The director of Disability Support Services stepped down from her position last month after former DSS staffers said they were “overburdened” under her leadership.
Officials are seeking a replacement for Maggie Butler, the former director of DSS, according to a job posting for the position. Butler led DSS since 2021 after serving as the director of the Office on Disability Issues in Psychology at the American Psychological Association.
Butler began a position as an “Accessibility Consultant” at GW in September, according to her LinkedIn. Butler deferred comment to University media relations in accordance with GW staff media policies.
University spokesperson Julia Metjian said officials will ensure that DSS service and support for students will remain “uninterrupted” during the transition from Butler to the new director. She said officials have prioritized the search for a new DSS director.
Metjian declined to comment on why Butler is stepping down, when Butler officially left her position and what her new responsibilities are as an accessibility consultant.
“GW is grateful to Maggie Butler for her leadership of the Disability Support Services office and wishes her well on her next endeavor,” Metjian said.
About half of DSS’s 11 total employees left the unit over the past four years due to staffing shortages and an expansion of responsibilities. Two American Sign Language interpreters worked part-time at GW for at least eight years before departing in 2022, leaving no permanent ASL interpreters at the University for the 2022-23 academic year.
A former ASL interpreter said she left the University in 2022 after working at GW for 17 years after Butler extended her nine-month job to a yearlong responsibility.
Officials posted a part-time ASL interpreter position on the University’s online job bulletin in June, but the listing is no longer available. GW does not currently employ any ASL interpreters, according to the DSS website.
