{"id":823,"date":"2026-02-02T14:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T22:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/dso\/?page_id=823"},"modified":"2026-02-02T14:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T22:24:13","slug":"support-persons","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/dso\/employee\/support-persons\/","title":{"rendered":"The role of a support person in disability accommodation meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At the University of Washington, we recognize that participating in an accommodation meeting can sometimes feel overwhelming. Employees requesting disability accommodations may request to bring a <strong>support person<\/strong> to meetings to provide emotional support and help navigate the process.<\/p>\n<p>This page outlines the role of a support person, how to request to bring one, and the expectations they must follow to ensure a productive and respectful meeting.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"requesting-a-support-person\">Requesting a support person<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Advance approval is required.<\/strong> Employees must submit a request to their Leave and Accommodation specialist or the Disability Services Office (DSO) before inviting a support person to any meeting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support persons must be UW employees in good standing.<\/strong> Exceptions may be made for family members or union representatives, depending on the nature of the meeting. These requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be approved in advance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Confirmation of understanding is required.<\/strong> If approved, the Leave and Accommodations Team or DSO will email guidelines to help the support person understand their role before the meeting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"uwhr-toc-top-btn\"><a href=\"#toc\">Return to top<\/a><\/p><h4 id=\"role-of-a-support-person\">Role of a support person<\/h4>\n<p>The role of a support person is limited to providing quiet emotional support to the employee during the meeting. Specifically:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Listen silently and respectfully<\/strong> without interrupting the conversation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take notes<\/strong> if requested by the employee.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Provide reassurance<\/strong> if needed, without disrupting the meeting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Request a private break<\/strong> if the employee needs to pause and consult privately.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Support persons do not speak on behalf of the employee, advocate for outcomes, or otherwise participate in the meeting discussion unless explicitly invited by the employee for clarification.<\/p>\n<p>To maintain the integrity of the accommodation process:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Support persons must uphold <strong>strict confidentiality<\/strong> regarding all meeting discussions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Professional conduct<\/strong> is expected at all times.<\/li>\n<li>If a conflict of interest exists, or if conduct disrupts the process, UW reserves the right to deny or withdraw approval for the support person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"uwhr-toc-top-btn\"><a href=\"#toc\">Return to top<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This page outlines the role of a support person, how to request to bring one, and the expectations they must follow to ensure a productive and respectful meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"parent":802,"menu_order":50,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-823","page","type-page","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - 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