Student Accessibility Services

About Our Office

SAS coordinates and facilitates services for students (including graduate students) and visitors with medical, physical, psychological, and learning disabilities. 

Students (including graduate students) who may need accommodations or services due to a disability or medical condition should contact Student Accessibility Services to discuss their needs and begin the registration process. Disability related requests for accommodations and services are evaluated individually, based on documentation and completion of the registration process.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, an individual with a disability is defined as a person who "has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities of such an individual; has a record of such an impairment; or is regarded as having an impairment." Services for students with disabilities are provided by many offices of the University and are coordinated through SAS.

The SAS office is also available to meet with any student who may be wondering if they have a disability and seeking an evaluation or additional information to assist them. 

Employee accommodations are through Human Resources. Employees can contact them via [email protected] with questions.

Office Hours

Student Accessibility Services at Brown University
Box P | 69 Brown Street, Suite 512, 5^th floor. Page-Robinson Hall

Academic Year Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm

Summer Hours:  Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm

Contact Information

Phone Number: 401-863-9588

Email Address: [email protected]

Mailing Address:

Brown University
Student Accessibility Services
Box P | 69 Brown Street, Suite 512, 5^th floor 
Providence, RI 02912

• Link to campus maps
• Link to accessibility maps

 SAS Staff

Jennifer Agudelo

Accommodation Specialist
[email protected]

Jennifer leads the Exams team and assists the team with the day-to-day workflow of accommodation requests. She has a dual BS degree from University of RI in Communications Disorders and Spanish, an MA from Salve Regina University in Rehabilitation Counseling, and is certified as a Rehabilitation Counselor. In prior roles, Jennifer served as an Accommodations Lab Assistant and later as a Disability Student Services Program Coordinator at Community College of Rhode Island. Additionally, for over nearly a decade Jennifer has been in the roles of Direct Support Professional and Job Coach Coordinator at a non-profit community agency supporting adults with differing abilities. Fluent in Spanish and American Sign Language, Jennifer enjoys spending time with family, going to the beach and working on her house. 

 

Karen Andrews

Director
[email protected]

With over 12 years of higher education disability experience and more than 12 years of K-12 special education experience, Karen is a visionary leader in disability services. She has apassionate commitment to creating a culture of inclusion for everyone, recognizing the intersectionality of the disabled. She works to ensure equitable opportunities and compliance with federal laws, state regulations, best practices and University-wide and campus guidelines related to equal access, barrier elimination, and resources and services for disabled students. Karen’s work extends nationally as she serves on the Board of the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) as a Director-at-Large, is the current AHEAD Board liaison to the Knowledge and Practice Communities and is the former chair for the organization’s Race, Ethnicity, Diversity and Disability Special Interest Group. She is the 2022 awardee for the AHEAD Duraese Hall Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award. Every day, Karen and her service animal, Dooley, show up to serve the Brown community in advancing the cause of disability as diversity. Karen earned a BS in Elementary and Special Education from Northern Arizona University and an M. Ed. in Adult Education and Development from Strayer University.

 

Tara Greenwood

Administrative Coordinator
[email protected]

Tara joined the team in 2018.  She provides overall operational administrative and reception support to the SAS office.  Serving as the central point of contact, she plays a critical role in cultivating an inclusive and welcoming campus community.  In her role, Tara, assists students, faculty, staff and visitors with disability related inquiries and requests for accommodations and services.  She registers applicants, schedules appointments to meet with a SAS member, and converts materials to accessible alternate format.  Currently, Tara serves on the President's Staff Advisory Council (SAC) 2018-2019 at Brown, and is also pursuing her Associate Degree in Business at CCRI. She enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering in the Brown community, cooking, and has a love for music and pop culture.

 

 

 

Nicol Hernandez

Accommodation Specialist
[email protected]

Nicol assists in academic accommodation requests for undergraduate and graduate students with temporary and/or permanent disabilities. She has a B.S and M.S from the University of Rhode Island in Speech-Language Pathology. Before starting her career at Brown University, Nicol was a Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist at a pediatric outpatient clinic for two years. Being a lifelong wheelchair user, Nicol is passionate about creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all. She strives to make changes and help create a universal design on campus that everyone can access. Nicol works to ensure that the disabled student’s voices are being heard and they have equal opportunity to succeed academically, socially and professionally. In her spare time, Nicol is a board member of Spina Bifida Association of Greater New England and is a mentor for young children. Nicol enjoys spending time with family, painting and watching movies. 

 

 

Erin Karalekas

Administrative Coordinator
[email protected]

Erin is a RI native who has been at Brown for 25 years. She began in the Residential Life Office in 1992 and then joined the SAS Office in 2000. She received the Presidential Achievement Award for Service in 2001, the Campus Life Excellence Award for Service in 2012 and the Excellence Award for Diversity in 2016. Erin's responsibilities consist of scheduling ASL interpreting and CART for students, assisting with disability related parking accommodations, connecting the Brown community to the SAS shuttle, processing financials, note providing support and maintaining/updating our database. Erin enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, listening to music and attending sporting events.

 

 

Desirae Mix

Assistant Director
[email protected]

Originally from Boston, Desirae began her career at Suffolk University then onto Brandeis University with a focus on integrating technology and universal design to reshape the way we look at academic inclusion. With a passion for technology, case law and policy, she enjoys teaching and collaborating with folx who share an interest for supporting the intersectional needs of those who identify as having a disability.  She provides support for both Undergraduate and Graduate students, and currently serves as the Graduate School Liasion. Desirae holds a B.S. in Business Management / Marketing Science and Information Technology from UMASS Boston and a M.Ed. in Administration in Higher Education from Suffolk University. Desirae is an artist, played roller derby for the Boston Derby Dames and used to competitively train in martial arts.

 

 

 

 

Accommodation Specialist

[VACANT]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Coordinator

[VACANT]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feedback for SAS

We at SAS care about consistently supporting the Brown community around concerns and needs regarding accessibility. Throughout the year, new needs may arise or current concerns may change. We are dedicated to continuously working towards improving our services and hearing about what our community would like to see. 

Brown community members are welcome to provide feedback or address a concern,  please feel free to email [email protected] at any time with the subject line "SAS Feedback: (specific topic)." We appreciate any time or effort taken to help us improve the work we do.