Summary
A March round up of exciting things happening, especially the audiobook launch of Disability Is Human!
👋 Welcome to the March 2025 issue of The Latest!
A shorter issue for our over-saturated selves. Thank you for being here and for your continued presence and support!
🎓 Measuring College Accessibility for All Students
I’m thrilled to announce the new Campus Accessibility Measure (CAM)! The CAM is a transformative tool for understanding student accessibility experiences in higher education.
The CAM is brought to you by the dynamic team at the National Disability Center for Student Success. Student-led and collaborative in nature, this work reflects the very best in disability-informed research design.
What makes CAM unique?
Unlike traditional surveys that only focus on students with disclosed disabilities, the CAM recognizes that accessibility impacts EVERYONE in postsecondary education. Through rigorous research and validation, we’ve developed an 18-item measure across three key dimensions: classroom-level accessibility, campus-level accessibility, and social engagement & belonging.
It captures the full spectrum of student experiences – from classroom participation to digital resource accessibility – while including specialized insights from students registered with disability services. This comprehensive approach reflects our commitment to understanding accessibility as a universal experience, not just a disability-specific concern.
Why does this matter?
With historically low disability disclosure rates in higher education, we need tools that capture the complete picture of campus accessibility. The CAM helps institutions understand and improve the experience for ALL students, whether they formally disclose disabilities or not.
I’m proud to share this work with our higher education community! The collaborative nature of this effort – together with disabled students – made this measure one that is both by and from disabled perspectives. Let’s continue pushing boundaries in making education truly accessible for everyone.
Try it with your class or across your entire campus!
PS: Our full national report is also available with the CAM tool.
📉 The Truth about Book Sales During an Amazon Boycott
People keep asking me how sales are going for Disability Is Human: The Vital Power of Accessibility in Everyday Life.
Full disclosure: Almost nothing since February 20th.
Self published authors rely heavily on both Amazon and local bookstore online vendors like Bookshop.com to distribute their work. Brick-and-Mortar stores rarely carry indie books.
When people boycott Amazon and don’t also go to the local online vendors instead, authors with small budgets get hit the hardest.
We had a great run going prior to the boycott, so I know people (like you!) find the book meaningful. Many also pick up the Official Workbook to expand their toolkit and bring accessibility to their teams.
Want to help?
Pick up a printed copy for you or for a friend on Bookshop.org. Select a local bookstore to get a share of the profits, and you get a discount too!
💡 Upcoming Presentations and Events
Spring is an exciting season with public events near and far. Here’s a sample of what is on deck across a range of audiences!
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Research Expertise: Accessibility and K-2 Assessments presentation for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Advisory Board.
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Employee Development: Disability Is Human lunch and learn for Boston Children’s Hospital Disability ERG.
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Thought Leadership: The State of Disability and Accessibility in Education at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association.
Does your team need quality research expertise, professional development, or thought leadership on topics related to disability and accessibility?
Let’s chat about how we can work together to support your entire team.
🌟 Creator Call Out
Spotlight on: Anita Roach!
Anita Roach just released her new book: Safe & Sound: Cultivating a Whole-human, Trauma-Informed Approach for Employee and Employer Well-Being.
I share one of my own experiences as a case story in this volume.
I learned so many useful ways to make people feel safer at work, help them avoid burning out, and keep them engaged – all while making the whole company culture better. What I really love about this book is how it shows that people who’ve dealt with trauma can actually be incredible assets to their teams – when they get the right support, they bring this amazing mix of creativity, empathy, and resilience that lifts everyone up.
🎙️ And Finally…
The Disability Is Human audiobook production is in the home stretch. Read to you by yours truly, full of the enthusiasm, emotion and exhaustion you expect in an authentic read! Done in the “time between the time”, as you can tell with the disheveled hair and bags under my eyes.
Watch this space for details on how to download your own audiobook!
Recording in the time between the time!
PS: Want bring accessibility insights to more people?
Here are four things you can do today — Pick your fav and THANK YOU!
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Forward this newsletter to a colleague or friend.
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Sport a Disability Is Human hat, shirt or mug. Perfect gift for your accessibility-minded friend. See the full merch collection!
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Do you belong to a book club? Consider Disability Is Human for your 2025 reading list or discussion group.
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If you’ve read Disability Is Human, leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or on your favorite online platform! Thank you so much!