Opening doors: How accommodations unlock success

When it comes to workplace accommodations, it’s easy to imagine them as rare exceptions – a benefit reserved for a select few who need “special help.” But that mindset needs to change. Granting accommodations isn’t about making exceptions or lowering standards, it’s about creating environments where everyone can succeed, no matter where they are in life or what challenges they face. 

That’s both the opinion of Cortney Gensemer, Ph.D., and the focus of her May 13 talk – “Empowerment Through Accommodations.” Gensemer is a researcher at MUSC who lives with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and knows firsthand the importance of accessibility. 

 

Gensemer is both a leading advocate for change and a living example of how thoughtful accommodations can transform potential obstacles into opportunities for excellence. 

Her message is clear: It’s time to address accessibility barriers. From automatic doors to flexible scheduling to closed captioning, small adjustments can have a huge impact not only on people with known disabilities but on colleagues, students and staff who may one day face temporary or permanent changes to their own health. 

“Accommodations don’t just help a few people – they improve the environment for everyone,” she said. “When we build in flexibility and support, we create spaces that are more accessible, more equitable and, ultimately, more successful for all. Simple changes can remove barriers we didn’t even realize existed until they were gone – and that benefits the entire community.” 

What does she mean by accommodations? “Most people think of extra time on tests, adaptive furniture, assistive devices,” she said. “But it’s so much more.” In her talk, she will explain the importance of flexible schedules, recorded lectures, remote working and learning, service animals, accessible parking, ergonomic workstations, temperature regulation, noise reduction and the ability to sit when standing is too difficult. 

She explained that, sadly, many people who need accommodations don’t ask for them. They fear being seen as weak. They don’t know the process. They assume they don’t deserve the support. As a result, far too many struggle silently, putting their health and success at risk. 

Her personal experience within MUSC’s research community shows what’s possible when leaders embrace a proactive approach. Under the guidance of Chip Norris, Ph.D., and Molly Griggs, head of Program Operations for the Norris Lab, Gensemer’s laboratory environment is designed with flexibility and thoughtfulness. They don’t hesitate or question – they plan ahead, she said, ensuring that Norris’ team can perform at its highest level no matter what challenges arise. 

Gensemer hopes to see that spirit of support extended to every employee and student at MUSC. In her virtual presentation at noon on May 13, part of an overarching series titled “Learning Through Lived Experience,” she will share practical advice to empower those who need a hand to feel confident seeking that support. 

 

She is quick to point out that she’s not the only voice for change at MUSC. She credits social worker Ryan Boselowitz, an employee with the Center for Workplace Well-Being, who conceptualized the series, and Jake Griner, an M.D.-Ph.D. candidate and co-president of the Alliance for Disability Advocacy, as tireless champions for accessibility, working to ensure that employees and students have the support they need to thrive. 

Boselowitz, who has hEDS, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and chronic fatigue syndrome, said she loves coming to work every day. She calls it a privilege to work with those who care for others – and thanks to an accessible work environment, she’s able to do so without facing unnecessary barriers. 

Her boss, Tenelle Anderson, ensures that she has the support she needs – including a welcoming environment for Boselowitz’s service dog, Lincoln. A glossy black Labrador retriever, Lincoln plays a critical role in helping Boselowitz to manage her conditions. He alerts her when she’s nearing physical exhaustion or at risk of passing out. With standing and gait difficulties, she has recently become a part-time wheelchair user. That allows her to see things, such as tall curbs, from a different vantage point. 

“Utilizing my lived experience, I can offer support to lots of different people within MUSC,” she said. “This series is about sharing learning through lived experience – both for those who live with chronic illness or disability and those who don’t.” 

While Boselowitz said she’s encountered no challenges obtaining accommodations, older campus buildings can still pose accessibility hurdles. She hopes that as MUSC continues to renovate and build, leaders will prioritize accessibility from the start – and involve people with disabilities directly in the planning process. She points to the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital as a model for what thoughtful, inclusive design can achieve. 

Griner, who lives with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disorder that affects how nerves outside the brain and spinal cord function, knows all too well how critical, and at times challenging, accessibility can be. After recovering from recent surgery, he said that navigating transportation and certain areas on campus presented difficulties. He immediately went to bat for improvements to both.

These experiences fuel his work with the Alliance for Disability Advocacy, where he helps other students to navigate accessibility needs that don’t always fit within the standard accommodations process. Last year, the group secured CART captioning at Commencement for a deaf student whose family didn’t use American Sign Language. CART captioning, which transcribes spoken English into written English in real time, also benefits elderly people, non-native speakers, the hard of hearing and those who are neurodiverse or have learning disabilities. He considers it a big win. But the work doesn’t end there.

“While progress has been made, navigating disability support can still feel like an uphill battle. It’s not that students don’t want to advocate for themselves, it’s that often they don’t know where to start. With everything they have going on, sometimes they just give up,” Griner said. That’s where he and the alliance step in. He hopes to drive lasting changes that make success accessible to every student – no matter their needs.

Despite the challenges that come with working with chronic conditions, these advocates show that disabilities are not barriers to achievement or fulfillment – at the office or at home. Gensemer, a full-time researcher in the Norris Lab, balances demanding lab work, where she leads research into the genetic and molecular mechanisms of EDS and hypermobility spectrum disorders, with raising a 4-month-old who keeps her constantly on the move and carving out time for her love of cooking – often filling the family kitchen with the smell of fresh sourdough bread. 

Boselowitz, a founding organizer of Accessibility for All, a disability- and chronic illness-focused employee resource group that welcomes all and fosters a more inclusive and informed workplace, finds joy in spending time with her loved ones, including her two pups – Lincoln, her constant companion, and Logan, her yellow lab who never quite got the hang of service work. Knitting and caring for her ever-growing collection of houseplants round out the activities that feed her soul. 

Meanwhile, Griner leads innovative research using multi-omic spatial biology to uncover disease drivers and biomarkers, while also finding time to pursue passions like cooking, traveling and flying seaplanes. 

These three work hard to send the message that chronic illness and disability don’t mean stepping back – they mean showing up in ways that redefine what’s possible for everyone.

Why it matters 

Imagine if the person destined to cure Alzheimer’s or the surgeon who would separate conjoined twins walked away from training because lectures couldn’t be recorded. Or sitting wasn’t an option. 

What if the scientist facing mobility challenges – the one poised to secure the next $20 million COBRE grant – was denied the simple option of remote work? 

What if it were the next Alexander Fleming, Marie Curie or Michael DeBakey? Where would humanity be without penicillin, radium or coronary artery bypass surgery? The next groundbreaking discovery lost, not for lack of talent but for lack of awareness or understanding. 

The truth is, Gensemer said, disability can affect anyone at any time – whether through injury, illness or aging. Flexible, understanding institutions that create inclusive environments today are building resilience for the future. 

Ultimately, as Gensemer will explain in her “Empowerment Through Accommodations” presentation, accommodations aren’t about charity or special treatment. They’re about respect, dignity and the understanding that every person deserves the chance to reach her or his full potential. 

And as the journeys of Gensemer, Boselowitz and Griner show, when organizations get it right, the benefits ripple far beyond the individuals they were initially designed to help, they make the entire institution stronger, smarter and more compassionate.