Accessibility Listening Sessions follow-up

Hi everyone,

We hope you are having a great start to the semester. This email is a follow-up to the DEI Accessibility Subcommittee’s Listening Sessions, which were hosted in April and June. Below are topics that were brought up during those discussions. All building-related points are about 985 Comm Ave, where the majority of colleagues are located. Please reach out to eadei@bu.edu or a specific Accessibility Subcommittee member if you have any comments or concerns.

Signage

  • The first-floor bathroom signs have been updated to reflect that they are not wheelchair accessible.
  • The front door cannot be altered to be accessible, but signs have been added to the front door and around the corner to direct people to the accessible side door.
  • All office and restroom signs have Braille on them; the directory in the front does not have Braille so that visitors are encouraged to ask for help from front desk staff.

Work notices regarding noise and/or smell from construction

  • We will work on better notification when work is scheduled in or outside the building, whether is it initiated by the University or by our office.

Livestreaming All Hands meetings

  • For now, meetings will continue to be recorded but will not be livestreamed.

Flex Bank Day policy

  • Flex Bank Days can be used from anywhere, location-wise, including working from home as normal. This includes working domestically or internationally, provided that you discuss time zones and expected working hours with your manager before a planned trip.
  • Please note: If you have been using Flex Bank Days due to a disability or health reason, please refer to the Accommodations section below for information about disability and health-related flexibility. The Accessibility Subcommittee wants to make sure that External Affairs employees are benefiting from flexible schedules equitably—meaning employees are not using up their Flex Bank Days for disability reasons. There are resources to obtain better accommodations so that you can use the Flex Bank Days for a flexible location rather than a health-related issue.
  • If you are unwell and can’t work your expected number of hours, please use a sick day. As a reminder, employees are not required to disclose health issues when requesting sick time; asking employees about why they are taking sick time off is not in compliance with HR policy.

Accommodations

  • If you require an accommodation, please reach out to the Equal Opportunity Office.
  • Please note: As the Accessibility Subcommittee, we understand the financial and scheduling implications involved in needing an official diagnosis from a healthcare provider. However, we do not have authority over EOO or BU policies.

Sincerely,

The DEI Accessibility Subcommittee

Jessica Colarossi, Josh Comas-Race, Tim King, Meredith Mann, Angela McKenzie