Advisory Group on Disability, Access, and Inclusion

Community Engagement

Our membership is made up of representatives from faculty, students, staff, disability resources, and a trustee. 

The group engages with many Middlebury constituents, including—but not limited to the following:

• Faculty 
• Student governance committees
• Academic, cultural, and health and wellness centers
• Facilities
• Student organizations
• Members of the Commons 

We collaborate with committees and groups on campus with intersecting goals. Our advisory group shares updates regularly with President Patton and the senior leadership team, as well as the broader Middlebury community.

Membership

Current AGDAI group members include the following: 

• Susan Burch, Co-facilitator (American Studies)
• Tara Affolter, Co-facilitator (Education Studies; Faculty Director of Equity, Justice, and Inclusion)
• Renee Wells, Co-facilitator (Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Assistant Vice President of Education for Equity and Inclusion)
• Jennifer Bates (Center for Teaching Learning & Research)
• Jodi Litchfield, (Disability Resource Center)
• Peter Ploegman (Disability Resource Center)
• Tom Woodward (Director of Learning Spaces and Technologies)
• David Wright (Information Technology Services)
• Vickie Backus (Biology)
• Mike Moser (Facilities)
• Luther Tenny (Facilities)
• Aaron Smith (Communications)
• Mary Stanley (Operations)
• Jack Dorkey (Human Resources)
• Christina Lynch (Human Resources)
• Aubrianna Wilson (Student)
• Lily Shannon (Student)

Our Scope of Work

We are asked to assess campus values and understandings. Our community’s shared values, social attitudes, and understandings reflect a commitment to diversity that directly impacts access and inclusion. These are expressed in many ways, including policies, curricula and pedagogies, support services, events and programming, communications, and everyday interactions. 

Our advisory group also assesses accessibility in our built environment—such as residential and academic spaces, related campus structures, and transportation—through regular interactions with colleagues from facilities and space planning. As part of our work, we review and discuss previous Middlebury diversity and accessibility strategic plans, as well as diversity and accessibility status reports, and our work may contribute to future plans. We consult with experts from outside of Middlebury as needed to identify best practices.

We may also consult with other Middlebury committees about related projects.

Contact

Please contact us at AGDAI@middlebury.edu if you have any questions or concerns.