When writing a course syllabus, faculty members can take explicit steps that take into account the abilities of the students that will be in their class, encourage students to discuss their disability with their instructor, and make the syllabus more accessible to students with disabilities. Faculty should:
There are a variety of strategies that companies can use to support employees with disabilities. Taking such actions may help to ensure that employees with disabilities have the same opportunities for advancement and professional development as all employees. Some of these strategies may be similar to strategies used to support other underrepresented groups, such as women and racial/ethnic minorities. To support employees with disabilities companies can:
Many programs, institutions and departments have strategies that they use to recruit individuals from underrepresented groups such as women and racial/ethnic minorities. Many of these strategies can be adapted for recruiting individuals with disabilities. For example:
Refer to a person's disability only if it is relevant to the conversation. Avoid negative descriptions of a person's disability. For example, "a person who uses a wheelchair" is more appropriate than "a person confined to a wheelchair," which is both inaccurate and negative in tone; people who use wheelchairs are not “confined” to them, they are empowered by them with the gift of mobility.
Many people with disabilities prefer language that mentions the person first and then the disability. They consider, for example "A man who is blind" preferable to "a blind man.”
Some students with learning and other types of disabilities may need additional time to complete assignments in lab courses. Described below are examples of how extra time could be provided to an individual student.
It is important for graduate students with disabilities to communicate with their graduate advisors about their disability-related needs and specific accommodations. Mentoring contracts and annual evaluations are two tools that can help facilitate these conversations.
It is important for students, including those with disabilities, to communicate with their advisors about their disability-related needs and accommodations. Several tools can help facilitate these conversations. They include mentoring contracts, annual evaluations, and individual development plans.
The Teach Access Tutorial provides best practices for making accessible mobile and web apps. Via hands-on exercises and reference guides, tutorial users can learn about aspects of writing accessible code like headings, image tags, keyboard navigation and ARIA standards as well as design principles for accessibility related to color contrast, text size, and conveying meaning through color.
Unintended bias or unconscious bias refers to stereotypes or beliefs that affect our actions in a discriminatory manner. Most bias related to students with disabilities groups is unintentional. Stress, distraction, and other factors can make someone more likely to be biased in a given situation.
Assuming students with disabilities are less able to be successful in their education or careers is a common bias. Examples of situations resulting from such bias include:
