To: The Wellesley Community
From: Sheilah Shaw Horton, Vice President and Dean of Students
Re: Introducing Accessibility and Disability Resources
Date: March 12, 2019
As we continue to assess our programs and improve our services, we continually shape them in innovative ways to meet the changing needs of our students. It is in this spirit that I announce a new name, structure, and updated resources for our former Disability Services office.
The name of the office is now Accessibility and Disability Resources to better reflect its primary goal: to support and advocate for an educational environment that provides equal opportunities for access to all our students. This change acknowledges the history of the disability rights movement and recognizes people with disabilities as both a traditionally marginalized population and one that expands the diversity of our campus community. It also focuses the work of the office as a provider of resources and as a support for students.
The office’s new staff structure will enhance students’ ability to access a variety of resources and will increase the availability of advising hours. In January, Accessibility and Disability Resources welcomed a new administrative assistant (shared with the PLTC), Jessica Washak. In February, a new full-time assistant director, Anne Lamppa, joined the staff. She will focus primarily on meeting with students individually, coordinating the testing and note-taking programs, and presenting workshops in the community. Over the course of this semester, Anne, Jessica, and Jim Wice, director of accessibility and disability resources, will be evaluating programs and processes with the goal of improving access for students. These changes are very recent, so we ask for your patience as we transition to our new model.
The staff is currently working toward the launch of a new accommodation information management (AIM) system. Students will be able to register and request accommodations through the online portal as well as see their approved requests in one centralized location. The coordination of note-taking and alternative testing will also move to the online portal, which will be available to students next fall. AIM will also offer an interface through which students can share their accommodation needs with faculty each semester.
We hope that these changes, and those yet to come, will embrace, engage, and empower students as they strive for academic and personal success.
