We’ve been supporting students with disabilities throughout Middlebury’s schools and programs since 1995.

Since its inception, our office has grown by leaps and bounds. Hundreds of students have received accommodations over the years, and the Disability Resource Center (DRC) maintains a strong presence on campus throughout the calendar year. 

Student Population and Assistance Provided

Our office provides confidential services and accommodations for students who have needs affecting learning, vision, hearing, speech, mobility, and physical and psychological health.

We can assist with permission to use extended time on exams, the assigning of note-takers or readers, access to scanners, screen-reading software with voice synthesizers or large-print software, interpreting services, residential accommodations, and much more.

Students in all of Middlebury’s schools and programs receive accommodations through our office. While United States and Vermont disability laws do not apply overseas, our ADA coordinators are available to assist students with disabilities in determining what level of accessibility and accommodations are available at the various locations of the Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology to support students with disabilities is available in the main library and in Armstrong Library, located in Bicentennial Hall. 

Assistive technology includes TTY communication equipment and CCTV text magnifiers in both black/white and color. Additionally, we have computers equipped with adaptive technology such as Kurzweil screen reading software and the ZoomText International screen magnifier. Selective assistive technology is also available for student use on a loaner basis. Much of our assistive technology can be used with languages other than English. The DRC has a printer available to students for added convenience.

Our Mission

Consistent with Middlebury’s mission, the Disability Resource Center (DRC) strives to promote equal educational opportunity and inclusiveness for students with disabilities. The DRC collaborates with partners across campus to identify and reduce barriers that limit access, equity, and full participation and provides support, resources, and case management services related to accommodations and how to implement them. The DRC also advocates for equitable and inclusive policies and practices to institutionalize inclusive design and access.

Who We Are

Jodi Litchfield

ADA Coordinator

Jodi began working at Middlebury College in 1990, and she has been working with students with disabilities since 1999.
She works directly with students to determine appropriate accommodations and provides support for them in programs throughout the calendar year. Jodi is a resource for faculty and staff who work with students with disabilities, and she also meets with prospective families to discuss the process by which students request accommodations at Middlebury. She provides training in multiple capacities on campus and has presented at national conferences on a wide range of topics relating to disability in higher education. Outside of the office, Jodi enjoys spending time with family and friends along with her two kitties.

Office:
Service Building 207

Peter Ploegman

ADA Coordinator

Peter has been an ADA Coordinator in the Disability Resource Center since January 2020 and has over 10 years of experience in disability resource work in the higher education context.
As an ADA Coordinator, he works to dismantle and/or alleviate barriers to access and inclusion in the academic and residential learning environments. He also works closely with other like-minded campus partners to identify barriers and encourage the implementation of practices that are inclusive of disabled students. When not working in his role as ADA Coordinator, he is often spending time with his wife and teenage son enjoying the beautiful Champlain Valley landscape.

Office:
Service Building 208

Deirdre Kelly

She/Her

ADA Coordinator

Deirdre Kelly is an ADA Coordinator in the Disability Resource Center.
With over 20 years of experience as an educator and advocate in Vermont’s education and mental health community, her work focuses on equity, inclusion, and social justice. Deirdre is honored to partner with students, faculty and staff to ensure disability access while also working to create a more universally designed campus to reduce the need for individual accommodations. As a queer, white, able-bodied, Irish-American woman her practices toward collective liberation are rooted in releasing privilege and honoring the intersection of all our identities. Storytelling, feminism, restorative practices and centering the lived experiences of those marginalized are fundamental to her work of reimagining and reconstructing a just, joyful world. With that in mind, Deirdre aspires to be a ‘soil agitator and seed planter’.

Office:
Service Building

Disability Resource Center
Service Building
Middlebury, VT 05753