Leigh Culley (EDUC ’02G), director of Disability Resources & Services since 2015, has been named interim assistant vice chancellor for accessibility within the Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, effective immediately.
“Accessibility is a key part of the equity, diversity, and inclusion equation, and we know we have much work yet to do,” said Clyde Wilson Pickett, (EDUC ’17G), vice chancellor for equity, diversity, & inclusion and chief diversity officer. “As we elevate Leigh to this new position, we also rededicate ourselves to this portion of our mission, and we look forward to working on new initiatives in the months ahead, including a focus on campus-wide accessibility infrastructure, digital accessibility compliance, and inclusion efforts for neurodiverse individuals.”
Culley came to the University of Pittsburgh as a graduate student in 2000 and has been part of DRS since 2002, when she began work as a coordinator of services.
During her tenure as DRS director, Culley has steered the department through a period of considerable growth in both the breadth and number of services offered to students, faculty, and staff.
Over the past decade, the University also has seen an increasing percentage of the Pitt community managing multiple long-term health conditions and disabilities, including those who are neurodiverse; this, in turn, has increased the complexity of the accommodations the University has arranged for students, faculty, and staff.
“Along with her team, Leigh has managed this increased workload with compassion, attention to detail, and a commitment to deepening the University’s sense of belonging and inclusion for every member of the community,” Pickett said. “We have seen increased outreach to students through peer-mentoring, the growth of the Delta Alpha Pi honor society, and job-readiness and career-placement counseling for graduating students.”
These enterprise-wide efforts are being recognized outside of the University community as well; this year, the work of Culley and her team to assist faculty and staff helped to earn the University of Pittsburgh the Leading Disability Employer Seal from the National Organization on Disability.