Our agenda…
In response to a request from NYU Provost Katherine E. Fleming, The Disabilities, Inclusion and Accessibility Working Group (DIA) was established in 2016 with the aim of coordinating initiatives to make New York University campuses inclusive and accessible for all people, regardless of physical, cognitive or sensory ability. The working group has over thirty voluntary members drawn from diverse departments and programs across NYU, including researchers, teaching faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students and professional staff, incorporating people with mobility, hearing, visual, sensory, and neurological impairments. The group rotates facilitators and is currently co-chaired by Kristie Patten, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy (Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development), Karen Jackson-Weaver, NYU Associate Vice President of Global Inclusive Faculty Engagement and Innovation Advancement, and Karen Nercessian, NYU Associate Vice Provost for Strategy and Chief of Staff to the Provost.
Building on the strengths of NYU’s vibrant disability community, DIA has been engaged at many levels of University life. The working group’s primary approach has been to promote the creation of a more welcoming infrastructure for people with disabilities on our campuses, and to build relationships between NYU academic departments and on-campus resources (such as the Moses Center for Student Accessibility and the Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation), as well as student groups (such as the Disability Student Union), professional departments (such as Human Resources and the Registrar), and other facilities and community organizations. In all activities, DIA encourages collaborative practice and community consultation to galvanize innovative initiatives which support universal inclusion.
Since its initial charge by Provost Fleming, DIA has created a robust network of people engaged with making a more disability inclusive campus. The working group completed its founding goals in 2019, including making key recommendations to the Ad Hoc Advisory Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Exceeding its initial objectives, the working group has also become a hub which allows diverse NYU stakeholders to coordinate their efforts to make the university more accessible to all—from ramps and door openers, to audio description technology and screen readers, to awareness-raising initiatives for support of neurodiversity. DIA has aided in: expanding services, raising awareness, creating better technological access, improving training, modifying access, creating better signage, surveying facilities and advancing accessible research and scholarly practice.
You can find more information about our initial charge, and about our numerous achievements to date [PDF]. DIA meetings are open forums for connecting people across the NYU community to discuss infrastructural and accessibility issues. If you would like to join, contact: accessibility.inclusion@nyu.edu.
