How can student services offices make campus events accessible to participants with disabilities?

Student services organizations often host presentations, career fairs/exhibits, and interviews between students and employers. These activities should be designed so that they are accessible to all students, including students with disabilities. Provide them in a wheelchair-accessible location with accessible restrooms nearby.

Although required to provide reasonable accommodations to participants with disabilities, event sponsors are not expected to guess what specific accommodations will be needed. An individual with a disability who plans to attend the event and who needs an accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, an audio amplification system, or materials in an alternate format, should request the accommodation in advance. Event announcements and publications should tell how to request disability-related accommodations.

Typically, a disability services office located on campus will help campus units provide accommodations to event participants. It is good to have established procedures in place so that requests for accommodations can be addressed promptly.

For more information on making campus events accessible to students with disabilities consult the Other Campus Services area of the Student Services Conference Room.