Disability Resources is excited to introduce Myles Urban as its newest addition. Myles joined WashU in October 2024 as Assistant Director. In this role, Myles promotes and supports Disability Resources’ vision and mission to establish a more inclusive and equitable college experience for disabled students. He examines the barriers disabled students face inside and outside of the classroom and navigates students through the determination and implementation of accommodations. As part of his role, Myles is DR’s liaison to WashU’s School of Law, serving as the primary contact for law school’s students seeking to connect with Disability Resources, as well as for their faculty and staff who may have questions or be seeking assistance in supporting disabled students.
Myles is a disability resource practitioner who values emphasizing recognition of the ways in which disability identities and experiences are individualized and vary from student to student. In the course of his five years working in higher education, he has demonstrated an ability to navigate the challenges with a campus culture which may stigmatize a disability identity. Prior to joining WashU, Myles had experience in rebranding and redeveloping a disability resource office from the ground-up, with an objective to impact the culture to be more inclusive for disabled students and their unique perspectives – crafting a vision and mission statement guiding their efforts; reorganizing policies and practices; and creating resources, trainings, and engagement opportunities for all members of a campus community.
Urban is active through the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and has participated in a number of various professional development opportunities. Additionally, he represented AHEAD on the Council for an Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) committee examining revisions to the Disability Resources and Services standards.
Before becoming a Disability Resources Professional in higher education, Urban worked through the Special School District of St. Louis County as a case manager and teacher, co-teaching high school English, math and biology, as well as special education classes. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education and Special Education (K-12) degree and Master of Arts in Student Personnel Administration, with an emphasis in higher education disability, from Saint Louis University. Outside of WashU, Myles can be found at the gym, going for a run in the various parks and neighborhoods all over St. Louis County, and spending family time with this wife and 2 children (with a third on the way!).