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How welcoming is your department to faculty members who have disabilities?
Hello, I'm Sheryl Burgstahler
the Director of the DO-IT Center and the AccessADVANCE Project.
Today I'll share some tips for making STEM departments
more inclusive of faculty with disabilities.
Application pools for faculty positions have become increasingly diverse.
Yet, some applicants and employees with disabilities
encounter challenges that occur during the employment application process
and after they're hired.
Barriers include those related to facilities, meetings, courses,
digital documents, services, and online resources.
Imagine a person who's blind discovering that they cannot access
digital job application forms with a screen reader.
Imagine a professor who cannot hear when microphones are not used
during a large meeting.
Imagine an instructor with health-related disabilities
who fears that requesting accommodation
may affect their chances for earning tenure.
Campus leaders should adjust institutional and departmental policies and procedures
to ensure that they reflect an inclusive culture.
Answering the following questions can help you get started.
Is the physical environment accessible, comfortable, and safe
for individuals with a range of abilities?
Are support staff prepared to work with faculty who have disabilities?
Do flexible policies allow individuals
to attend meetings and work remotely?
Is it clear to faculty how to request disability-related accommodations?
And is there guidance in choosing assistive technology?
Are accommodations provided and funded
through a central institutional unit?
Thus, avoiding the appearance
that individual faculty members with disabilities
are a financial burden to the department?
Are disability-related issues addressed in all campus
and departmental diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives?
Taking steps in response to questions like these
can also benefit faculty who do not disclose disabilities.
Find additional considerations in our publication
Equal Access: Making STEM Departments More Accessible to and Inclusive of
Faculty with Disabilities.
It's at uw.edu/doit/programs/advance.
Remember that disability is simply one aspect of diversity.
Increasing the participation of people with disabilities among STEM faculty
strengthens these fields with their unique perspectives and expertise.