• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice

Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice

On a mission to redefine the future of higher education

  • About
  • Focus Areas
  • Resources
  • News
  • Contact

Centering Learners with Disabilities in Higher Education Systems

July 23, 2024

Disability Pride flag

Learners with disabilities deserve higher education systems that are accessible and inclusive. Our new research lays out the path forward for institutions and federal policymakers. 

34th Anniversary of the ADA

This week, it will be 34 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The ADA, along with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, opened doors for people with disabilities, allowing many to access public places and services, employment, and higher education for the first time. While these laws provided an initial foundation for access, they couldn’t guarantee truly accessible and inclusive systems.  

One in four people in the U.S. have a disability, but the reality is that learners with disabilities are often underserved by our institutions and policies. Our new research paper, Online by Design: How Accessibility is Fundamental to Learner-Centered Design, lays out the path forward for higher education institutions, and offers a learner-centered design framework to guide the development of postsecondary education systems that better meet the needs of learners with disabilities. The paper also provides policymakers with recommendations to drive more inclusive higher education opportunities at the federal level.  

Barriers to Access in Higher Education 

Our new research identifies the systemic barriers that learners with disabilities face in higher education. Colleges currently rely on students to self-identify as disabled to access accommodations, which can discourage some students from registering with their college’s accessibility office – especially those who worry about stigma around their disability or are not prepared to self-advocate.  

Once students enroll in college, they are more likely to complete a degree if they feel like they belong. Institutions can help learners with disabilities feel welcomed and valued by making inclusion a fundamental part of their educational experience: from ensuring that accessibility offices, tools, services, and events are easy to locate to creating spaces for learners with disabilities to connect with a community of peers – both in-person and online.  

As colleges work to improve their own systems, they need more data and research to better understand who higher education is serving and what approaches best support all of today’s learners.  

Graphic that reads: "Student Story: Jereme, an Army veteran living with PTSD tried 7 other schools before finding what he needed to belong and attain his degree at SNHU. Jereme's multiple transfers demonstrate his own commitment to finding a sense of belonging. He graduated in April 2023 with his service dog by his side."

Building Inclusive Higher Education Systems 

CHEPP’s paper offers a learner-centered design framework and outlines six key elements of accessible education to guide institutions: 

  • Make accessibility resources and access to disability offices highly visible and widely available.  
  • Use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles when designing and delivering programs.  
  • Ensure centralized systems and consistent technology across courses and departments.  
  • Operate with a continuous improvement mindset and create open channels for feedback from learners. 
  • Create university governance policies to support accessibility and inclusion. 
  • Regularly engage and train staff and faculty in accessibility standards and systems. 

Learners with disabilities deserve higher education systems that go beyond legal compliance and instead aim to create truly accessible and inclusive systems. By centering learners with disabilities in our systems, higher education can deliver on the promise of the ADA and improve outcomes for all of today’s learners.  

Read the CHEPP white paper for more insights on access and inclusion for learners with disabilities in higher education. 

Share

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email
Southern New Hampshire University Logo
Twitter LinkedIn

1 DuPont Circle NW, Washington, DC 20036

2025 © Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy