories.butler.edu/jillian-moss/