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.

Students standing outside a campus building

A tailored onboarding programme can help set neurodivergent students up for success

The recent introduction of an early entry programme at the University of Newcastle created an unexpected but welcome opportunity to respond to a growing population of neurodivergent students commencing their studies

Scott Laing

The University of Newcastle, Australia

University student in wheelchair in study group

Disability, discrimination and redress: how to guide your students through the process of asking for reasonable adjustments

Students with disabilities are often dependent on the attitude and understanding of their lecturers and support staff. Here is advice on supporting requests for reasonable adjustments in the university environment

Kate Armond

Senior lecturer

On the neurodivergent campus, language matters

The neurodiversity movement has made great strides, but out-of-date, ableist language is still prevalent, even in academia. Carrie Ballantyne advises us to think about the words we use

Carrie Ballantyne

University of the West of Scotland

College teacher writing class agenda on blackboard

Changing instructor behaviour to improve learning for university students with ADHD

From making the class agenda clear and visible to building trust with learners, Sarah Sehlinger shares five simple tips that will improve the experience of your college course for students with ADHD

Sarah Sehlinger

Indiana University Southeast

A group of students smiling at eachother

Weaving gold from EDI straw: an intersectional approach

In this resource, the University of Manchester’s three academic leads for EDI explain how they work together and learn from each other

Dawn Edge, Rachel Cowen, Jackie Carter

The University of Manchester

Get real about hiring people with disabilities

For too long ‘lived experience’ has been an inadequate requirement for jobs that make decisions for people with disabilities, and recruitment practices need to change, write Paul Harpur and Brooke Szücs

Paul Harpur, Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

How to support individuals with hearing loss at your institution

Many people with hearing impairments do not think they need support. Here are some ways to provide it

Simon Hayhoe

The University of Exeter

A guide dog waits with its owner on a pavement

How to create an inclusive learning environment for visually impaired students

Educators can make all the difference to their visually impaired students’ university experience. Kate Armond explains how

Kate Armond

Senior lecturer

Make universities disability-inclusive, part two: co-creation, workloads and promotion processes

Institutions can become more accessible by co-creating or consulting on their university strategies and strategic changes. Other ways include managing student and staff workloads and making promotion processes more equitable

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

Two students outside campus smiling to camera

How can we create accessible and inclusive learning environments for neurodivergent students?

How can we actively engage neurodivergent students in the classroom? This resource offers practical guidance for fostering accessible and inclusive learning environments that honour diverse thinking and learning styles

Emilie Edwards

Middlesex University

A teacher in her 20s holding a laptop smiling at the camera while her students work at desks behind her

Make universities disability-inclusive, part one: feedback, access and language

Meredith Wilkinson offers advice on how to promote inclusivity for disabled students and staff at universities

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

Autism in academic settings: unleashing unique strengths with adjustments

Practical accommodations that support autistic individuals in higher education and embrace the strengths they bring to the workforce, fostering inclusion and productivity

Imogen Varle

De Montfort University

Female vision-impaired student using laptop

How do we write alternative text for images in education?

Descriptions of images in online documents help all readers – not just those with vision impairment – to fully understand the photograph, chart or graph and make the information accessible

Matthew Deeprose

University of Southampton

Woman with prosthetic arm helping colleague

How to promote disabled women in academia

Disabled women are significantly under-represented in senior roles within universities. Here’s how – and why – institutions can and should support them better for career progression

Meredith Wilkinson, Kelly Pickard-Smith

De Montfort University, The University of Manchester

A man with a prosthetic leg sitting in a forest with his laptop

Ten steps to equity: making fieldwork accessible

Fieldwork can be isolating for disabled students and academics when it is not designed with inclusivity in mind. Becky Alexis-Martin shares 10 strategies to ensure disabled students and academics are included by field-based disciplines

Becky Alexis-Martin

University of Bradford

How to make your university more neurodiverse friendly

With one in seven people in the UK being neurodiverse, a group of lecturers and students from Arden University lists ways in which universities can better cater to neurodiverse students

Finola Farrant, Emma Owen

Arden University

Teaching guides ADHD students in digital learning

With the right support, students with ADHD can thrive in digital learning environments

Don’t generalise about digital learning being problematic for students with ADHD. Rather, find the digital tools that develop their unique talents, argues Dustin Hosseini

Dustin Hosseini

University of Glasgow

Teen with fingers on lips indicating a quiet space for autistic students

Five steps to support autistic students on their higher education journey

As we strive to create inclusive environments, it’s essential to implement strategies that assist and cater to the unique challenges faced by autistic students, says Jane Dashwood

Jane Dashwood

The University of Warwick

For diverse communities to thrive, we need intersectional policies and practices

Inna Stepaniuk offers suggestions on how to design an inclusive and equitable campus

Inna Stepaniuk

Simon Fraser University

Apply the social model of disability to HE: viewing inclusion as a social good

William E. Donald and Marius Frank present 10 benefits to applying a disability framework that empowers individuals to create a more inclusive society

William E. Donald, Marius Frank

University of Southampton, Ronin Institute, Microlink

ADHD in the head of a university student

ADHD in higher education: is digital learning making it worse?

Hopping between multiple apps and platforms can easily overwhelm students with ADHD – we must be alert to the effects of too much digital multitasking, says Adrian J. Wallbank

Adrian J. Wallbank

Oxford Brookes University

What I’ve learned from a decade of working with a disability in academia

Meredith Wilkinson gives her younger self advice on climbing the academic ladder in an able-bodied world, but also calls for greater support for academics with disabilities

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

We need systemic change to tackle EDI in education

Tackling discrimination in business and society requires us to change the ways we deal with ‘difference’ in education, writes Sankalp Chaturvedi

Sankalp Chaturvedi

Imperial College London

We need an integrated approach to inclusion in higher education

Carol Evans makes the case for an Integrated Inclusion Framework, which would harmonise competing but overlapping EDI agendas to create aligned change that benefits everyone

Carol Evans

Cardiff University

Those of us with dyspraxia are frequently affected by academic ableism

The actions, inertia and discretion of individual academics can be a key driver of ableism – here’s what you and your institution can do to help, says John Macklin

John Macklin

University of East London

A group of young researchers talking, one of them is in a wheelchair.

Listening, learning and responding to disabled students

Lessons from a group of disabled postgraduate researchers on steps that every university and tutor can take to better support disabled students

Jackie Carter, Laura Howard

The University of Manchester

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From stating names before speaking to using an accessibility checker and sharing class materials in advance, Hannah Thompson 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

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