Office of Educational Accessibility

Initial Meetings and Accommodations Review; Accommodations Appeals; Documentation Review; University-wide initiatives; Faculty Consultation; OEA Oversight and Operations

RAMS - Accommodate: Faculty Questions, General Questions
Questions regarding RAMS - Accommodate? Email rams-accommodate@wcupa.edu

Education:
Ph.D., Higher Education, Old Dominion University
Linguistic Society of America Summer Institute, Evolutionary Phonology and Sociocultural Linguistics, Stanford University
M.A., Applied Linguistics, Old Dominion University
Graduate Certificate, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Old Dominion University
B.A., Individualized Integrative Studies in Dramaturgy, minor in Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University
Studies in Opera Performance, Music Theory, and Diction, North Carolina School of the Arts

(in progress) M.P.A., Public Administration, West Chester University
(in progress) Graduate Certificate, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), West Chester University

Dr. Thomas serves as President of Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society (and faculty advisor for our local Mu chapter), the Treasurer for the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Pennsylvania, where he also served as a member and the Chair of the Mental Health Advisory Council from 2015 - 2023, and as a non-affiliated member of the Institutional Review Board at St. Joseph's University (previously University of the Sciences) since 2013.

Hobbies and Interests: spending time with his family, needlecrafts (blackwork, bargello, etc.),  movies, podcasts, music, travel, reading

Dr. Thomas can be reached via email at dthomas3@wcupa.edu or by calling the OEA at 610-436-2564.  

Proctoring Center; Academic Coaching Program; Communication Access (CART, ASL, Alternate Format Materials, etc.); Initial Meetings and Accommodations Review; Assistive Technology

RAMS - Accommodate: Proctoring Center, Exam, and Exam Room Booking Questions; Communication Access and Professional Provider Questions; General Questions
Questions regarding RAMS - Accommodate? Email rams-accommodate@wcupa.edu

Education:
M.S., Higher Education Policy and Student Affairs, West Chester University
B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, West Chester University

Prior to joining us as an Accommodations Coordinator in 2022, Ms. Hartz served as a graduate assistant for 2 years in OEA working with students as an academic coach and managing the Proctoring Center.

Hobbies and Interests: playing with her cat Maeve, plants, and she loves the color purple

Ms. Hartz can be reached via email at ghartz@wcupa.edu or by calling the OEA at 610-436-2775.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) Captioner

Education and Certifications:
B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, minors in American Sign Language, Deaf Studies, and Psychology, West Chester University
Registered Professional  Reporter (RPR), National Court Reporters' Association
Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC), National Court Reporters' Association

CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, which is a speech-to-text interpreting service for anyone who needs communication access. As an advocate for those who are d/Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, Ms. Durkovic is passionate about making the spoken word accessible through providing and advocating for accurate, quality captions to those who rely on it.

Hobbies and Interests: spending time with her family, being outdoors, especially, at the beach, playing ice hockey

Ms. Durkovic can be reached via email at sdurkovic@wcupa.edu or by calling the OEA at 610-436-2564

Front Office Operations; Office Correspondence; Clerical Support; Appointment Scheduling; Records

RAMS - Accommodate: General Questions
Questions regarding RAMS - Accommodate? Email rams-accommodate@wcupa.edu. 

OEA  Academic Coach

Education:
M.S. Student, Higher Education Policy and Student Affairs, West Chester University
B.A., Psychology, Bloomsburg University

Hobbies and Interests: Nutrition educator with K-12 students in philly, passionate about community, reading, audiobooks, podcasts, gardening and traveling 

OEA  Academic Coach

Education:
Ed.D. Student, Higher Education Policy, Planning, and Administration
M.M., Trumpet Performance, The Wells School of Music at West Chester University
B.M., Music Performance, The University of the Arts

Prior to joining the OEA as a student employee, Jacob served in a graduate assistant capacity for The Wells School of Music facilitating the expansion of the music library and helping students with their musical studies. Jacob is a disabled veteran after serving four years in the United States Army with extensive international experience.

Hobbies and Interests: Improvisational music, teaching music, hanging out with my family.

OEA  Academic Coach

Education:
M.A. Student, Communication and Media, West Chester University
B.A., Media and Culture (summa cum laude), West Chester University

Zahir Chapman was a member of the Track and Field Team and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as an undergraduate student at WCU. He is currently a member of the Black Student Union, CRU, and The Hidden Opponent at West Chester University.

Interests and Hobbies: sports, mental health awareness, traveling, social media and video games and hanging out with friends and family during his free time.

OEA  Academic Coach

Education:
M.S., Student, School Counseling
B.A., Psychology with a minor in Sociology, Shippensburg University

At Shippensburg, Jess was a member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) club to raise mental health awareness. 

Hobbies and Interests: Jess cheered for 15 years before starting college. Love to travel, go on hikes, hang out with friends and family, and bake.

OEA  Academic Coach

Education:
M.S.W. Student, West Chester University
B.S., Biology, minor in Global Health, The Pennsylvania State University

Hobbies and Interests: being outside, hiking, and spending time with family and friends