After experiencing the accommodations process, Kelly Woodbridge, M.Ed., ADAC, CLMS, was inspired to create a more transparent and accessible process that encourages employees to tap into benefits that support their ongoing success. Her efforts have streamlined the leave management process at Lehigh University, which is (in part) why two of her colleagues nominated her for the 2025 DMEC Emerging Leader Award. Woodbridge is the first accommodation specialist at Lehigh and her caseload has tripled in the two-plus years she has worked for the university. Listen in to hear how her investments in training and education and her passion for supporting employees in need are improving the culture as well as the employee experience.

Additional resources:

• Intersectionality: A Valuable Tool to Normalize Disability in the Workplace
• Learn more about DMEC
• Become a Certified Leave Management Specialist
• Join the DMEC community
• FMLA/ADA Training for Supervisors and Managers

Mentioned in this episode:

Are Leave Management Specialists Asking the Right Questions?

Increase Your Professional Value. Become a Certified Leave Management Specialist Today: https://dmec.org/certification-and-training/clms-certification/

DMEC

DMEC: Welcome to Absence Management Perspectives, a DMEC Podcast.

The Disability Management Employer Coalition, or DMEC as we're known by most people,

provides focused education, knowledge and networking opportunities for absence and disability management professionals. DMEC has become a leading voice in the industry and represents more than 20,000 professionals from organizations of all sizes across the United States and Canada.

This podcast series focuses on industry perspectives and delves into issues that affect DMEC members and the community as a whole. We're thrilled to have you with us and hope you'll Visit us@DMEC.org to get a full picture of what we have to offer, from webinars and publications to conferences, certifications, and much more. Let's get started and meet the people behind the processes.

Kelly was nominated by two of her colleagues, and she has agreed to talk with us today about a few of the accomplishments that were flagged in her nomination forms. Kelly, thank you again for joining us. So, to start us off, I understand that you restructured or revamped the university's accommodation process, which has increased transparency. Would you talk a little bit about that process?

What was entailed in the restructuring and what prompted you to act differently?

Kelly Woodbridge: I am the inaugural accommodation specialist, so they've never had somebody in this role before. And I kind of came in wanting to overlook at everything and see, you know, what are things that need to be revamped? What are things that need to be changed? And I saw that our policy hadn't been updated for a few years. So first and foremost, you know, looking at that, I decided that we kind of need to combine it so that it includes not just our faculty and staff, but it's also including the applicants that are applying to Lehigh University. So I wanted to make sure it was fully inclusive. You know, our previous policy separated them. That was one thing. Additionally, the previous policy just kind of indicated briefly what was to be done by human resources or what was expected to be done in this policy. Now, I outlined the interactive process entirely so that people know step by step what, what to expect and what comes Next. So it really creates kind of like a formal timeline that's to be followed. You know, we put in there that, you know, within 30 days you should be receiving,

you know, information as long as I, of course, have all of you know, the requested information that I have. And then also, the previous policy did not have a no retaliation section. So we're in the process of working on a formal appeal that would work for faculty, staffs and applicants. So right now, like, I've added that no retaliation policy so that people know, like, this is the process that you can take in order to do that.

Heather Grimshaw: That's fantastic. And so just so I understand, everyone has access to this outlined policy. So the employees as well as. And it would be you. So the people on the back end of the process as well as the front end of the process know what to expect in that full process.

Kelly Woodbridge: Exactly, yes.

Heather Grimshaw: That's great. I'm sure that's really helpful to folks who might be new to the process and don't know what to expect. It's a little intimidating. I can only assume.

Kelly Woodbridge: Yeah. And I think that's a really big thing, is that if people have not taken part in the interactive process or anything along those lines, they don't really know what to expect.

And it's normal to feel a little bit nervous about doing something like that because you're talking about medical issues and that's not something easy to talk about, especially to your employer,

especially to a random person in HR. So I try to outline everything so that they know really what to expect, you know, and confidentiality is in there and everything. Now, when you start the accommodation process, it's an online form that gets sent directly to me. It stays within my database.

So, like, people do not have to fill out an online form and fax it or email it or do anything. They literally click a link on our website and they can start the accommodations process. They're also welcome to contact me with any questions. I have my personal account as well as, like, an in account. So like an incognito account, so that if people don't really want to reach out to me or they feel a little bit better, they have that in account, especially for, like, applicants and stuff like that. It's just kind of a general account that people can reach out to with general questions. They don't have to disclose anything, they don't have to tell me anything, and they don't have to tell me who they are. I can just answer the questions for them. So, like, applicants, if they don't want to disclose who they are, but they have a question about the process. They can ask the question to that account and it's me who's answering.

But that way it's kind of just that general account that they might feel a little bit more comfortable working with.

Heather Grimshaw: I think that kind of gets back to that question of uncertainty when it comes to accommodation requests. So it's really nice that you are accommodating that and recognizing it in advance. I like that. Okay, so I love the information about creating university wide trainings about disability and accommodations processes. Will you share some of the details about what's covered during these trainings?

Kelly Woodbridge: I can say that I do a handful of different trainings, know campus wide, but then we also have what's called the Lehigh Valley association of Independent Colleges. So L V A I C we refer to them as levic. So they are kind of all the colleges locally. I also will do these trainings for them. So. So I do like new employee orientation. So I speak to all of our new employees to let them know that I'm here and like this is what the process looks like and if they need anything, they can reach out to me. I also work with managers. We've held a new manager orientation where I've kind of outlined as a manager, you may have to identify when somebody's asking for an accommodation and they might not be asking it very directly. So what do you do in that instance? What are questions that you can kind of ask in that scenario? Or you know, if you're not comfortable, send them to me.

You know, we go over how important it is to not informally accommodate and that that's probably one of the biggest takeaways that the entire university has really gotten. Because I always put the example out of if you have a supervisor who's going to informally accommodate you, but then all of a sudden that supervisor gets a new job and now you have a new supervisor and you're still using that accommodation that was never formalized. They might say we're not going to do this anymore.

If it was formally in place, we don't have to go through that. So I always tell them like it's so important. It could be the smallest thing, but if you don't know what to do, just come to me and we can figure it out.

Heather Grimshaw: Oh, that's so generous. And it's so important to, to catch that I would think on the front end and then reinforce. Because from what I understand that's, that's a common issue.

People are trying to be generous and help support their employees. And sometimes it can end up being not so helpful.

Kelly Woodbridge: Yeah. And they don't, that they don't realize that that's not what they wanted from that. That's not what they expected. They were hoping to be helpful when in the long run it then turns into, you know, a personnel issue. And that's not what we want, you know, we want them. So I do a lot of education about these are your rights. And like, don't be ashamed to utilize your rights under the ADA.

Heather Grimshaw: And that is one of the things that I hear regularly is that people don't know what their rights are. They don't know what the ADA is. And so it's wonderful that you have those trainings.

And for our listeners, just a quick background. Kelly has her master's degree in education, so she is uniquely qualified to develop these trainings. And it sounds like they've been very successful for Lehigh. So I'd love to hear more about the sensitivity training that you created and the process that you used for creating it.What is one, maybe one or two of the lessons, lessons that people who participate in that will walk away with?

Kelly Woodbridge: So I would say the disability sensitivity training is one of my larger, more likely to be attended trainings. And it really is just supposed to be like a general overview of, you know, we talk about like, what is ableism, you know, what is the definition of disability? What does inclusive language look like? You know, so I kind of try to go over those things. What are questions that you can ask, you know, what shouldn't you be asking? But I think one of the things that I always hope that people take away from it is that at the end I include slides about how you can make virtual meetings versus in person meetings inclusive.

And I give tips and tricks for both virtual and in person. It's very, you know, basic things that I'm putting out there, but it's things that people don't even realize they could do, you know, provide a barrier free walkway. If you're having an in person meeting, people don't realize that having, you know, a chair in the way is now making it inaccessible. Or, you know, when we're in a virtual meeting, you know, why don't you make sure that you send the materials in advance because that might help an individual or why don't you ensure, like one thing I always do is like, the second I'm presenting, I say like, okay, hold on, let me get my captions going. So I always want to make sure that people are aware that these options are available

.

Heather Grimshaw: That's fantastic. And I think the more basic probably the better because people are afraid sometimes to ask questions they don't want to seem like they don't know something that maybe they think they should know. You just mentioned this and this was something that was referenced in both of your nomination forms, a reference to inclusive communication.

And I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit more about that. And also on a holistic level, if you think this is a common area of opportunity for employers, if this is something that may be inadvertently overlooked to.

Kelly Woodbridge: Kind of speak a little bit more into that, I can say, like, I know for myself specifically, like, I will always, I will always tell people, like, please stop with the click here links. And people don't understand why. So I always try to give them the example and like actually put a screen reader on so that they can hear it. And when you hear a screen reader go over a click here link, you're going, what am I actually clicking on? So I try to explain the importance of hyperlinks and I can say that our library and technology services team does now like an intro to web accessibility, an intro to email accessibility. Like, they do incredible accessibility things and they have. So, like, I'm so grateful for that team because that's one of the things that they harp on. Another thing is like if I'm ever going to post like a PDF document. So for instance, I know I'm not going to talk much about ndeam, so that's National Disability Employment Awareness Month. But I always post a PDF calendar and it's going to be screen reader friendly. It'll take time to remediate that, but I will make sure that people with screen readers are able to utilize that. Another thing I do is, you know, if we're doing in person or virtual presentations, when I'm going through my presentations, I will verbalize what the image is on the screen. People may have alt text, but if I'm actually presenting to a group of people, I'll say there's an image on this slide which contains and I'll let them know what's on there. So I think those are just like a few things that I've done that other people have kind of taken into consideration and they are now implementing. But as for then go, going into the second part of your question, I think a lot of companies are becoming a lot more cognizant of this and they are trying to be more accessible. I mean, I don't know if it's just because I follow a Lot of people on LinkedIn that, you know, are, you know, disability advocates and stuff like that. So I see all of that. I truly do think that this is an opportunity for so many companies and employers to really key in on, like, little things can make such a big difference.

Heather Grimshaw: Absolutely. I think that's a great quote. Frankly, little things can make such a big difference because even the reference that you just made to the. The click here issues, that's not something that I knew. And so it is something that I'll flag. I've learned something new today. Love that. So I do think, again, it's always so important to, as you mentioned earlier, review those specifics and also to call out the visual. So that's another trick that I will use. Thank you. So this actually leads really nicely into my next question, which is the empathetic work culture. And I should be using air quotes here because that's a quote from the nomination form. And so it sounds like this has the changes that you've made, both to the policy, the processes, and the trainings that you've hosted.

It sounds like. Or the nominators both cited that you have or said that you have created more of an empathetic work culture. And so I'm hoping that you'll share a little bit about some of those changes that you've recommended. And you've already given us a few examples and how they've been embraced by staff or what kinds of reactions you've Heard from staff so far.

Kelly Woodbridge: I mean, I think this comes from, like, not only my educational background, but also my personal background. So I can say in terms of, you know, education, like, I am a therapist by trade. You know, one of my degree, my master's of education is in counseling. I was a mental health therapist for a little bit. I really do try to meet people where they're at, and I think I make so, so much awareness or I try to, around mental health. Being a disability, like that falls in that category. So I try to let people know, like, I understand, I hear them, what they're saying is valid, like, all of the things that they are expressing to me are valid. But then on a personal level, this is something that, like, a lot of my work environment is now familiar with. But I'm somebody with a disability who has gone through the accommodation process. And my experience going through that process is why I decided to get into this work today, because I never wanted to feel the way that I felt on the other side, and I wanted to ensure that people knew that they were valid. And they were being heard.And that even if your disability can't be seen, it still, still there. I think that's where a lot of my empathy comes from.

Heather Grimshaw: Thank you so much for sharing that with, with us today because I do think that if you haven't experienced something yourself, you have a different perception of what that feels like to go through it. So I, I think that that explains a lot and really pulls it all full circle, all of the different things that you've done. And I think it, it probably means a lot to the people who you work directly with, because I'm sure that you share that with them or they might even just sense it, because I do think that there's a huge disconnect frequently between that written policy and the personal experience. And so it sounds like you've bridged that gap.

Kelly Woodbridge: Yeah. So I can say, like, to kind of follow up with your question, like, what have people, you know, said? Or like, what have I experienced? One of the big things is I made it kind of known that I'm here and I am an individual with a disability. And I think that in itself brought more people to me. I mean, I had people emailing me, just saying, you know, thank you for sharing your story. I have a disability and I didn't know who to turn to and I didn't know that I could do these types of things.

Heather Grimshaw: Absolutely. I so appreciate you sharing that detail about the transparency there because I do think that this is a field that is wrought with emotion. Certainly, as you mentioned earlier, these are sensitive topics and there's a lot of fear of the unknown. And so it really sounds like your generosity has encouraged more people to come forward, which is a win, win for everybody.

Kelly Woodbridge: Yeah, exactly.

Heather Grimshaw: I was amazed to hear that you are a one person team and that your caseload has tripled, if I'm remembering correctly, since you started. How are you handling that volume of cases while investing so much time in other ways? As noted during our talk today, as well as in the nomination form, which, frankly, I could keep you here all day asking you questions. I'm just curious how you're able to manage all of this.

Kelly Woodbridge: Honestly, I ask myself the same question every day, but I think it's just because I get joy out of doing the work that I do. I feel like everyone has always heard the saying, like, if you love what you do, you're never gonna work a day in your life. And it's like when it comes to the education piece, that to me isn't work. Like my, my case management is My work, when I get to do the trainings and, you know, I get to do the outreach and I get to spend. Speak to individuals about my experience and then connect with them and talk about, like, these are your rights, and like, let's talk about all of these things. I mean, I, I could go on and on. I'm very, you know, passionate about it.

But I would say a lot of it has to do with just, like, knowing what my priorities are at work. And I, I will do all of the important stuff that needs to get done, but you can't have all work and no play.

And to me, some of the play is being able to do those outreach and educational things.

Heather Grimshaw: That's fantastic. I think that explains a lot because I agree with you.

If you love something, it's fun. And I think that that shows in your work, which was commented on by one of the folks who nominated you, who said, you always approach situations with a smile. And the question, I think it was, how can I help? Which makes a huge difference. You mentioned this a little bit earlier, that one of the changes that you made was that accommodation requests used to be split or processed in separate offices. And I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about the changes that you've seen as a result of pulling these into one office, which I believe is your office. So maybe one of the changes is the tripled caseload.

Kelly Woodbridge: Yes. So I would say that is definitely one of the changes. When I was originally hired, I was told, you know, hopefully it would be around 30 to 40 people and a lot more of it would be, you know, policy revision and, you know, just revamping everything and looking at the process,

which, you know, I thankfully was able to do. So I can say another one of the things outside of the, you know, growth in the caseload is that there's definitely more consistency in the process.

There's more consistency in the questions that I ask in the papers, you know, that I'm requesting of people. And I mean, yes, every single request that comes across my desk is unique, but now the process is the same. You know, every single person is working with me, and I'm going to be relaying that same information to all of the managers, to all of the employees, so there's no conflicting information, really anywhere, which I think helps with just overall consistency. And again, people feeling comfortable with requesting something because they know what to expect moving forward.

And then, you know, speaking of data, I mean, I have never been a data person and this role has turned me into a data person. And I like to identify, you know, how many pregnant workers Fairness act requests have we gotten? How many, you know, requests are related to mental health, how many are related to, you know, you know, mobility? We are. If you're not familiar with Lehigh, we are a campus on a hill. To travel across our campus is a little bit difficult, even to drive across our campus.

I mean, one of our campuses is called mountaintop campus. So. Yeah, so, I mean, I do all transportation accommodations, you know, for faculty and staff. It really is. It's a lot, but it's. It brings the consistency and I think that's what's most important.

Heather Grimshaw: Absolutely, that. That makes a lot of sense. Thank you. You talked a little bit about this earlier, your work to increase awareness of mental health and neurodivergent issues.

I'd love to hear how you've incorporated those considerations into policy updates and manager education, if you're willing to share some details.

Kelly Woodbridge: That was actually one of the big undertakings I would say that I wanted to do, you know, within my first couple of months here. And thankfully I have, you know, wonderful colleagues and a wonderful support team. And my After, I should say, pitching my idea to the learning design and development specialist that we have, she agreed to kind of work with me.

And together the two of us were able to create, you know, I think it was a two and a half hour workshop for all faculty and staff, but really focusing on manager education around supporting neurodiversity in the workplace.

So it was about, you know, defining what is neurotypical versus neurodiverse. You know, I went through specific characteristics, traits, behaviors, you know, et cetera that might be commonly associated with neurodiversity. And then on the flip side, how the manager and accommodations would be able to work together to support that employee that identifies as neurodiverse and that, you know, we've only been able to run it, I think twice, but that's gonna be something else that we are running again in October. And I mean, I think it's a great workshop, people. I think I had like between 60 and 70 people sign up within the first, like 24 hours. It was not anything we expected.

Heather Grimshaw: Wow, that's really impressive. It is. It is one of those topics that is getting more attention, which is really promising for, again, for everyone to know some of those definitions to be able to recognize and also to know that support is available just so everyone feels comfortable and knows where to find the support they need. That's really impressive. So it sounds like the work you've done at the university really spans the gamut when it comes to improving accessibility. One of the people who nominated you cited a recommendation foundation for font sizes. When people are creating presentations, that's been helpful for team members. I'm wondering, on the flip side of that equation, what's a larger change that you've encouraged the university team to embrace?

Kelly Woodbridge: I would say that probably would go around my work with our talent acquisition team. So they were redoing kind of the entire application process, and they approached me and asked me, you know, can you vet this for accessibility purposes? So, you know, I've been able to work with them to ensure that our application on our website is accessible. The website is accessible, and to identify alternative formats. You know, if applicants reach out saying, I need this, or I'm unable to access this. So I've been able to work with them, which I think shows not only our current employees, but it shows our applicants that we're dedicated to, you know, being inclusive and accessible.

Heather Grimshaw: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. And I think the nuances associated with that as. As you're. As you talked about a little bit earlier and just noted now, really assessing not only what's currently available, but what could be available to. To maybe widen that scope.

Kelly Woodbridge: Exactly. Yeah.

Heather Grimshaw: So I think to wrap us up for today, I'm hoping to hear a little bit from you about what this award means to you, why you think it's valuable for professionals like yourself.

Kelly Woodbridge: This was probably the question that I struggled with the most.

No, because you. You aren't expecting the award, and then to get it, you're just overwhelmed with emotions. I don't really. I don't really know how to put it into words, so I'll try my best. The award is extremely meaningful because I feel like it's not just a recognition of the work, you know, that I've been doing behind the scenes, but. But it gives me a reminder that the work that I'm doing matters. You know, it tells me that the effort that I'm putting in to really create this more inclusive, accessible environment is being seen, and it's being valued, as I noted, as somebody with a disability doing this work. It's personal to me to receive something like this. You know, it shows that I don't have to separate who I am from the work that I'm doing and that I can really, you know, advocate for other individuals, even though I'm still showing up as fully myself and being fully authentic. It reinforces that, you know, people with disabilities belong in every space, you know, that we are just as capable, just as innovative, just as impactful as every other person that's out there. I guess it feels like encouragement in a way, but also responsibility has been put on me, if that makes sense.

You know, encouragement to just keep pushing forward and to make that space for others,

but the responsibility to ensure that, you know, accessibility and equity aren't just these ideas, but they're things that everyone can experience in the workplace.

Heather Grimshaw: I love that. Perfectly said and such a well deserved award. Congratulations to you once again. Kelly.

Kelly Woodbridge: Thank you. Heather. I appreciate it..