Spotlight: Josh Rucker
Josh Rucker joined Yale University in 2024 as Yale’s inaugural Accessibility Planner in the Office of the University Architect within Facilities. In this role, Josh helps develop and manage reporting on accessibility projects and identifies opportunities for future, campus-wide improvements. He partners closely with project managers, planners, and Facilities colleagues to help ensure design and construction projects align with applicable accessibility codes and standards, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Josh also collaborates with Student Accessibility Services, the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility, and Human Resources to help coordinate physical modifications to facilities and building features as accessibility accommodations.
Josh recently accepted the role of Co-Chair of the Disability Alliance at Yale and looks forward to helping expand awareness of disability-related issues through learning opportunities, community-building events, and outreach activities.
Josh began his career in accessibility nearly two decades ago at the Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD) in Boston, Massachusetts. There, he served as Director of the Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST program, which provided technical assistance on accessibility provisions for multifamily housing. His work at IHCD allowed him to bring together interests in building design and civil rights while deepening his understanding of the legal and technical requirements that support equitable access for people with disabilities.
Before joining Yale, Josh served as Market Director for Accessibility at Jensen Hughes, an international engineering consulting firm, where he supported clients across the education, healthcare, and housing sectors. He also served as Deputy ADA Coordinator at the University of Connecticut (2016–2019) and as Compliance Manager for Access and Accommodations at Columbia University.
He is the former Chair of the Advisory Commission for Persons with Disabilities of West Hartford.