Pronouns: He/Him

Allen Sheffield serves as the Director of The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.

In this role, Allen sets the strategic direction for RCPD and engage the campus community in creating, strengthening, and maintaining a culture of access, holistic wellbeing, and belonging that supports disabled students, faculty, and staff.

Allen brings over 15 years of experience working in the field of disability services in higher education across multiple institutions. Over the course of his career, he has served diverse student populations, managed disability service departments, and progressively taken on increased professional responsibilities, earning recognition in the field. From 2020-2023, Allen served on the Board of Directors for the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), further contributing to the advancement of disability services in higher education, including working to draft the AHEAD Statement of Language, which moved the field to a disability-centered identity-first model.

Allen joins MSU from Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services at The University of Michigan, where he has been Associate Director since September 2021. In this role, he provided leadership and management of Services for Students with Disabilities and Testing Accommodation Center, overseeing 24 full-time professional employees. Upon joining SAAS, he established a Testing Accommodations Center that supports accommodated testing for the entire campus community, facilitating over 12,000 exams in the recent academic year. He also oversaw an overhaul of disability accommodations for students and spearheaded the transition to a new data management platform.

Prior to joining UM, Allen was Director of the Office of Disability Services at Rutgers University-Newark. He successfully expanded the team from two individuals to four, secured funding for a position dedicated to psychoeducational testing for students, led a multi-department “stop the stigma” initiative, and served as the campus expert on disability compliance issues.

The child of two teachers from Dayton, Ohio, Allen believes that education can be a great equalizer and change agent, but only when it is accessible to all. Allen is committed to providing access and inclusion for individuals with mental, physical, and/or medical conditions with an identity-first and intersectional lens. Allen’s work is driven by his passion and commitment to removing systematic barriers to access, beginning within a disability service office. He has a proven record in proactive action, establishing relationships with campus partners, building strong teams, and creating opportunities for them to thrive, and is committed to outreach, consultation, and education to ensure an accessible and inclusive university community.

As a person who identifies as Deaf (Hard of Hearing; fluent in American Sign Language), neurodivergent, and disabled, Allen’s journey greatly influences his commitment to access and inclusion. He received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Wright State University in Ohio and a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: It’s impossible to pick just one, especially since we were fortunate enough to share time with the inspiring Judy Heumann.

“Change never happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over years of people joining together, strategizing, sharing, and pulling all the levers they possibly can. Gradually, excruciatingly slowly, things start to happen, and then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, something will tip.” – Judy Heumann

"Most things are possible when you assume problems can be solved.” – Judy Heumann

Q: Where is your favorite place in the world?
A: Around the table with my family, playing a game of cards or a game—wherever that might be.

Q: What inspires you?
A: There are few things greater than witnessing people discover and live out their passions. I am thankful that my profession allows me to be a part of that journey for so many.

Q: What are you passionate about?
A: Higher Education and its potential to help people discover and actualize their goals and dreams—when it is inclusive and accessible to all. Far too often, this opportunity is left unrealized for people with disabilities because of barriers that exist in a society not built with them in mind. I am passionate about ensuring that all students have the opportunity to fully experience what makes this university such a special place.

Q: Before working at MSU, what was the most unusual or interesting job you had?
A: While working as a coordinator at Temple University, my "other duties as assigned" included capturing and releasing bugs that wandered into our office. It once even involved cajoling and corralling a scared, trapped possum from a loading dock to freedom—before building staff resorted to brooms and mops.

Q: What volunteer or passion projects do you do outside of work?
A: When I lived in Philly, I led an after-school activities program teaching chess to 5-12-year-olds at a local library, which stands out as one of my most rewarding and awe-inducing volunteer experiences. Also, as a recent first-time homeowner, I am also enjoying DIY home improvement projects and building my skill set.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
A: "Breathe." When I was a new professional working in community mental health with a Deaf agency in DC, I was struggling with all of the demands and pressures of the work. My supervisor pulled me aside and gave me simple but poignant advice: No matter how chaotic and overwhelming things might be, everything starts with taking a breath. Once you do that, only then can everything start to come into focus.

Q: What's the best gift you've ever received?
A: That same supervisor gave me a coffee mug with the word "breathe" on it when I was leaving the agency. I’ve kept it with me for over 15 years, despite it having been shattered and glued back together. While it can no longer hold tea, the reminder is no less poignant.