RETHINKING DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
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Transitions are critical: Support needs to coalesce around key points from orientation through graduation and beyond. Students need tools and resources to succeed in higher education and beyond. From initial communications and orientation, through skills-building, to preparing students for the world of work, the expectations on our institutions are changing. How might we support students with disabilities as they are onboarded into PSE, thrive within PSE, and transition out into the professional world?
1.3
This is primarily a teaching and learning conversation: We need to shift focus to curriculum, assessment & inclusive design. Much research has been done in recent years to support the idea that integrating inclusive design can significantly improve student experience and meet the needs of many students from the start. Faculty sometimes struggle to keep up with the demands on their time due to the increase of students with accommodations, further challenging their ability to integrate inclusive practices into their pedagogical practices. There are many challenges in implementing inclusive design in meaningful and efficient ways. Faculty require significant resources in order to redesign their curricula and develop new teaching strategies, while maintaining academic standards and rigour (both real and perceived.) However, if inclusive design can be successfully integrated into our pedagogical approaches, the benefits can have extensive reach for all students, not just those with accessible learning requirements. How might we encourage and support our faculty to integrate inclusive design into their curricula?
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