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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.