New director, newly mobilized ODS support?

This morning, Barnard announced via email that Holly Tedder will serve as the new ADA and Section 504 Director leading the Office of Disability Services starting in January. Ms. Tedder has ample experience in higher education and disability services; she currently serves as the Director of Disability Services and Associate Registrar at The Juilliard School in Manhattan.

As director, Ms. Tedder plans on increasing the efficiency of disability services by hiring more staff and working to uphold the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA. Hiring more staff will make the office more responsive to the needs of students and faculty, especially in terms of accommodating students in large classroom settings.

Full statement from Barnard administrators:

Dear Members of the Barnard Community,

I am delighted to announce that Holly Tedder will be joining Barnard as our new ADA and Section 504 Director leading the Office of Disability Services on January 2, 2019.  Holly comes to the College with a decade of experience in higher education, the last six of which have been in disability services and equity. We are so pleased that she is taking on this very important role at Barnard as we work to expand the staff and services provided by the Office of Disability Services (ODS).

One of Holly’s first actions will be to hire additional staff to improve the delivery of disability services. As ADA and Section 504 Director, Holly will also be engaged in institutional strategic planning and implementation to assure Barnard’s compliance with the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA, and she will provide oversight and leadership for all disability related access and programming initiatives, including access and accommodations for students, faculty, staff and visitors. Faculty will benefit from enhanced access to ODS staff and assistance with implementing accommodations for students, especially in large class settings. ODS will provide guidance for faculty on disability services and, as always, will advocate on behalf of our students, in and out of the classroom.

Currently, Holly is serving as Director of Disability Services and Associate Registrar at The Juilliard School in Manhattan. She is the main point of contact for students with disabilities, assisting them with accommodation needs and handling issues of equity and access. She evaluates disability documentation, follows up with medical providers, and provides disability awareness and ADA/504 training to faculty, staff, resident advisors, teaching fellows and student tutors. In addition, she has helped spearhead institutional access initiatives such as the use of captions for online video content and large-print and Braille programs for performances. Overall, she frequently interacts with stakeholders across Juilliard’s campus to ensure that students with disabilities are being well-served.

Prior to Juilliard, Holly served as Admissions Coordinator and then Assistant Director of MBA Admissions at New York University Stern School of Business. She is also a member of the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Holly received a BA in Music from Rollins College, and a master’s in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in May 2016.

We are delighted that Holly will bring her considerable expertise to the College. Please join me in enthusiastically welcoming her to Barnard.

Sincerely,

Alicia Lawrence
Co-Interim Dean

Molree Williams-Lendor

Title IX Coordinator, Executive Director for Equity