Accessibility Partners @ UVA is a collaboration of representatives from accessibility-focused offices and committees across grounds who are dedicated to equal access for all. We look at accessibility holistically, encompassing the digital environment, the built environment, and the attitudinal environment, while doing so in a collaborative manner.
The Accessibility Partners Group (APG) exists to advance the goal of cultivating a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible environment for individuals with disabilities at UVA. Committee members will share information with each other about current projects and issues that need to be addressed, to determine how best to collaborate and to ensure that efforts in different areas are complementary. Institutional values and legal restrictions, including those relating to privacy and confidentiality, will in some cases shape the nature and extent of the information shared. The APG may serve as a clearinghouse for gathering and reporting on accessibility-related achievements, efforts and needs across the University. This group has executive-level sponsorship from the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and the Associate Vice President, Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.
The following individuals work to maintain this online resource and to create a welcoming and inclusive experience for the entire University community.
Accessibility Partners:
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ADA Office: Melvin Mallory (ADA Coordinator)
The University's ADA Office serves as the University's primary resource for questions and concerns about services and accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Including third parties, students, faculty, staff, and employees at the University and the Medical Center, the ADA Office helps to resolve issues, provides information, and conduct training. -
Coordinator of Academic Accessibility – Lori Kressin
As the Coordinator of Academic Accessibility, Lori Kressin reports through the Executive Vice President and Provost. Working in both the digital and physical environments, her primary focus is to ensure accessibility for all to the academic experience at UVA. -
Student Disabilities Access Center – Barbara Zunder (Director) and Elaine Bailey (Associate Director)
The Student Disability Access Center (SDAC), is committed to promoting a culture of access and inclusion for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities to all academic programs and University resources. -
Tasha Cherry / Digital Communications Manager | Provost Office
In addition to managing the UVA Accessibility website, the Digital Communications Manager brings her knowledge of the greater University efforts surrounding digital accessibility. -
Helen Wilson / Chair, Barrier-Free Access Committee | Office of the Architect – Sr. Landscape Architect
Reporting to the EVP & COO, The Committee on Barrier Free Access is charged with making recommendations for, and providing oversight to, projects designed to improve access for persons of varying abilities to university facilities and programs. It supports the interests of those individuals within the University community as well as the work of the Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights -
Sarah Cole / Co-Chair, Disability Advocacy Committee |College of Arts & Sciences - Association Dean, Echols Scholars / Asst Professor of English
Kristin Morgan / Co-Chair, Disability Advocacy Committee | Diversity Office – Sr. Director for Grants Admin and Strategic Partnerships
Reporting to the VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the mission of this committee is the University of Virginia values disability within the spectrum of human diversity. Recognizing the ongoing exclusion of people with disabilities, we work to eliminate physical, technological, and attitudinal barriers. We challenge social injustice throughout the University and community. -
Rupa Valdez / Chair, Accessible Care Committee (UVA Health) | Public Health Sciences Admin – Assoc Professor of Public Health Sciences
Reporting to the Chief Diversity and Community Engagement Officer, this group was organized for the express purpose of improving access to high-quality, patient-centered care for our patients with disabilities. -
Elyse Girard / University Library - Executive Director of Communications and User Experience
Elyse Girard provides leadership for UVA Library’s communications department. She is responsible for communications and UX strategies including accessibility, content strategy, design, marketing, UX/UI and user experience research.
Committees
Barrier-Free Access Committee
The Committee on Access for Persons with Disabilities is charged with making recommendations for, and providing oversight to, projects designed to improve access for persons with disabilities to University programs and facilities.
Disability Advocacy Committee
As a subcommittee of the Diversity Council, the purpose of this committee is to serve as a think-tank for improving access, in its broadest sense, at the University of Virginia.
For more information on accessibility at UVA or for suggestions for this site, please send an email to [email protected].