Disability Information

Addressing Inclement Weather Challenges for Individuals with Disabilities

Weather Questionnaire

Struggling to get to or from your worksite during inclement weather on campus?

Cornell has a voluntary program for faculty and staff with short or long-term mobility impairments who have difficulty getting to or around their worksite during inclement weather.

To see if the program meets your needs, please take this survey (PDF), or obtain a printed copy from the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality at 255-3976, equalopportunity@cornell.edu.

All Cornell community members should have a personal plan for accommodating their transportation in case their return to their home is delayed due to inclement weather. Faculty and staff with disabilities can take advantage of the following to assist them with inclement weather challenges:

  • Utilize the following websites for closing and cancellation information:
    • Operating Status: displays the official university and campus status announcements
    • CUInfo: lists university closings, special events that impact traffic and parking, and links to other resources, such as current weather information.
    • IthacaNet: maintains a closing and cancellations page for the Ithaca area.
  • Subscribe to the following message boards which will allow you to receive announcements of road closings, school cancellations, or transit delays.
    • Univ-Closing-L: For notification of road closures, construction delays, or other unusual events on campus. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: Univ-Closing-L-request@cornell.edu. The body of the message should read, "join" (without the quotes).
    • School Closings: If a school is closing, you'll receive an e-mail with the name of that school in the subject line. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: School-Closing-L-request@cornell.edu. The body of the message should read, "join" (without the quotes).
    • For more information on mailing lists, including instructions for unsubscribing, visit the E-lists at Cornell pages.
  • Understand the university's flextime policy and have a discussion with your supervisor prior to needing to use it. Identify parameters in which you would like to use your 'time away from work' for inclement weather reasons.
  • Know who your facility coordinator is and let them know what your access needs are to your building, your path of travel to the bus stop, or walkway to your car during inclement weather.
  • Identify a person in your workplace who can assist you if you need help to walk to the bus stop/your car or help you clear your car of snow and/or ice.
  • In an emergency when you aren't able to remove the snow that is around your vehicle, contact the Cornell University Grounds department at (607) 254-1657 and ask for assistance.