Opportunities! Newsletter: A Promising Practice in Postsecondary Campus Collaboration

The University of Washington is working hard to ensure that the campus community understands opportunities for students with disabilities.

The DO-IT Center and the Disability Resources for Students offices on the three University of Washington campuses collaborate with additional campus partners to produce a biannual newsletter sent to all students with disabilities. Partners include the Centers for Career Services, adaptive technology specialists, faculty, students with disabilities, and others. They collaborate to develop content, coordinate events, and distribute the newsletter to students with disabilities.

The newsletter, called Opportunities! is sent to students in accessible formats such as e-text, large print, and print. It announces opportunities for students to learn about technology, apply for internships and scholarships, access community and campus resources, engage in research, and attend local events such as job fairs. The newsletter is also made available to faculty members and departments in order to increase their awareness of opportunities for students with disabilities on campus.

The success of the Opportunities! publication on the University of Washington campuses generated interest from other colleges in the Pacific Northwest. This promising practice has been replicated and well received at five additional postsecondary institutions as part of AccessSTEM, an alliance funded by the National Science Foundation.

For more information about the Opportunities! newsletter or advice on how your campus can start a similar publication, contact DO-IT.