ADA & 504 Services
Solutions for ADA/504 Offices
& Digital Accessibility
Access and compliance are critical components in creating equitable and inclusive communities. Working on both the physical and digital space, we consult on practical solutions and offer interim and ongoing support to help employers and educational institutions comply to federal and state regulations and effectively navigate accommodations and support for individuals with disabilities.
Services for ADA & 504 Offices
ADA/504 Coordinator
For a cost-effective monthly flat rate, we provide an interim or long-term ADA/504 Coordinator and/or additional delegated roles who are backed by our team of national experts. We can support or manage your organization’s accommodation process for both students and staff, assist departments with disability-related questions, and work with leadership on compliance and policy reviews and program assessments.
Process and Policy Development
We help develop effective accommodation processes that support employees and departments by emphasizing transparency, good-faith engagement, collaboration, compromise, and timeliness.
Accessibility Compliance Assessment
Our team provides an in-depth review of your institution’s approach to accessibility, accommodations, and compliance that includes policy review, meetings with stakeholders, and confidential recommendations.
Consulting Support
We provide mentoring and support to administrators who are responsible for institutional ADA & 504 compliance – whether they are new to the role, serving on an interim basis, or updating their skills for a new set of challenges.
ADA & 504 Investigations
We provide experienced investigators to address employee and student grievances alleging failure to accomodate, and offer in-depth investigations of claims of discrimination based on disability. In addition, our team consults with institutions for investigations that are initiated by outside agencies such as DOJ and OCR, addressing access, disability discrimination, and allegations of failure to enter into and maintain the ADA interactive process.
Training
Grand River Solutions provides custom disability-related topics training to ADA & 504 Coordinators, IT Departments, HR Professionals, compliance specialists, and on-staff investigators.
Support for Digital Accessibility
How Do You Prepare for the New ADA Rules on Digital Accessibility?
By April 24, 2026, the majority of public institutions will need to meet new regulatory requirements for accessibility on websites and mobile applications.
Work with an expert who helped create the federal framework for digital case investigations.
Judy Risch is nationally recognized as a foremost authority in digital accessibility, having served as a senior attorney at the Department of Education, where she co-led the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) National Digital Accessibility Team.
Download our Digital Accessibility Regulatory Summary to see how your institution can meet current ADA/504 regulations and prepare for the upcoming compliance deadlines for Websites, Apps, Coursework and Training Platforms.
Meet Our ADA & 504 Team
Crystal C. Coombes
Crystal C. Coombes is the ADA/504 Lead and Manager with more than 35 years of experience in private and public industry, higher education, and disability management. Crystal previously served as ADA/504 Coordinator and Title IX Coordinator in addition to her role as the Assistant Vice President of Equity and Access Services with the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at George Mason University.
Judith Risch
Judith Risch, J.D., Ph.D., is the Title IX & Equity Access Services Special Advisor at Grand River Solutions. Judy brings over two decades of invaluable experience from her tenure at the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education. Judy Risch is nationally recognized as a foremost expert in digital accessibility, having served as a senior attorney at the Department of Education, where she co-led the Office for Civil Rights National Digital Accessibility Team.
Andrea Stagg
Andrea Stagg, Director of Consulting Services, has extensive experience in higher education in-house legal settings at public and private colleges and universities. As Deputy General Counsel and Director of Government Relations & Compliance at Barnard College she oversaw all legal and compliance matters, including navigating the pandemic as chair of the College’s COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group.
Myra Waddell
Myra Waddell, ADA/504 Coordinator Services, has over 30 years of experience in higher education. Myra served as the Director of Disability Services at Winston-Salem State University, and a Special Education Resource Teacher in Franklin County Schools, Virginia. She also served as an itinerant teacher to Greensboro City Schools and Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, in North Carolina.
Aniya Ward
Aniya Sutton Ward, ADA/504 Coordinator Services, has previously served as the Title IX coordinator and EEO/Title IX investigator for four years at Winston-Salem State University, where she oversaw the Title IX and EEO office’s day-to-day functions while conducting Title IX EEO investigations involving faculty, staff, and students.
Karen Pettus
Karen serves in ADA/504 Coordinator Services at Grand River Solutions. Karen’s background is working with students with disabilities from kindergarten through higher education as the director of Student Disability Resource Centers at public and private four–year institutions and the technical college system.
Learn more about all our ADA & 504 Services
Blaze Bowers
ADA/504 Client Engagement
News
OCR Reaches Resolution of Harassment Investigations in Two School Districts
The Department of Education entered into two publicly released resolution agreements with school districts thus far 2024. In January the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) resolved a complaint of antisemitic harassment against a student with the Red Clay Consolidated...
Department of Education Releases New Resources About Asthma, Diabetes, Food Allergies, GERD.
On February 20, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released informational resources that inform students with disabilities, their families, and schools of their legal rights under Section 504. The resources describe the Section 504 protections...
The Department of Education’s Regulatory Agenda for Spring 2024 and Beyond
The regulatory agenda reports on the Biden Administration’s plan for upcoming agency actions. A review of the plan for the Department of Education indicates a busy spring on a range of topics, including nondiscrimination. Remember that the dates on the agenda are...
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