Make Access Easy: 9 Strategies for Higher Education Faculty [Infographic]

Improving access for your disabled students doesn’t have to be hard. Just a few simple strategies can make a big difference, because access is more than accommodations. 

The strategies in this infographic were created and written by the student, staff, and faculty teams — many of whom are disabled themselves — from the Collaborative for Access & Equity, an innovative program designed to improve accessibility, equity, and inclusion for disabled college students.

A companion infographic, Access for Success: 9 Tips for Disabled College Students, is also helpful for instructors and advisors.

Infographic Content 

1. Set a welcoming tone. In your syllabus and on the first day of class, issue a clear statement of your openness, willingness to be flexible, and desire to receive feedback about accessibility, accommodations, and open dialogue.

2. Use visual cues. Integrate visual features (such as icons and arrows) in your syllabus, LMS, and presentation slides. Provide as much information ahead of time as possible, share your slides with students, and reduce the burden of note-taking. 

3. Offer flexible deadlines and attendance. Space out assignments across the semester, with built-in optional extensions for all students. Provide regular reminders and updates across different platforms. 

4. Consider multiple response options. Within and across class assignments, create possibilities for different modalities. Find ways to connect assignments to students’ lived experiences. 

5. Review workload expectations. Most students are juggling classes, work, and home responsibilities. Consider required, core assignments that align with learning goals, then optional assignments for deeper dives.

6. Make a connection. Learn from your disabled students about what works best for them. Pay attention to student stress levels and well-being, show compassion and find ways for them to meaningfully connect with you and with each other. 

7. Explore embedded technology. Learn about accessibility features that are part of your technology environments. Make sure images include descriptive alt text and all videos and media are captioned (including student assignments). 

8. Leverage office hours. Schedule across multiple time points, allow for confidential meetings and time them to occur before major assignments or tests. Offer 1:1 appointments to increase student confidence and trust. 

9. Give guidance to group activities. Provide clear structure and expectations, including prompts, time cues, models to follow, visual artifacts, and clear synthesis. Do not assume this will happen organically. 

The Collaborative for Access & Equity is made possible by a Microsoft grant to The University of Texas at Austin.