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As increasing numbers of people with disabilities participate in academic opportunities and careers, the accessibility of classes, services, electronic resources, events, and specific project activities increases in importance. The goal is simply equal access; everyone who qualifies to use project resources or participate in sponsored activities should be able to do so comfortably and efficiently.

Legal Issues

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008 mandate that no otherwise qualified person with a disability shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in public programs. This means that courses, student services, information resources, and project activities should be accessible to qualified individuals with disabilities.

Universal Design

An approach to making facilities, information, and activities accessible to and usable by everyone is called universal design (UD). Universal design means that rather than designing for the average user, you design for people with differing native languages, genders, racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, and disabilities. Make sure that project staff and volunteers are trained to support people with disabilities, respond to specific requests for accommodations in a timely manner, and know who to contact regarding disability-related issues. The universal design of your project offerings will make everyone feel welcome and minimize the need for special accommodations for individual participants.

Guidelines and Examples

Addressing the following questions provides a good starting point for making your facility, information resources, and project activities universally accessible. This content does not provide legal advice. Contact the U.S. Office of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) about legal mandates.

Planning, Policies, and Evaluation

Consider diversity issues as you plan and evaluate project activities.

• Are people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, men and women, young and old, first generation, low income students, and other groups represented in the project planning processes in numbers proportional to those of the whole campus or community?
• Do project policies and procedures ensure access to facilities, events, and information resources for people with disabilities?
• Are disability-related access issues and other diversity issues addressed in data collection, evaluation plans and instruments?
• Do you address issues related to the inclusion of participants with disabilities in grant proposals, perhaps by partnering with an organization with expertise in this area?

Information Resources and Technology

If your project uses computers as information resources, ensure these systems employ accessible design, that staff members are aware of accessibility options, and systems are in place to make accommodations when requested.

• Do pictures in your publications and website include people with diverse characteristics with respect to race, gender, age, and disability?
• In key publications, do you include a statement about your commitment to access and procedures for requesting disability-related accommodations? For example, you could include the following statement: “A project goal is to make materials and activities accessible to all participants. Please inform organization leaders of accessibility barriers you encounter and request accommodations that will make project activities and information resources accessible to you.”
• Are all printed publications available (immediately or in a timely manner) in alternate formats such as Braille, large print, and accessibly-designed electronic text?
• Are key documents provided in languages other than English?
• Are printed materials in your facility or at an event within easy reach from a variety of heights and without furniture blocking access?
• Do electronic resources, including web pages, adhere to accessibility standards adopted by your institution, project or funding source? (WAI) created the guidelines most commonly used. For example, are text alternatives provided for graphic images on web pages? Can the content be accessed by using the keyboard alone? For general information about making your website accessible to everyone, consult the video and presentation .
• Do you include a statement on your website affirming your commitment to accessible design? For example, you could include the following statement: “We strive to make our website accessible to everyone. We provide text descriptions of graphic images and photos. Video clips are open-captioned and audio-described. Suggestions for increasing the accessibility of these pages are welcome.”
• Do videos developed or used in the project ?��
• Is an adjustable-height table available for each type of workstation to assist participants who use wheelchairs or are small or large in stature?
• Do you provide adequate work space for both left- and right-handed users?
• Is software to enlarge screen images and a large monitor available to assist people with low vision and learning disabilities?
• Do you provide a trackball to be used by someone who has difficulty controlling a traditi