AccessADVANCE: Making STEM Departments More Inclusive of Faculty with Disabilities

In order to be inclusive and welcoming to faculty with disabilities universities and departments need to take proactive steps. Systematically reviewing and improving campus communications, worksites, meetings, technology, events, and services to make them more accessible and inclusive to faculty members with disabilities. Such a review can contribute to an inclusive campus culture, reduce the need for individual accommodations, and create a level playing field that does not erect barriers to faculty success.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

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.

Subtitles created on the Amara.org platform.