Why Accessibility Matters

Overview

This page will introduce you to the reasons behind why accessibility is vital to our students' and our institutions' success. You will discover the reasons why accessibility isn't simply about changing something for a person with a disability, but it's an approach to instruction that benefits everyone.

Core Concepts

The Numbers

According to the American Association of Community Colleges, students with disabilities make up 20% of the students enrolled in community college . The disabilities range from mobility/physical impairment to brain injury to blindness to mental illness. In Washington's community and technical colleges, the percentage of students that self-disclosed a disability is 5.8% (which likely means many more are not disclosing given the national average). The total number of students who sought accommodations for a disability in the 2017/18 academic year was 13,316 (equivalent to the entire student body of one of our larger CTCs).

However, these numbers only represent students that have 1) enrolled at one of our colleges, 2) disclosed that they have a disability, and 3) provided the necessary documentation to receive accommodations from their Disability Services Office. These numbers are an underestimate of the number of students with disabilities that we serve in the community and technical colleges.

Beyond the Numbers

Many students may be eligible for accommodations but do not seek them out due to a variety of reasons (stigma, lack of documentation, or they are unaware of the resources available to them). You may not be able to tell who those students are because the most prevalent forms of disability on college campuses are hidden/invisible disabilities (learning disabilities, anxiety, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, etc.)

There are also faculty and staff with disabilities, as well as parents and caretakers. Our colleges serve not only our students, but our community. They provide jobs, resources, events, and opportunities for continued growth and education. Disability touches every population and is very likely to touch each of us at some point in our lives. Currently, the CDC reports that 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. lives with a disability.

Accessibility does not just benefit people with disabilities. Think of it this way: Elevators allow people unable to use the stairs to reach the different floors in a multi-story building. But does that mean you must be impaired to use the elevator? If someone is carrying a lot of items, or they are running late to a meeting on the 25th floor, then the elevator benefits them as well.

Accessible content works the same way. For example, a captioned video is not only helpful to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, but it can help a person trying to watch the video in a noisy public space, or help someone for whom English is not their native language. Designing buildings, or digital content, in such a way as to maximize use for the most people possible, is known as Universal Design.

You're strongly encouraged to watch the To Care & Comply video posted in the section below. This video will allow you to see for yourself the daily challenges faced by students with disabilities and give you a sense of the challenges people with disabilities encounter in a college environment.

Video Supplements

To Care & Comply (11 mins)

A look at Portland Community College's web accessibility guidelines and how supporting students with disabilities is a shared responsibility across the college. This video includes stories from students whose education is impacted by inaccessible web content and ways faculty and staff can improve online course materials to make course content more accessible.

Video: To Care & Comply: Accessibility of Online Course Content

A Personal Look at Accessibility in Higher Education (6 mins)

This video highlights the experiences of students and faculty with disabilities in higher education.

Video: A Personal Look at Accessibility in Higher Education

Hidden Vs. Visible Disabilities (7 mins)

This video is a great introduction to hidden disabilities and features a number of students discussing the challenges they face when their disability is not readily apparent.

Hidden Vs. Visible Disabilities

Additional Resources

• Disability Issues Continue to Arise on Campus - a short article summarizing how accessibility has started to gain more attention and traction in higher education.
• How are Community Colleges Serving the Needs of Older Students with Disabilities? - a great article that speaks to the importance of ensuring community colleges are equipped to serve students with disabilities.