Disability in higher education
Stop treating disability support as an afterthought
Find out what prevents university staff from disclosing invisible disabilities – and steps their institutions can take to change that
Ways to make your learning materials accessible and inclusive
Advice on laying the groundwork for inclusive teaching and using tools that help students with specific needs thrive
Is collaboration the key to digital accessibility?
Digital accessibility is ethically important, and a legal requirement, but it’s also a lot of work. Here’s how universities can collaborate and pool their expertise to…
How living with blepharospasm helped me become a better teacher
Read about a strategy that helped an educator living with an eye condition build emotional resilience and create a more inclusive classroom environment
Inclusive co-teaching can draw on educators’ lived experience
Joint teaching between academic faculty and experts by experience offers not only professional development for future teachers, but benefits student understanding as …
Neurodiversity-affirming education is key to supporting students into the creative industries
More needs to be done to support neurodivergent people seeking careers in the creative industries. Here are some strategies
How we support accessible learning for students with disabilities
See how effective support, from the provision of counselling services, Autism Spectrum Disorder induction days and appropriate work experience opportunities,…
Address the lack of research in Para sport by embedding students in doctoral programmes
The Embedded Scientist Approach places doctoral students in Para sport-focused research programmes. Vicky Goosey-Tolfrey explores the lessons she learned from…
Ease autistic students’ transition to university with low-stimulus videos
University communications are often high impact and visually appealing. But this can be the opposite of what some of our students need
‘It just isn’t safe to disclose’
Neurodiverse academics face real and significant barriers to achieving positions of educational leadership. Here are considerations for universities to make …
Careers services must step up to support students with disabilities
From shaping a culture of support to working with industry, careers services have an important role in improving employability for students with disabilities
Creating inclusive spaces for inclusive events
Inclusivity efforts must go beyond physical accessibility to include how events are advertised and who is consulted and invited to speak, write Meredith Wilkinson and…
Make EDI in higher education a reality by building it into your course design
When designing a new course, equality, diversity and inclusion should be among the first things to consider. Gareth Morris and Joy Edmonson show how
Creating an impactful social group for neurodivergent students
Meet-ups can support neurodivergent students (mostly those with autism and ADHD) to navigate the social complexities of student life and the workplace. Here,…
How to create an inclusive campus for neurodivergent students
Training, consultation and embracing UDL are a few actions that university leaders, faculty and staff can use to support different ways of thinking and learning on…
The power of pacing
Pacing is an energy-management technique that can help people with visible and non-visible disabilities to do more in their everyday lives, including in busy…
A tailored onboarding programme can help set neurodivergent students up for success
The recent introduction of an early entry programme at the University of Newcastle created an unexpected but welcome opportunity to respond to a growing…
Disability, discrimination and redress: how to guide your students through the process of asking for…
Students with disabilities are often dependent on the attitude and understanding of their lecturers and support staff. Here is advice on supporting requests for…
On the neurodivergent campus, language matters
The neurodiversity movement has made great strides, but out-of-date, ableist language is still prevalent, even in academia. Carrie Ballantyne advises us to think about the…
Changing instructor behaviour to improve learning for university students with ADHD
From making the class agenda clear and visible to building trust with learners, Sarah Sehlinger shares five simple tips that will improve the experience of your college…
Weaving gold from EDI straw: an intersectional approach
In this resource, the University of Manchester’s three academic leads for EDI explain how they work together and learn from each other
Get real about hiring people with disabilities
For too long ‘lived experience’ has been an inadequate requirement for jobs that make decisions for people with disabilities, and recruitment practices need to change,…
How to support individuals with hearing loss at your institution
Many people with hearing impairments do not think they need support. Here are some ways to provide it
How to create an inclusive learning environment for visually impaired students
Educators can make all the difference to their visually impaired students’ university experience. Kate Armond explains how
Make universities disability-inclusive, part two: co-creation, workloads and promotion processes
Institutions can become more accessible by co-creating or consulting on their university strategies and strategic changes. Other ways include managing student and staff…
How can we create accessible and inclusive learning environments for neurodivergent students?
How can we actively engage neurodivergent students in the classroom? This resource offers practical guidance for fostering accessible and inclusive learning…
Make universities disability-inclusive, part one: feedback, access and language
Meredith Wilkinson offers advice on how to promote inclusivity for disabled students and staff at universities
Autism in academic settings: unleashing unique strengths with adjustments
Practical accommodations that support autistic individuals in higher education and embrace the strengths they bring to the workforce, fostering inclusion and…
How do we write alternative text for images in education?
Descriptions of images in online documents help all readers – not just those with vision impairment – to fully understand the photograph, chart or graph and make the…
How to promote disabled women in academia
Disabled women are significantly under-represented in senior roles within universities. Here’s how – and why – institutions can and should support them…
Ten steps to equity: making fieldwork accessible
Fieldwork can be isolating for disabled students and academics when it is not designed with inclusivity in mind. Becky Alexis-Martin shares 10 strategies to …
How to make your university more neurodiverse friendly
With one in seven people in the UK being neurodiverse, a group of lecturers and students from Arden University lists ways in which universities can better cater …
With the right support, students with ADHD can thrive in digital learning environments
Don’t generalise about digital learning being problematic for students with ADHD. Rather, find the digital tools that develop their unique talents, argues Dustin Hosseini
Five steps to support autistic students on their higher education journey
As we strive to create inclusive environments, it’s essential to implement strategies that assist and cater to the unique challenges faced by autistic students, says Jane Dashwood
For diverse communities to thrive, we need intersectional policies and practices
Inna Stepaniuk offers suggestions on how to design an inclusive and equitable campus
Apply the social model of disability to HE: viewing inclusion as a social good
William E. Donald and Marius Frank present 10 benefits to applying a disability framework that empowers individuals to create a more inclusive society
What I’ve learned from a decade of working with a disability in academia
Meredith Wilkinson gives her younger self advice on climbing the academic ladder in an able-bodied world, but also calls for greater support for academics with disabilities
ADHD in higher education: is digital learning making it worse?
Hopping between multiple apps and platforms can easily overwhelm students with ADHD – we must be alert to the effects of too much digital multitasking, says Adrian J.…
We need systemic change to tackle EDI in education
Tackling discrimination in business and society requires us to change the ways we deal with ‘difference’ in education, writes Sankalp Chaturvedi
We need an integrated approach to inclusion in higher education
Carol Evans makes the case for an Integrated Inclusion Framework, which would harmonise competing but overlapping EDI agendas to create aligned change that…
Listening, learning and responding to disabled students
Lessons from a group of disabled postgraduate researchers on steps that every university and tutor can take to better support disabled students
Those of us with dyspraxia are frequently affected by academic ableism
The actions, inertia and discretion of individual academics can be a key driver of ableism – here’s what you and your institution can do to help, says John Macklin
Ten steps to recruitment equity for disabled academics
Disabled academics are under-represented across university departments. Becky Alexis-Martin and Jennifer Leigh share 10 strategies to enhance disability inclusion…
10 ways universities can reject ableism
William E. Donald and Larisa Yarovaya outline 10 clear ways universities can tackle ableism to create a sense of belonging for disabled students and staff
Campus design for access and inclusion
Advice for institutions to develop more accessible and inclusive campuses for students and staff with disabilities, by Jon Roylance
I’m a disabled student – this is what I worry about when applying to your university
Phoebe Allen, an A-level student with cerebral palsy and full-time wheelchair user, outlines how universities can better accommodate disabled students
Supervising neurodiverse postgraduate researchers
Advice for supervisors to tailor their support and guidance for neurodiverse postgraduate researchers, based on conversations with two autistic PGRs
Supporting students with disabilities’ success through extracurricular activities
Non-curricular activities develop students’ skills and sense of belonging, but students with disabilities often face financial, cultural and physical barriers to…
Compassionate teaching for students with ADHD
Small but considered adaptations to teaching can support students with ADHD to succeed at university. Fiona S. Baker lists modifications that can make all the difference
What universities can do to support their autistic employees
Institutions can take simple steps to ensure autistic staff are properly supported to succeed, as Jennifer Rudd explains
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