Task Force on Accessibility
Â鶹ŮÀÉ established the Task Force on Accessibility (TFA) in April 2026 to identify, evaluate, and prioritize accessibility needs across campus. The task force is gathering input from students, faculty, staff, and other members of the Â鶹ŮÀÉ community, reviewing how accessibility work is currently organized, and developing recommendations for future action.
On this page
- Latest updates
- Share feedback and participate
- Â鶹ŮÀÉ the task force
- Task force timeline
- Get accessibility help
- Related offices and campus groups
- Frequently asked questions
Latest updates
Accessibility open forums
Members of the Skidmore community are invited to share experiences, questions, and ideas at two accessibility open forums. If you need an accommodation to participate, contact any of the task force tri-chairs.
- Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. — second floor of Murray-Aikins Dining Hall and via Zoom
- Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. — second floor of Murray-Aikins Dining Hall; in person only
Share feedback and participate
The task force wants to hear how accessibility affects your experience at Skidmore. Students, faculty, and staff can share feedback by attending an open forum or focus group or by contacting a task force tri-chair directly. Feedback may address physical spaces, digital tools and content, academic or workplace experiences, campus services, communication, or other accessibility needs. You do not need to be a member of the task force to participate.
Â鶹ŮÀÉ the Task Force on Accessibility
The Task Force on Accessibility is examining how Â鶹ŮÀÉ identifies, addresses, and prioritizes accessibility needs across campus. The task force will:
- Identify, evaluate, and prioritize accessibility needs.
- Learn how members of the Skidmore community experience and understand accessibility.
- Review accessibility work that is currently distributed across multiple offices, groups, and units.
- Gather community input through surveys, open forums, focus groups, and meetings.
- Consult internal and external experts and review accessibility practices in higher education.
- Develop recommendations for the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee and the President’s Cabinet.
The task force plans to submit its recommendations in March 2027. Accessibility improvements will continue while this work is underway.
Task force members
| Task force role | Member and contact information |
|---|---|
| Tri-chair | Adrian Bautista Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs abautista@skidmore.edu |
| Tri-chair | Elise Hinrichs ’28 2025–26 chair, Student Government Association Subcommittee on ADA; Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding student member ehinrichs@skidmore.edu |
| Tri-chair | Oscar Pérez Hernández Associate Dean of the Faculty operezhe@skidmore.edu |
| Member | Darren Prodger IdeaLab Manager dprodger@skidmore.edu |
| Member | Teisha Duncan Artist-in-Residence and Associate Chair, Department of Theater tduncan1@skidmore.edu |
| Member | Zoe Levine ’28 zlevine@skidmore.edu |
Task force timeline
- December 2025: The Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding, Space Planning Working Group, and Bias Response Group recommend forming a campus-wide group focused on access. The Institutional Policy and Planning Committee recommends to the president that a campus-wide group on access be formed.
- February 2026: The president appoints the Task Force on Accessibility tri-chairs.
- March 2026: A call for participation is shared with campus groups.
- April 2026: The president appoints members of the Task Force on Accessibility.
- May 2026: Task force membership is announced in the Â鶹ŮÀÉ Weekly Bulletin.
- August 2026 through January 2027: The task force gathers information through surveys, open forums, meetings, and other forms of community engagement.
- January 2027: The task force analyzes the information it has collected.
- February 2027: The task force drafts its recommendations.
- March 2027: The task force provides recommendations to the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee and the President’s Cabinet.
Get accessibility help
You do not need to wait for the task force’s recommendations to request accommodations or get help with an accessibility concern. Existing Â鶹ŮÀÉ services remain available.
| Need | Where to get help |
|---|---|
| Student accommodations | Accessibility Services in The Learning Commons coordinates academic, housing, and testing accommodations for eligible students. Request or learn about student accommodations. |
| Student employment rights and accommodations | The Career Development Center provides information about disability rights in employment, disclosure, and workplace accommodation requests. Explore career and employment resources for students with disabilities. |
| Workplace accommodations for faculty and staff | Human Resources provides information about workplace policies and reasonable accommodations for faculty and staff. Learn about workplace accommodations. |
| Accessible instructional materials and technology | Learning, Educational Design, and Support (LEDS) provides resources for creating and using accessible instructional materials and assistive technology, including screen readers. |
| Physical access, parking, and building concerns | Campus Safety can help with parking accommodations, building access concerns, and emergency response. For an immediate risk to health or safety, call Campus Safety at 518-580-5566. Contact Campus Safety about access or parking. |
Related offices and campus groups
| Office or group | Accessibility role and contact |
|---|---|
| Bias Response Group | Provides information and resources for members of the Skidmore community affected
by bias incidents and works with campus partners to address harassment and discrimination. Contact Adrian Bautista, dean of students and vice president for student affairs, abautista@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5760. |
| Campus Safety | Responds to building access concerns, provides 24/7 transportation for students with
temporary or permanent accessibility needs, and maintains a service animal and emotional
support animal directory. Contact Tim Munro, director of Campus Safety, tmunro@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5567. |
| Center for Leadership, Teaching, and Learning (CLTL) | Supports faculty learning and teaching practices related to universal design and accessibility. Contact Beck Krefting, director of CLTL, rkreftin@skidmore.edu, 518-580-8027. |
| Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding (CIGU) | A subcommittee of the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee that advises the
president and other College offices and groups on matters related to intercultural
and global understanding. Contact Joshua C. Woodfork, vice president for strategic planning and institutional diversity, woodfork@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5700, or Aiwu Zhao, associate professor of management and business, azhao@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5105. |
| Communications and Marketing | Supports the accessibility of Â鶹ŮÀÉ websites, email, social media, and
other digital communications. Contact Sara Miga, senior director of external relations and strategic communications, smiga@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5616. |
| Disabled Student Group (DSG) | A peer-led space for support and community building facilitated by student leaders
in the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion. DSG meets weekly during the academic
year. For current meeting times and locations, visit OSDI on SkidSync. Contacts:
|
| Facilities Services | Supports physical accessibility through maintenance, campus planning, and facility improvements. For maintenance or accessibility-related service needs, submit a Facilities service request or call 518-580-5860. For concerns related to building systems, equipment, physical conditions, or campus planning, contact Dan Rodecker, assistant vice president of facilities and planning, drodecke@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5874. |
| Information Technology | Supports accessibility in College technology, including software, hardware, and internal
applications. Contact Chris Brizzell, chief information officer, cbrizzel@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5994. |
| Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion (OSDI) | Provides support, resources, programming, leadership development opportunities, and
advocacy for students at Skidmore, including disability justice. Contact Hillary Montague-Asp, director of student diversity and inclusion, hmontagueasp@skidmore.edu, 518-580-8103. |
| Space Planning Working Group | Supports shared governance related to campus space and facilities planning. Contact Dan Rodecker, assistant vice president of facilities and planning, drodecke@skidmore.edu, 518-580-5874, or Oscar A. Pérez Hernández, associate dean of the faculty, operezhe@skidmore.edu, 518-580-8144. |
| Student Government Association (SGA) | Provides a student governance channel for accessibility issues through its Committee
on Institutional Diversity and Subcommittee on ADA. Contact Ellory O’Driscoll ’29, ADA Subcommittee chair, eodriscoll@skidmore.edu, or Milo Bisgaier ’28, vice chair, milobisgaier@skidmore.edu. |
| Wyckoff Center | Supports campus learning and conversation around inclusion, belonging, accessibility,
and other issues that shape the experiences of Skidmore community members. Contact Mariel L. Martin, director of the Wyckoff Center, mariel@skidmore.edu, 518-580-8479. |
Frequently asked questions
President Marc C. Conner established the task force in 2026 after the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee recommended creating a campus-wide group focused on access in December 2025.
That recommendation followed work by the Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding, Bias Response Group, and Space Planning Working Group.
Students should contact Accessibility Services in The Learning Commons for academic, housing, and testing accommodations. Faculty and staff should contact Human Resources about workplace accommodations.
For immediate health or safety concerns, call Campus Safety at 518-580-5566.