We are excited to welcome Caitlin Laughlin and Lily Shannon, our newest Access Coordinators, to Disability and Access!
Caitlin Laughlin (she/her) is originally from Akron, Ohio but as been in Austin for over 10 years. She attended St. Edward’s University where she earned a BA in Special Education. She worked as a Special Education teacher in Austin ISD for 6 years before moving into higher education. Caitlin previously worked for The University of Texas in the Athletics Department, and she is excited to continue working with the Longhorn community. In her free time, Caitlin enjoys being outside and spending time at Barton Springs or running around Town Lake.
Lily Shannon (they/them) is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. They attended Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont where they earned their bachelors in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. While an undergraduate they worked in the Disability Resource Center on campus and sat on the Advisory Group for Disability, Access, and Inclusion at Middlebury. They spent the spring of their senior year researching student attitudes towards the accommodation process leading them to want to pursue a career working in disability advocacy and accommodation.
After graduation, they moved back to Memphis to be closer to home and worked in Admissions at Rhodes College. However, they could not pass up the opportunity to join the team at D&A, so they packed up and moved to Austin. They are thrilled to be a part of the community making UT a more welcoming and accessible place and look forward to becoming acquainted with their new city. Outside of work, you can catch them exploring a new hike with their partner or inside snuggling with their cats while working on their latest cross-stitch project.