Graduate Student Resources

The training Tapestry | Accommodating Abilities (Disability Culture & Identity) is available to all faculty, staff, and student employees. Trainees can expect to learn to identify and eliminate barriers to inclusion, examine and address issues related to discrimination and harassment and explore best practices related to workplace accommodations. The online training can be completed in approximately 30 minutes.

LinkedIn Learning, free to all UMass students, faculty and staff, offers numerous trainings on accessibility and inclusion, including a learning path built for Accessibility and Inclusion Advocates. 

Accessible Workplace unit within the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) of Human Resources is responsible for administering reasonable workplace accommodations for faculty and staff through an interactive process. This process begins with employees requesting employment-related accommodations to the Accessible Workplace Office either through email  @email or in-person, to arrange an intake meeting. Please note not all requests require an intake meeting especially if the request is straight forward and provided the employee has submitted medical documentation supporting their request.
Examples include but not limited to:

• requesting proximity parking for medical/temporary disability or pregnancy-related conditions
• requesting ergonomic equipment - unless specialized equipment is needed
• purchasing assistive technologies (ex. Dragon speech software, screen readers)
• interpretation or translation services for meetings
• migraine accommodations (ex. removal of fluorescent lighting from work area)

As part of the process, employees are encouraged to submit a Reasonable Accommodation Request Form along with their initial email or in advance of their meeting

As defined by the Department of Justice (DoJ) in their Office of Civil Rights (OCR) resolutions, “accessible” means that a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally, and independently as a person without a disability. If you have questions about accessibility or accommodations at UMass Amherst, please contact Disability Services.

The information outlined on this page provides accessibility resources and support, particularly in the areas of:

• Websites, web pages, and web-based software developed or utilized by the University. 
• Multimedia, such as infographics and videos used for instruction, communication, and/or marketing purposes. 
• Electronic documents utilized by University faculty, staff, and students (e.g., presentations, publications, forms, job aids, etc.). 
• Electronic instructional materials, including videos/audio, presentations, syllabi and textbooks, as well as the platforms used to access these materials (e.g., web conferencing, online learning/content management systems, etc.). 
• Classroom delivery techniques and considerations, whether instructors are delivering the content online or in person. 

Helpful Resource on how to conduct accessible research: Preparing for Research with People with Disabilities

Disability Services works with both the student and their immediate supervisor to identify reasonable accommodations which will enable successful performance in various employment settings.

The Campus Accessibility Map is a helpful in navigating the built environment. It includes information on access levels, accessible restrooms, elevators, entrances/door types, and accessible parking spaces.

If you require Proximity Parking not exceeding one semester, you must have the Proximity Parking Needs Application filled out by your doctor and submit it to Parking Services.

Students who require permanent Proximity Parking must register with Disability Services, Room 231, Whitmore Administration Building, tel. (413) 545-0892. Disability Services reviews each case and, in conjunction with Parking Services, determines the appropriate parking assignment.

Members of UMass' Communitywith permanent disabilities who have personal care attendants must register with Disability Services, Room 231, Whitmore Administration Building. (413) 545-0892. Disability Services will send a list of attendants and their needs to Parking Services. Parking Services will then determine the most appropriate parking assignment.

Accessible Van Services (AVS), a department of UMass Transit Services, offers campus community members with mobility impairments free transportation including mobility device lift-equipped van service. Contact AVS at (413) 545-2086 or @email.

The PVTA provides ADA Paratransit service for people with disabilities. This service provides a shared-ride, door-to-door van transportation for individuals whose disabilities prevent them from riding the city bus service. PVTA provides paratransit service throughout the Pioneer Valley within 3 / 4 mile of a city route.

The paratransit service runs on all days that the city bus service operates.

PVTA is dedicated to providing accessible public transportation to passengers in the Pioneer Valley.

For more information, please contact our main office at 732-6248 ext. 2237 or read the following:

The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority is committed to providing customers including those with disabilities with safe, reliable, accessible and user-friendly services.  As part of this commitment, the PVTA has adopted this policy to provide a procedure for receiving, processing and responding to requests for reasonable modifications to PVTA’s Policies or practices by individuals with disabilities.

The Disability & Accessibility Caucus is a space for disabled graduate students and their allies within the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO). Together we work to build community and advocate for ourselves and others across the disability spectrum (mental, physical, short-term, chronic, etc). In addition to being a social space, the caucus focuses on supporting accessibility efforts on and around the campus. For more information, contact Ciara Little, GEO Membership Organizer at @email.

In the new contract that was ratified on October 28th, 2024, a failure to provide accommodations is now an explicit form of discrimination.

Article 15.1: "The University shall not discriminate with respect to appointment, reappointment, or
terms of appointment of graduate student employees, or other matters covered by this
agreement on the basis of race, native language or dialect, sex, gender identity or
expression, color, religion, creed, caste, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, national
or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical or mental health status or
condition, political affiliation or belief, veteran status, citizenship, HIV status, or GEO
affiliation and/or activities. The University shall not discriminate with respect to
appointment, reappointment, or terms of employment unrelated to stipends, on the basis
of economically disadvantaged status. Discrimination includes failing to provide
reasonable accommodations or accessible facilities to persons with disabilities."