Aspects of academic life and work that some may consider "normal," such as extensive meetings, brightly lit spaces, constant reading, and demands for continuous productivity, can be additionally debilitating for people with non-apparent disabilities like traumatic brain injury (TBI). These concerns affect the 28.3 percent of the academic…

As schools strive to function as communities, the inclusion of all stakeholders is paramount to establishing and maintaining an important sense of interdependency, equity, and access. In the effort to disseminate information as quickly as possible, however, U.S. high schools often neglect to ensure that their websites are accessible to those with…

Service animals can play an integral role in the lives and education of students with disabilities. In addition to assisting with physical tasks, service animals can improve confidence, independence and quality of life for students, as well as help them to meet their educational goals. Teachers, coaches and administrators should have the knowledge…

Persistent ableism in higher education, counseling practice, and society necessitates disability justice advocacy. In this article, the author explores the historical context of disability and the importance of disability knowledge for counselors and counselor educators. In addition to discrimination and inaccessibility, able privilege and lack of…

Purpose: As many of the next generation leaders are currently on college campuses, endorsing green buildings can foster environmental stewardship among the student body. However, marshalling in the social sphere of sustainability is also critical to cultivate more supportive and inclusive communities. With this in mind, a chief component of the…

This report contains the proceedings of a forum held on June 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to discuss issues surrounding meaningful accessibility of assessments. The forum was a post-session to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) and was a collaboration of the "Assessment,…

Despite laws in the United States (e.g., Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its 2008 Amendments), students with various disabilities continue to experience access barriers to instructional content and inclusion in course activities. Online learning environments can present especially…

In November of 2019, the National Association of the Deaf and Harvard University entered into a landmark settlement ending four years of legal battles regarding captioning in online content. In that settlement, Harvard agreed to caption new video files consistent with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA and to provide text-only…

Interest in accessibility has grown recently. Despite this, we have found that most people focus too much on compliance and often on the fundamental elements of creating compliant online courses. Instructional designers and online educators often turn to popular quality assurance frameworks to help them design and develop quality online courses.…

As postsecondary online programs increase, the accessibility of online course content becomes a serious issue in higher education. There is currently little information about how postsecondary institutions address online course accessibility. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined the degree to which university online course checklists…

This study employs legal research methods to explore how federal protections for individuals with disabilities apply in the context of postsecondary extended reality (XR) learning, such as for classes taught in virtual reality. Other examples include the use of 360 degree, interactive videos in online courses and activities that leverage digital,…

Qualified teachers with disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To maintain legal compliance, principals must have an understanding of employment law, but often lack the training to prevent legal liability. This study reviewed litigation on discrimination claims under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation…

Physical accessibility at colleges and universities is a perennial and challenging issue. Some campuses have made efforts to address these challenges through a variety of advocacy initiatives, while others have used disability simulations to bring greater awareness of physical accessibility to campus communities. An alternative approach to…

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act improved access to postsecondary education for disabled students, yet they are still marginalized and leave university at rates 17% higher than nondisabled students (Lombardi & Lalor, 2017). The specific problem is that disabled students face compounding barriers to success, including oppressive…

College students with disabilities face institutional challenges related to pursuing their education. In addition to the developmental changes that occur during young adulthood, these students also must overcome obstacles involving inaccessible environments, programs, services, and instructional approaches. Colleges and other service providers are…