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[urbangirlphd]

I'm an incoming faculty member in the applied sciences at a mid-sized R1. I'm asking for an accommodation for the first time in my career and would be grateful for any advice from anyone who has been through the process.  The accommodation I'm requesting is an office with external light , since I suffer from SAD. (Since I had an interior office for the majority of my grad program, I had to spend most of my time working at home.  Full spectrum light boxes did not give significant improvements.  And the year I was able to spend in an office with a window was the most productive time in all of my PhD program.)  I initially asked an administrator to help me secure such an office, but hu told me to either go through the Disability Dept or wait my turn.  I got the impression that hu was trying to call my bluff. I thanked the administrator and told hu that I would provide the DS office with any necessary documentation.

For reference, every faculty member--REGARDLESS of seniority--whom interviewed me at my school and every other school I visited had a window office, so this is pretty standard for my field.  Such offices are available at my school but normally reserved for visiting poo-bahs and others.   I know that this goes against the grain of STFU, but frankly, not having natural light during day had had such a negative effect on my productivity that it's worth it. I have a doctor who is willing to write the note, and the disability office has been friendly so far. In fact, the rep told me several other people have asked for (and presumably received) the same accommodation over the past few years.

I don't know if I am in for a bashing, but I hope not.   I wouldn't fight unless this had a major effect on my productivity, which it does, unfortunately.  Any advice at all about how to make this happen would be appreciated.

[bud04]

You need to have your doctor write the note. Give it to the disability office. This is not a STFU matter. The disability office will make sure you get what you need and they cannot talk about why you need it to anyone. It is all confidential and will go into a separate file (it must legally). Don't be ashamed to ask for what you need to do your job. Let us know what happens.

[lolar2]

Disability services for a faculty member? Not HR? I'd double-check on that.

[bud04]

You are right Lolar2. I just assumed that the OP had a special disability office for faculty through their HR. OP,  just get your doctor's note and call your HR Director. That person should be able to steer you through the process confidentially. 

[polly_mer]

As the others have written, this is a definite problem for which you can get accommodation.  Get the doctor's note. Go to the HR department.  Speak with the disability person and get your window.

[urbangirlphd]

At my university, it's definitely the disability office that deals with these issues.

The problem is that even if the accommodation is granted, the vice dean involved, who seems very hostile, may assign me a particularly undesirable office with a window simply to be vengeful.  For example, the office might be drafty, which would be a disaster during the northern winters.

No matter what happens, my chair will be informed since he is listed as my supervisor.  I may call Cahir and let hu know what's going on, for two reasons: 1. Chair won't be surprised when he gets the call from DS and 2. The Vice Dean is less likely to assign a bad office out of vengeance if hu gets a call from Chair.

What do you guys think?  Again, the chair will learn about this in any case.

[concordancia]

Assigning you the drafty office isn't necessarily vengeance - it may be what is available. If there are not window offices available (my cohort received the last of them in our department, the newer TT faculty have interior offices and we are to the point of tripling up even senior lecturers) then they will be forced to scrounge for whatever they can.

[urbangirlphd]

Thanks very much for the replies, everyone.  I gave the chair a heads up, and he said the Disability Services office is very powerful at my university and frequently advocates for faculty.  He seemed very supportive and said he'd be happy to help.

[urbangirlphd]

Hello everyone,

Success! Thanks for the advice.  The admin I talked about earlier relented quickly once the Disability rep called her saying he had a doctor's note. I have apparently received a new office, but I have yet to see it, so I don't know if the dean intentionally put me in some drafty or un-air conditioned office to teach me a "lesson."

My only concern is that she asked for "documentation," so the disabilities rep sent a list of "functional limitations" (such as low productivity) that would result if I were not given the accommodation.  My concern is that this would go in my file and play a role at tenure.

I'm wondering if I should ask the DS rep to revise the letter so that it restates that the "functional limitations" disappear once I have the accommodation.  (By the way, every other faculty member in my department was given the type of office I needed without asking, so it's not like I asked for anything that special.  I don't know why the rules changed this year, especially given the low number of new hires.) Is it wise to do this?  Should I be concerned?

[bud04]

Urbangirl, don't worry! Your doctor's note is the documentation though they can ask for more official documentation if they are PITAs. None of this material can go into your file or play a role at tenure. Totally illegal! Big lawsuit! All information about your disability must go into a separate medical file for you which now the Disability Office secures. The Disability representative did not tell the administration why you needed the office......just that you did. 

I'd leave this all alone now if I was you unless your new office appears to be in the depths of hell. Then come back and tell us. I'll tell you then what to do.

[voxprincipalis]

The admin I talked about earlier relented quickly once the Disability rep called her saying he had a doctor's note. I have apparently received a new office, but I have yet to see it, so I don't know if the dean intentionally put me in some drafty or un-air conditioned office to teach me a "lesson."

In general it is usually better to assume incompetence (or cluelessness) rather than malice.

VP