By: Nora Hess
Beloved campus member Perno Perno passed away on Aug. 29, 2024, 10 years after she helped form and became the director of the University of Puget Sound’s Department of Student Accessibility and Accommodations (SAA). Her loved ones and the Puget Sound community memorialized her lasting impact with a funeral mass on Sept. 17 and a celebration of life on Sept. 25.
Over the past few months, Ruby Collins, the assistant director of SAA, has kept the department running as usual by taking over many of Perno’s responsibilities. The University plans to hire an interim director as soon as possible to fill the position for the remainder of the year while they seek a candidate who can permanently fill the role of Director of SAA.
SAA is the campus resource that fulfills the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The SAA provides academic accommodations that level the playing field of higher education, giving students with disabilities equal access to a liberal arts education. SAA is a small office with a big job. With only five staff positions, it acts as a liaison between the university and the law to help students with disabilities access their rights.
Dr. Amy Spivey, the Dean of Faculty Affairs, is the point of contact for temporary and full-time hiring at Puget Sound and works closely with SAA. In an interview with The Trail she explained that, while Perno was initially hired as the Director of Disability Services and the Associate Director for the Center for Writing, Learning, and Teaching, her work separated the two departments and led to her becoming the director of SAA. According to Dr. Spivey, Perno “started both the peer SAA mentor program and SAA faculty Advisory Committee, which is a group of faculty who would meet regularly with Peggy to talk about how faculty interface with SAA, and how SAA could help educate faculty about disabilities or accommodations.” Perno’s legacy lives on in the way she interacted with colleagues and students. Dr. Spivey shared that she “appreciated that Peggy cared about people and the staff in the office both in the work context and also what they were interested in outside of work.” Perno’s groundwork for the SAA will carry on. Dr. Spivey feels confident that in her absence, the “work in SAA continues with the staff that is in the office, and they’re doing a great job.”
The position of SAA director has only ever been filled by Perno — whose record will be hard to follow. The hiring committee will be looking for a new director who is “familiar with higher education, familiar with the laws around disability and accommodations, and has experience working at institutions and universities like ours.” According to Dr. Spivey, a timeline has not yet been defined because the hiring process is still in its early stages.
SAA is working hard to ensure that the directorial shifts will not impact students using their services. Dr. Spivey said that although she cannot predict the future, SAA does not anticipate any changes that would affect students. Dr. Spivey told The Trail that the transition has been challenging, but SAA is “trying to move forward and honor Peggy’s work there and the legacy that she’s left.”
The loss of Perno, a pillar of the Puget Sound community, has been challenging for students and staff alike. Still, her hard work created a strong foundation that has allowed her colleagues to maintain consistency. SAA will continue advocating for students with disabilities, thereby creating a more equitable university. Dr. Spivey remembers that Perno, “really cared about students and doing her job as director in a very honest and straightforward and caring way,” and believes that SAA will continue working with these ideals in mind.