Supporting Students with Disabilities

UCSC as a campus is dedicated to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive academically. The Division of Student Success and the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning have compiled a comprehensive, practical guide to better support classroom instructors in serving our students with disabilities, titled Practices for Fostering Access, Equity, and Inclusion for Students with Disabilities. This handbook provides information about the legal basis and history of disability rights to contextualize “why” we do this work and to understand the evolving landscape of equal opportunity. It also outlines the shared responsibilities of students, instructors, and the institution in the accommodations process (i.e., the “how”). Functional explanations provide a guided review of the specific expectations of the instructor role. The handbook also discusses inclusive pedagogy with a focus on universal design and includes practical strategies for promoting inclusive learning practices in the classroom. The final section of the handbook outlines our understanding and approach to various disabilities, specific accommodations, where to go for additional information, and resources so you can “go deeper” into topical areas to increase your understanding of what it means to serve particular populations of  students with disabilities.