Recent survey results show that 20-30% of faculty and staff in your unit identify as having a disability*. As a department chair, how do you create a climate where those with disabilities feel respected and supported?

In this episode of Advancing Faculty Excellence, Dr. Amy Hughes, Professor of Theatre & Drama (SMTD), explores how leaders can create a culture of access in their departments and beyond. Using the Eight Levers to Shift Climate for Respect and Inclusion, Dr. Hughes shares strategies for proactively building a departmental climate where accessibility is understood as both a shared responsibility and a collective benefit.

*We define disability broadly and inclusively, regardless of whether or not respondents have any official diagnosis or documentation, to encompass physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, chronic illnesses, neurodivergence, mental health conditions, learning disabilities, and more that can at times make job-relevant tasks difficult.

Featured RISE Case Study: CCS #8 - A Climate Supportive of Disability

Amy E. Hughes is a Professor of SMTD Theatre & Drama, a Faculty Associate in LSA American Culture, and a Faculty Associate Director of ADVANCE. Her interests and expertise include disability studies, human-animal studies, material and visual culture, digital humanities, documentary editing, and culturally responsive pedagogy (via Dr. Geneva Gay). Her latest book, An Actor’s Tale: Theater, Culture, and Everyday Life in the Nineteenth-Century United States, was published by University of Michigan Press in September 2025.

Episode Resources:

U-M Disability Equity Office & U-M Digital Accessibility

Promoting Supportive Academic Environments for Faculty with Mental Illnesses. (Margaret Price & Stephanie L. Kerschbaum, 2017)

Faculty and Staff Experiences in LSA with Disabilities & Accommodations. (U-M ADVANCE Program, 2022).

The Problems of Ableist Language. (MelodyS, 2020, Medium).

Six Ways of Looking at Crip Time. (Ellen Samuels, Disability Studies Quarterly, 2017)

Eight Levers to Shift Climate for Respect and Inclusion. The Respect in Striving for Excellence (RISE) Committee. (2022, August) University of Michigan ADVANCE Program.

Find a full episode transcript here

Enjoyed this episode? Explore more case studies and resources at https://advance.umich.edu/rise/.

Credits:

Hosts: Mike Liemohn, Associate Director, Advance Program & Kelsey Arras, Communications and Project Specialist, ADVANCE Program

Producer: Kelsey Arras, Communications and Project Specialist, ADVANCE Program

Music: WP Norton & So Say We All!

Production Support: Shapiro Library Design Lab