Nearly 20% of U.S. college undergraduates report having a disability — a higher number than many people are aware of and than college faculty plan for in their classrooms. And that’s before factoring in new research that shows a majority of those students do not inform their college.
To boost accessibility, two new infographics have been created and written by the student, staff, and faculty teams — many of whom are disabled themselves — from the Collaborative for Access & Equity, an innovative pilot program at the University of Texas at Austin designed to improve inclusion for disabled college students.
About the Infographics
Both infographics emphasize that access is more than accommodations, encouraging inclusive attitudes and a culture of accessibility that can spread to all corners of campus for disabled students.
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The first infographic, Access for Success: 9 Tips for Disabled College Students, provides practical advice, whether or not the student has chosen to disclose their disability or is receiving official accommodations. One simple tip? Ask for the instructor’s presentation materials, to get a head start on note-taking.
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The second infographic, Make Access Easy: 9 Strategies for Higher Education Faculty, is designed for busy instructors. The tips range from holistic — set a welcoming tone for disabled people enrolled in your course — to practical advice on attendance, office hours, and testing.
Each infographic can be downloaded as PDFs and shared digitally or printed as posters.
About the Collaborative
Directed by Dr. Stephanie Cawthon and housed at the Texas Center for Equity Promotion, the Collaborative’s 2021-2022 pilot year focused on identifying accessibility strategies and technology tools, sharing perspectives about access and inclusion, and building an online learning community with faculty members.
Disabled student coaches and faculty partners show work together in an intersectional professional community — a true collaboration — to shift the mindsets and pedagogical approaches of faculty, with a significant impact on the future learning experiences of all students.
The Collaborative is made possible by a grant from Microsoft to The University of Texas at Austin.