The University of Vermont prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive place to work that attracts highly skilled staff and faculty, and welcomes them in their full identities. This includes staff and faculty who have physical, mental, or emotional/behavioral disabilities.
UVM employees with disabilities are entitled to ask for and receive accommodations that enable them to fully participate in the workplace. At UVM, those requests go to the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). And more specifically, those requests now go to Susan I. Farrell, the new UVM Employee and Public Accommodations Specialist at OAS.
For the past 12 years, Farrell has served as a Student Accessibility Specialist in the UVM Student Accessibility Services office with some overlap as a TRiO Program Coordinator mentoring under-served students. As a first generation college graduate herself, Farrell understands the importance of securing good guidance through unfamiliar territory. She believes communities are stronger when we create more equitable access for everyone.
"We're excited to have Susan heading up these vital functions for the University," said OAS director Sharon Mone. "We've seen her handle student accommodation requests with sensitivity and skill, and have no doubt that she'll bring those same qualities to this area of work. And there is a lot of work needing to be addressed. We want UVM employees to feel welcome to advocate for themselves and their needs. We need every single person in our community."
OAS encourages all UVM employees who need workplace accommodations to visit the OAS employee accommodation website at go.uvm.edu/employee-accommodations.
The website features a number of resources pertaining to how UVM employees can request workplace accommodations, talk with supervisors about support, learn about temporary accommodations, and understand more about their rights and responsibilities in the accommodation process.
In the meantime, Susan wants everyone to know that she's already hard at work with the start of the new calendar year and new semester.
Employees with questions about accommodations can reach the Office of Accessibility Services by phone at (802) 656-7753, by email at access@uvm.edu, or by submitting OAS' online contact form.