Boilerplate accessibility statements offload the burden of accommodation onto students, asking that they meet with other departments to legitimize their disability. This experience can be not only inaccessible due to overwhelmed disability resource offices, but humiliating for students who are coming to grips with a recent diagnosis.
I foreground accessibility in my courses, designing lessons, materials, and activities with accessibility as the foundation rather than the afterthought. This extends to my syllabus: my accessibility policy uses communication, empathy, and care (not legitimization) as a foundation, and is located at the top of the syllabus near course outcomes and materials.
My current accessibility policy is below; I’m always tinkering with this policy, trying to find the right words to express how complex disability in the academy is. Please feel free to adapt and use.
Research shows that the majority of students with disabilities don’t seek out or use accommodations. This is partly due to “access fatigue,” or the fatigue felt by disabled persons who must constantly ask for access in their lives. And it’s partly due to stigma. I foreground accessibility and inclusion in my courses. Hopefully the placement of this policy—not hidden in the policies at the end of this document—makes my priorities clear.
It’s my job to ensure you have what you need to do well in this course and to facilitate your learning path. I want to work with you as individuals and as a class community to make sure we navigate this course in the most equitable way we can imagine. While I do my best to make the course accessible, there may be areas I miss. If you need something to help you better access our class, don’t hesitate to reach out. As a disabled and chronically ill person, my goal here is to encourage open communication.
I don’t require medical validation or accommodation letters. I’m aware of the complex (and often invalidating) process of applying for and receiving accommodations. I’m also aware that needs fluctuate and change over time. If you need accommodations for this course, I require a one-on-one meeting in the first two weeks to create a plan (either over Zoom or in person). It is your responsibility to reach out to me to schedule this meeting. If your needs change over the course of the semester (as the line between ‘abled’ and ‘disabled’ is thin), it’s your responsibility to reach out and schedule a meeting.
Above all, again, if you reach out to me, we can work together to make a plan. I am happy to do what is necessary to help you succeed.
[at the end of the statement, I include contact information and links to campus resources for accommodations]