The staff has extensive experience working with people with disabilities. Until the student has a crew of attendants in place, the staff assists with personal care needs. Throughout the year, the staff perform tasks difficult to arrange with an attendant, such as overnight repositioning. In the event a student's attendant is absent, staff will provide back-up assistance. The staff works with the student in devising the best system to minimize the need for attendant services.
Staff also act as a resource, linking the new students to community and campus services and events.
Each student hires attendants for routine assistance, usually for the mornings and nights. Prospective attendants are screened through the Disabled Students' Program's Attendant Referral service and then interviewed by the student. The student decides whether or not to hire the attendant. The staff members, however, are University employees. They function primarily to assist students in training personal attendants and to ensure that a student never misses a class for lack of assistance.