Issues of accessibility in higher education have been shaped by ongoing theoretical debates. The most prominent perspectives are often described as the ‘medical model’ and the ‘social model’ of disability. Put simply, the medical model tends to focus on addressing the diagnoses of deficiencies and accommodations for a disabled individual, while the social model embraces disability as a difference and focuses on correcting systematic exclusions in institutions based in ableism—discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities (for more, see Titchkosky, 2011). More recently, a third perspective, referred to as the ‘cultural model,’ has emerged. This model reframes disability as “a valuable form of human variation” (Hamraie, 2016, p. 260) The table below summarizes differences in the three perspectives:
| Medical Model | Social Model | Cultural Model | |
| View of disability | A deficiency or abnormality | A difference | Valuable human diversity |
| Cause | A disability rooted in physical or psychological deficiency | Ableism, lack of accessibility | Ableism, lack of accessibility, attitudinal barriers |
| Locus of Problem | The individual | Social institutions and processes | Social institutions and processes, ableist ideology |
| Change agent | Medical or technological expert | Individuals with disabilities, disability advocates, social movements, institutional leadership | Disability culture, social movements, society |
| Target of change effort | Individuals with disabilities and other’s efforts to accommodate | Institutional processes and protocols; social practices; societal norms and values | In addition to changing. Institutions, changing prevailing understandings of disability as a problem |
| Goal of change effort | To diagnose, diminish, correct, and/or accommodate perceived deficits | To increase accessibility in all aspects of society and remove barriers that restrict life choices for disabled people | To reframe disability as a valuable way of being in the world |
Ultimately, these different perspectives on disability—as a problem, a difference, or valuable—inform the way questions of access are approached in higher education settings. Most colleges and universities function within a medical model of disability. Typically, to get an assistive technology or accommodation, disabled students must prove that they have a recently-diagnosed disability. These accommodations treat disability as a deviation from the norm. By contrast, if a university were to adopt a social or cultural perspective on disability, the goal would be to increase accessibility for all students, regardless of whether they have a formal diagnosis. The focus would be on accounting for human variation by design.
There are ongoing conversations and debates within Disability Studies and the Disability Rights Movement as to whether to use person first (“a person who is deaf”) vs disability first language (“a Deaf person”). Both are responses to deficit-based views of disability. For some, person-first language is an important way to reclaim humanity. For others, the self-identification with disability culture is a meaningful counterpoint to stigmatizing disability.
For a reflection on the debate related to person first/disability first language, see "Why Person-First Language Doesn't Always Put the Person First" by Emily Ladau
Today, three sets of laws regulate disability rights in higher education settings:
These laws do not require colleges or universities to modify academic requirements considered essential to the curriculum, but they do set minimum expectations, including the following:
| A college cannot | A college must |
|---|---|
|
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Note, what legally constitutes “meaningful access” may not be optimal access for a student. For example, a university may provide meaningful access to a blind student in a biology class by ensuring a readable version of the text is available. However, given the degree that biology relies on visual models, optimal access might include having tactile or 3-D versions of those models, something that may not readily be provided. Further, there is a high level of variability across institutions in the ways they meet these needs, as institutions are differently resourced and differentially prioritize accessibility. Some of the ways higher educational institutions may provide meaningful access include:
Ultimately, ensuring access is not simply an issue of legal compliance, but a reflection of an institution’s commitment to creating educational settings in which all learners can participate, develop, and contribute.
Although College of DuPage encourages all students with disabilities who desire reasonable accommodations to seek services through the Center for Access and Accommodations, faculty have an essential role to play in making courses accessible and creating a climate of equity and inclusion. While individual needs are difficult to anticipate, there are many things professors can do to create inclusive and accessible environments for a wide diversity of learners. This guide reviews strategies in the following areas:
Most of the strategies highlighted in these sections reflect the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is an educational framework that emphasizes the use of flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments in order to provide effective instruction to a diversity of learners. Rather than approaching accessibility as an afterthought or only on a case-by-case basis, UDL principles help instructors to design courses that address the needs of diverse learners from the start so that all students may benefit. For example, a note-taker is a common accommodation given to students with disabilities, however, in note-heavy classes, this may be beneficial to many students. Some instructors rotate the role of note-taker throughout the class as a way of creating a shared set of notes that all students can access.
Creating open lines of communication with your students is essential. There are a variety of ways instructors can build a foundation for open communication:
Ensuring physical accessibility includes consideration of the building location, the classroom location (within a building), as well as the layout of the classroom, and classroom technologies (i.e. lighting, tables, seating, projection, white boards). When considering the physical accessibility of your class, keep in mind:
Ensuring accessibility of course materials includes consideration of 1) the Blackboard ; 2) assigned reading materials, handouts, and presentations; and 3) audio or video used in class. Creating accessible materials takes time. It can necessitate learning new technologies and being creative when considering alternative ways to share information, and/or allow students to participate in class.
Many course management systems have built in accessibility features. For example, Brightspace (Desire2Learn) has screen reader accessibility features, keyboard-online navigation features, screen magnifiers, and design features to assist both students and instructors. To learn how to make your content more accessible to individuals who use screen readers or screen magnifiers, as well as individuals with colorblindness, click the “Check Accessibility” button in the bottom toolbar. This will provide you with warnings and ways to improve accessibility.
For those using other course management systems, please check with their helpdesk or campus consultants. Ultimately, it is an instructor’s responsibility to get to know the accessibility features and limitations of their institution’s course management system, and to take advantage of the tools that will allow their students to fully participate.
It is important to make your syllabus and course materials available to students as soon as possible, so students who may need more time can begin accessing materials. The most common strategy for increasing accessibility of course texts (which include any assigned readings, presentations, and handouts) is providing versions that are readable, especially by screen readers. Most computers come equipped with a screen reader technology, which essentially converts printed text into auditory words to which the user can listen. For this technology to work, reading materials must be saved in a text file, such as a Word Document or Rich Text Format (RTF). Converting materials from PDF or PPT to readable text increases accessibility to a wide variety of learners, including people with learning disabilities, literacy difficulties, visual impairments, or people who multitask. You may find some readable text versions of your course materials are already available. In other cases, you may need to prepare them.
Importantly, text-reading-technology does have limitations. If there are graphics that are critical to the course materials (i.e. tables, graphs, or other images), you will need to find another way to share these with students who have sight impairments, for example by explaining figures in prose form, transferring the graphic onto a tactile surface, or creating a 3-D model of the figure.
Instructors increasingly utilize audio and video materials in class. Captions and descriptions are required by law (Section 508) to support students with disabilities, though as described below may benefit a wide range of learners. There are two types of technologies to increase accessibility to audio and video.
Converting audio (or audio portions of video) to text (e.g., closed captioning) can be done through computer-assisted-programs. Captioning video increases accessibility to a wide variety of learners, including people with learning disabilities, literacy difficulties, hearing impairments, or second language learners.
Creating audio descriptions of visual images is typically needs to be done by a person in real-time, or through use of a pre-recorded narrative. Audio descriptions of video increases accessibility to a wide variety of learners, including people with learning disabilities, literacy difficulties, and visual impairments.
Students learn best when they feel respected, included, and that instructors are invested in their development. Students with disabilities can experience stigma, marginalization, and negative stereotypes from their peers and instructors. In Barbara Davis’s Tools for Teaching, she explains that it is important for instructors to “become aware of any biases and stereotypes [they] may have absorbed…Your attitudes and values not only influence the attitudes and values of your students, but they can affect the way you teach, particularly your assumptions about students…which can lead to unequal learning outcomes for those in your classes” (2010, p. 58).
Strategies for creating an inclusive and welcoming classroom climate include:
| Comment | Implicit Code |
|---|---|
| "I don't understand how you do it - I could never manage like you." | Your life with a disability seems overwhelmingly difficult, and I view it as an extraordinary burden. |
| “You look so normal.” | Your value increases when you appear less disabled, as disability is undesirable or abnormal. |
| “You are so inspiring!” | Your worth is defined by overcoming your disability, which I see as a tragedy or limitation. |
Not all learning happens in the classroom. Does your course integrate lab work, field work, practicum placements, internships, service learning, or presentations in community based or academic settings? If so, it will be important to think about accessibility within these spaces as well. The Ohio State University’s Composing Access website offers helpful guidelines for creating accessible events.
Addy, T., Dube, D., Mitchell, K. A., SoRelle, M. E., Longmire-Avital, B., & Felten, P. (2021). What inclusive instructors do: Principles and practices for excellence in college teaching. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Available online: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cod/detail.action?docID=6627444
Wisdom from instructors across ranks, disciplines and institution types is provided and organized into a thematic framework that introduces the reader to the key dispositions, principles and practices for creating the inclusive classroom environments (in person and online) that will help their students succeed.
Hogan, K. & Sathy, V. (2022). Inclusive teaching: Strategies for promoting equity in the college classroom. West Virginia University Press.
Available online: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cod/detail.action?docID=29288711
Award-winning teachers offer practical tips for addressing inequities in the college classroom and for making all students feel welcome and included. Authors Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy begin with a framework describing why explicit attention to structure enhances inclusiveness in both course design and student interactions and continue with practical ways to include more voices in a series of classroom contexts.
This guide is adapted from "Creating Accessible Learning Environments. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching" from Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching and has been made available under a CC BY-NC license.