Office of Accessibility and Disability Services Expansion

Thu, 31 Aug 2017 15:01:05 -0400
accommodation, ada, culture, disability, diversity, education, faculty, inclusion, resources, staff, student, support

Dear Members of the UMBC Community,

UMBC is committed to fostering a campus community that promotes and enhances access and inclusion for individuals with disabilities.

As part of our efforts to progress beyond compliance and towards seamless access to University services and spaces, we are pleased to announce the expansion of the Office of Student Disability Services that will now fall under the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS) within the Division of Academic Affairs. The ADS will be the central office for managing resources, initiatives, and concerns related to accessibility and will serve as the primary resource for students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors. ADS will also provide expertise to the UMBC community regarding workshops and training, emerging issues, updates on acquisition of resources, facilities planning, and policy reviews. As the focal points, ADS will be responsible for the coordination of all disability accommodation requests by UMBC employees and students and will also serve as the first point of contact for any disability access-related concerns or campus complaints.

ADS will work closely with Facilities Management, Human Resources, Student Affairs, Human Relations, the Division of Information Technology, and the Library to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Current SDS Director, Tawny McManus, will lead the ADS office. We are also excited to announce that Stephanie Lazarus, UMBC's current ADA/Section 504 Coordinator, formerly with the Office of Human Relations, has transitioned to join ADS. Ms. Lazarus will continue to serve as the campus ADA/Section 504 Coordinator and assume the new role of accessibility manager.

We are confident this new centralized structure will offer improved service to the campus community through an organized, multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, and systematic approach to accessibility.

Provost Philip Rous and Antonio Moreira, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs