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Disability in higher education

Guidance on actions and policies that ensure disabled students and staff can participate fully in university life and flourish in their studies and work. These resources look at how to remove barriers to access in teaching, research activities and academic posts. The advice covers specifics such as ensuring accessibility of course materials, adapting assessment practices, factoring accessibility into field work, understanding the needs of neurodiverse students and staff and developing support services that enhance disabled students' experiences of higher education.

A young man in a wheelchair heading towards a university building

Ten steps to recruitment equity for disabled academics

Disabled academics are under-represented across university departments. Becky Alexis-Martin and Jennifer Leigh share 10 strategies to enhance disability inclusion throughout the academic recruitment process

Becky Alexis-Martin, Jennifer Leigh

University of Kent

10 ways your university can reject ableism

10 ways universities can reject ableism

William E. Donald and Larisa Yarovaya outline 10 clear ways universities can tackle ableism to create a sense of belonging for disabled students and staff

William E. Donald, Larisa Yarovaya

Ronin Institute, University of Southampton

Students sitting outside on campus chatting

Campus design for access and inclusion

Advice for institutions to develop more accessible and inclusive campuses for students and staff with disabilities, by Jon Roylance

Jon Roylance

ADP Architecture

How to help disabled students applying to your university

I’m a disabled student – this is what I worry about when applying to your university

Phoebe Allen, an A-level student with cerebral palsy and full-time wheelchair user, outlines how universities can better accommodate disabled students

Phoebe Allen

Student

Two women sitting talk to one another

Supervising neurodiverse postgraduate researchers

Advice for supervisors to tailor their support and guidance for neurodiverse postgraduate researchers, based on conversations with two autistic PGRs

Kelly Louise Preece

The University of Exeter

Deaf students signing in conversation

Supporting students with disabilities’ success through extracurricular activities

Non-curricular activities develop students’ skills and sense of belonging, but students with disabilities often face financial, cultural and physical barriers to participation. Here are ways universities can support equal access and inclusion

Brooke Szücs, Paul Harpur

The University of Queensland

Female student looking distracted from her work

Compassionate teaching for students with ADHD

Small but considered adaptations to teaching can support students with ADHD to succeed at university. Fiona S. Baker lists modifications that can make all the difference

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

Image showing different individuals with different ways of perceiving the world

What universities can do to support their autistic employees

Institutions can take simple steps to ensure autistic staff are properly supported to succeed, as Jennifer Rudd explains

Jennifer Rudd

Swansea University

A group of diverse and happy looking students

A checklist for making disability inclusion a reality in higher education

Actions that universities must take to promote equal access and opportunity for disabled students in higher education, based on a research-backed framework developed by Carol Evans and Xiaotong Zhu

Carol Evans, Xiaotong Zhu

Cardiff University, University of Southampton, University of Lincoln

Academic conferences need a hybrid future if inclusion is truly on organisers' agendas

Rejecting hybrid conferences as the new norm reeks of ableism

Failure to offer a virtual component for conferences makes organisers complicit in a system that excludes particular academics, says William E. Donald

William E. Donald

Ronin Institute

Illustration of student career development and Lego

How block teaching supports students from under-represented groups

Shorter, more immersive units are helping raise attainment and success for students with complex and diverse needs

Thomas Roche, Liz Goode, Erica Wilson

Southern Cross University

Image depicting barriers to digital access

How to improve digital accessibility at your institution

Actions institutions can take to improve the digital accessibility of their websites and online materials and comply with relevant legislation, by Baba Sheba

Baba Sheba

St George’s, University of London

hand stopping falling dominoes

5 ways to become an innovator in higher education

Breaking down norms can seem as disruptive as it is necessary to success – but strategies such as active listening and embodying change can help smooth the path

Nicole Brown

UCL

Advice on mentoring and teaching women with disabilities in higher education

Mentoring and teaching women with disabilities in universities

Inclusive teaching and mentoring practices that support women with disabilities to succeed in higher education, while improving access for all students, shared by Molly M. King

Molly M. King

Santa Clara University

Empty lectern illustrating opinion article about lack of university leadership with visible or stated disability

Where are the leaders with a disability in higher education?

While support is available for people with a disability in universities, this is not translating to senior leadership positions – to the detriment of individuals and the sector as a whole, say Paul Harpur and Brooke Szücs

Paul Harpur, Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

With the right kind of support, university students with mental disabilities can thrive both on campus and in the workplace

We can help students with intellectual disabilities shatter glass ceilings

With the right approach and a strong institutional commitment, students with intellectual disabilities can thrive at university and in the workplace

Meg Grigal, Ann Werbach

University of Massachusetts Boston, InsideTrack

New rules for lecture subtitles and transcripts are creating huge amounts of extra work for time-poor academics

New rules on lecture transcripts give academics an impossible choice

Higher education leaders must engage on new transcription requirements post-pandemic to ensure academics don’t have to choose between inclusion or increased workload

Emily Nordmann, Wilhelmiina Toivo , Rachel O’Neill

University of Glasgow, The University of Edinburgh

Advice on providing evidence-based support for adults with ADHD in higher education

Adult ADHD and higher education: improving the student experience

Alex Conner and James Brown explain why adult ADHD is linked to underachievement in higher education and what institutions can do to support better outcomes for those with the condition

Alex Conner, James Brown

University of Birmingham, Aston University

Insight on what changes within HE sparked by the pandemic should be kept in order to better serve disabled students

New norms in higher education that can help disabled students long-term

Certain changes sparked by the reorganisation of higher education during the pandemic have benefitted disabled students and should be kept and developed in the long term. Sean Cullen outlines four key areas of positive change

Sean Cullen

Brunel University London

hand reading braille

Teaching visually impaired students – and making class materials more accessible for everyone at the same time

Hannah Thompson, a partially blind academic, offers six tips for ensuring an inclusive learning environment

Hannah Thompson

Royal Holloway, University of London

A group of students. We need to move away from designing HE for the idealised 'traditional' student

Returning to ‘normal’ is really a return to ignorance

Covid revealed that students need flexible and inclusive learning opportunities − something that should have been obvious well before the pandemic, says Torrey Trust

Torrey Trust

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Online course design and delivery tips that ensure accessibility for disabled students

Making online learning accessible for students with disabilities

Online learning offers opportunities to widen accessibility for disabled students through careful course design and delivery. Clare Mullaney shares three tips to ensure your digital teaching is accessible to all learners

Clare Mullaney

Clemson University

How to ensure your online assessment is accessible and relevant for all students

Assessing your assessment: creating inclusive and meaningful assignments

Online teaching has forced a major rethink of exams, so how can academics ensure they make the new-style assessments accessible and relevant to all students? Kimberly Wilder-Davis explains

Kimberly Wilder-Davis

University of Glasgow

Designing online courses with accessibility and inclusivity in mind

Online alone is not the answer – how to design remote courses with accessibility and inclusivity in mind

Digital accessibility is crucial in online teaching, says Amy Low. Here, she outlines what universities need to consider when designing inclusive online courses

Amy Low

AbilityNet

Designing online classes for students with ADHD

Making online classes work for students with ADHD

Online learning can be particularly challenging for students with learning difficulties such as ADHD. Kate Lister offers some simple steps every instructor can take to help students with ADHD stay engaged

Kate Lister

Leeds Trinity University