Summary
Reflecting on progress and accessibility in higher education while preparing to share new research on student experiences at ASHE 2025.
A stylized arc made up of five curved bands. To the right, the text reads “The Bend in the Arc” in dark red, followed by the subtitle “Activist Praxis & Justice Through Scholarly Creative Expression” The background has abstract mountain shapes and wave-like lines.
This year’s ASHE theme, written by President Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, draws from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s reminder that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” It’s an invitation to think about progress as something that unfolds over time: imperfect, ongoing, and deeply human.
That idea resonates with me. I often think about the arcs in my own work, the shifts from teaching to research, from learning accessibility by experience to studying it systematically, and from questioning systems to finding ways to improve them. Each step bends a little more toward inclusion, toward understanding, and toward lasting change.
At ASHE 2025, I will share research that explores those same ideas of progress and persistence through the lens of accessibility and student experience.
You Always Have to Advocate for Yourself
The first session, You Always Have to Advocate for Yourself: Administrative Burdens and the Experiences of College Students with Disabilities, draws from interviews with 24 college students with disabilities across the United States. This work is part of a larger initiative that launched Access Leads to Achievement: A National Report on Disabled College Student Experiences by the National Disability Center for Student Success. The report explores how accessibility practices affect the experiences of disabled students and provides a foundation for improving institutional systems across higher education.
Presented with a team of scholars from many different traditions, I am grateful for the opportunity to explore the nuances of how students navigate their college journeys. The stories shared through this study reveal how administrative burdens, particularly those tied to accommodations, affect academic success and well-being. What has stayed with me most from this project is how often students’ persistence and creativity outpace the systems meant to support them.
Speakers:
- Denisa Gándara, PhD, Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
- Ryan A. Mata, PhD, Program Manager, The University of Minnesota
- Ifeoluwa Adekoya, Student Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin
- Stephanie W. Cawthon, PhD, Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Reconceptualizing Accessibility in Higher Education
I will also join the panel discussion Reconceptualizing Accessibility in Higher Education: New Perspectives on Creating Disability-Inclusive Campuses. The session features contributors to The New Accessibility in Higher Education: Disrupting the System for an Inclusive Future, published by Oxford University Press earlier this year.
Our discussion will draw from Chapter 2: The Current Status of Accessibility in American Higher Education, which I co-authored with Ryan A. Mata, Desirée Lama, and Lily Alvarez. These contributors brought student perspectives that were essential to shaping this work. The chapter provides a national overview of accessibility across U.S. colleges and universities and examines how the COVID-19 pandemic prompted campuses to reconsider their commitment to inclusion. It also introduces the concept of an accessibility mindset, a framework for building inclusion into every part of higher education.
Moderator:
- Katherine C. Aquino, Rutgers University
Organizer:
- Ellen M. Broido, Bowling Green State University
Speakers:
- Stephanie W. Cawthon, The University of Texas at Austin
- Rachel Friedensen, St. Cloud State University
- Annemarie Vaccaro, University of Rhode Island
- Emily Tarconish, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
About ASHE
The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) is a scholarly society dedicated to advancing higher education as a field of study. Each year, the conference features research presentations and symposia that explore critical issues shaping colleges and universities. ASHE fosters collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values. The annual event provides space for networking, mentoring, and professional growth, all within a community committed to shaping the future of higher education.
The 2025 ASHE Annual Conference will be held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, 1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202. Visit the ASHE Schedule for session times and meeting locations.