October Disability Awareness Month Fosters Inclusion in Higher Education

In 2019-20, approximately 21 percent of undergraduate students and 11 percent of post baccalaureate students reported having a disability (National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Facts, 2023). Disability Awareness Month offers an opportunity to increase awareness about the variety of disabilities students may experience and help break down misconceptions. 

Inclusive Experiences for All

Disability awareness includes addressing physical environments and improving accessibility in buildings, classrooms, and public spaces to ensure all individuals can navigate and participate fully. This might involve installing ramps, widening doorways, adding signage, or improving lighting. The Office of Accessibility & Disability raises awareness about the lived experiences of people with disabilities and highlights services for faculty, staff, and students at UMBC. 

Instructors play an important role in recognizing the diverse needs of students with disabilities while striving to promote equity and access for all. This includes creating inclusive learning experiences for students with disabilities and might involve providing assistive technologies, flexible teaching methods, or individualized support plans. 

Creating more accessible courses also requires consideration of diverse learning styles and approaches that result in engaging learning for all students. Strategies grounded in Universal Design for Learning principles can leverage technology in ways that help all students succeed. Key practices that support accessible course design include the following. 

Universal Design for Learning 

One of the most impactful ways instructors can support students is by using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, a framework that aims to provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression for learners. UDL benefits all students, not just those with disabilities, because it offers flexible ways learners can access content and demonstrate knowledge. 

UDL is a key practice that supports accessible course design. Instructors can get started in any of the following ways:

• Review UDL guidelines that support offering multiple means of representation to learners by employing various formats such as text, audio, and visual materials to accommodate diverse learning preferences. 
• Foster engagement by incorporating interactive elements, discussions, or hands-on activities that cater to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. 
• Ask key questions about learner engagement, representation, action and expression when designing a module or unit in your course. 
• Implement UDL incrementally and intentionally. Refer to scholarly works like Behling & Tobin (2018) for guidance. They encourage faculty to think of UDL as “plus-one thinking about the interactions in your course” (p. 134). Is there just one more way you can help students stay on task, give them information, or demonstrate skills?