Accessibility Update

Civil Rights/Title IX Coordinator Samantha Hughes provides an update from the College's Accessibility Working Group.

Date

Last July, Acting President Bowman asked the Office of Civil Rights to convene the Accessibility Working Group (AWG) to continue and expand on the important accessibility work undertaken by Campus Senate prior to the start of the pandemic. The group spent the 2022-23 academic year working to fulfill the issued charge which included: reviewing and refining a statement drafted by Campus Senate articulating the College’s commitment to accessibility; defining and recommending institutional goals and priorities around accessibility; developing an action plan with strategies for making measurable progress toward identified goals; determining how the College will monitor the implementation and assess progress.

Led by the Office of Civil Rights, the AWG included:

  • Samantha Hughes - Civil Rights/Title IX Coordinator (Chair)

  • Laurence Blake - Interim Director of Facility Operations & Interim Director of Project Planning and Development

  • Patty Burns - Director of Web Strategy

  • Ruthann Daniel-Harteis - Director of Student Accessibility & Support Services

  • H. Abbie Erler - Associate Professor of Political Science

  • Sheryl Hemkin - Acting Provost; Professor of Chemistry

  • Brian Janssen - Dean of Students

  • Chris Kennerly - Dean for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 

  • Mary Spence - Assistant Director of Human Resources

I shared our progress with with  Senior Staff in early June:

Statement on Accessibility

Kenyon strives to be an accessible campus where students, employees, alumni, and visitors can fully participate. We work to understand the needs of our community, implement strategies to improve access for all, and continuously evaluate our progress.

Guiding Principles

  • Equitable access provides the opportunity for full participation and fosters a sense of belonging.

  • Full participation from all members enriches our community.

  • The work of creating accessibility is a perpetual process.

Goals

  1. Campus Culture – Shift campus culture to consider and incorporate universal design principles into all College programs and activities.

  2. Coordinated Approach – The Civil Rights Office will be responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the College’s progress around accessibility. The Civil Rights Advisory Committee, an interdisciplinary group, will be instrumental in moving this goal forward.

  3. Education – Provide and require relevant education and training for all campus constituents so they can easily incorporate universal design principles into their daily work.

Priorities

  • Facilities and Environment
  • Digital Access
  • Programs and Events

Next Steps

The Access Committee, originally formed in 2018 by Erin Salva, former director of Student Accessibility and Support Services, will be convened by the Civil Rights/Title IX coordinator as part of the larger Civil Rights Advisory Committee. Moving the responsibility for the access group to the Civil Rights Office signals accessibility as the responsibility of all members of the College community. The members of the Access Committee will include, but may not be limited to, representatives from the Center for Innovative Pedagogy, Campus Events, Student Affairs (e.g., ODEI, Student Engagement, Residential Life), Operations, Human Resources and LBIS.

Sincerely,

Samantha Hughes
Civil Rights/Title IX Coordinator
Office for Civil Rights