Accessibility Educational Resources

Welcome

If you are a student, staff, or faculty member trying to make your space more inclusive for the UMass community then you've come to the right place! We're ecstatic that you are here to learn how to be a better and more inclusive community member.

Below you can find a number of resources where you can learn about what accessibility truly means, specific accessibility measures you can keep in mind for disabled community members, and a host of other information for you own development. Please remember, that these are generally broad themes and ideas about creating safe spaces for certain types of people. Every person you interact with has their own individual needs, desires, perspectives, and opinions. The following can help guide you, but be sure to always listen to the people you interact with everyday. This way, we can create a better world for everyone.

Helpful Readings:

• Accessible Event Planning

  • Cornell Checklist

• Designing with Color in Mind

  • This link has good charts

  • Guide with more information

• Zoom Accessibility

  • University of Michigan Zoom Checklist

• Plain Language

  • Why you should use plain language

• Creating Neurodivergent Inclusive Meeting Spaces

  • Easy Read Edition

  • Plain Language Edition

Visual Self-Descriptions: Cases for and Against

• Against

• For

• Resource for visual self-description if you choose to do so

Readings on Cultural Centers and Inclusivity on Campus

• The Importance of Disability Cultural Centers in Higher Education

• Video on Disability Cultural Centers from around the Country

• Mapping Access from the Critical Design Lab at Vanderbilt University

Links to other Cultural Centers/Disability Groups

• University of Minnesota Disabled Student Cultural Center

• Syracuse University Disability Cultural Center

• Duke Disability Alliance

https://csd.uconn.edu/accessibility-checklist-for-events/

https://csd.uconn.edu/disability-information/