Reasonable Accommodations in the Classroom: Supporting the Rights of Students with Disabilities While Maintaining the Highest Academic Standard

There is often a misconception that providing classroom accommodations to students with disabilities will take away from the academic rigor of a course or program and/or that providing an accommodation will place an unfair burden on a faculty member or on the institution.  In fact, the opposite is true.  It is when students with disabilities are met with barriers within the educational system that the quality and rigor of their academic experience suffer and – even more so – their civil rights are threatened.

This webinar will focus on understanding what is and is not reasonable in terms of classroom accommodations, how to collaborate with institution stakeholders to facilitate reasonable accommodations, the rights of students with disabilities, the rights of faculty and higher education leaders, available resources, making appropriate referrals to other campus partners, and how to create a rigorous and challenging academic environment that is inclusive of all learners without overburdening faculty/institutions.  In-person and online course case study examples will be used, and key takeaways provided so that attendees can immediately apply what they have learned.

Ann currently serves as the Vice President of Educational Leadership for AbleDocs, the largest digital accessibility company in the world. An accessibility strategist with over 16 years of experience as an ADA and 504 Compliance Officer and Director of Disability Resources offices, Ann is a sought-after speaker, educator, and consultant.

As a member of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), Ann currently represents the Association as a member of the Council of Representatives for the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) where she has co-authored and updated policy and standards for the entire field of higher education and currently sits on their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

A published researcher, Ann regularly presents and consults globally on topics such as the depth and breadth of digital accessibility, disability rights, assessment and the use of data as an advocacy tool, disability policy and policy reform, strategic planning for organization-wide access, creating and using policy and accessibility standards, program review, ableism, and the social justice model of disability.

Ann is an active faculty member in the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Master of Public Administration Programs at Delaware State University. She received a Masters of Arts in Counseling in Higher Education with an emphasis in Mental Health from the University of Delaware and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Delaware State University. Her dissertation focuses on the lived experiences of ableism and able-body privilege by students with disabilities in higher education and the impact that experience has on their receipt of an accessible and equitable education.