Course Accessibility – A Guide for Instructors by UVM's Disabled Student Union

Friday, 3/21/2025

One winter day at the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), we viewed an Instagram post from the UVM Disabled Student Union (DSU) about making courses accessible. We loved what we saw and thought, “We need to reach out!” After a great chat with some awesome DSU members we were so excited by their fresh perspectives and practical tips they shared for us as instructors. 

It was clear that their advice was too good not to share with the whole UVM community. We asked if they'd be up for contributing their thoughts to this Teaching Minute, and they agreed. We’re excited about our very first collaboration between CTL and DSU, and we're so pleased to share their fantastic tips with all of you.

DSU: Accessibility is an umbrella term that considers the needs of a variety of people - both with and without disabilities. Accessible can mean different things, depending on someone’s needs, and you can’t always tell by looking out at your class what kinds of needs are present. Some students may transmit an access letter, but not every student with accommodations chooses to communicate with them, and not every student with a disability may be registered for accommodation. Invisible disabilities are extremely common, and many of the struggles go completely unnoticed to the naked eye. For example, a student with chronic pain may not talk about it or be visibly in pain - but that doesn’t mean that attending class on high pain days isn’t significantly more difficult for them than their peers, and it also doesn’t mean that they don’t need you, as their instructor, to consider their needs. Simply uploading lecture slides to Brightspace may minimize that student’s disability-related barriers to succeeding in your class - the same student who you probably didn’t even know you would be helping!

There are many barriers in place for students with disabilities: just getting formal accommodations to begin with isn’t easy. Instructors play a huge role in providing a larger culture of accessibility through their course structure and teaching habits (ex: grading, attendance policies, etc). It makes a huge difference!

General approaches that will help build more accessible classes for everyone:

1. Consider the physical environment
   1. Allow students to remain in their current seating arrangement instead of requiring them to move to form groups or discreetly inquire about any mobility concerns at the start of class.
   2. Arrange the classroom to accommodate for larger mobility aid users. Think about extra space between aisles, reminding students to move their backpacks out of the way, or ensuring a wheelchair accessible desk is provided as needed.
   3. Check that desks aren’t blocking the doorways.
   4. Offer breaks during long classes.
       
2. Consider creating flexibility around attendance
   1. Not grading attendance.
   2. Not requiring a doctor’s note for missed classes, assignments, or other work.
   3. Reminding students not to come to class sick.
   4. Allowing for make-up work and extensions, when reasonable.
       
3. Consider how to make your course materials accessible
   1. Recording lectures and posting them online (with captions!)
   2. Posting lecture slides online before class.
   3. Posting upcoming homework assignments online for students who missed class (don’t penalize them twice!).
   4. Choosing course textbooks that have an e-text option.
   5. Noting the most important sections in readings.
   6. Providing tagged pdfs and image descriptions.
       
4. Consider broad ways to encourage and assess participation
   1. Not calling on students on-the-spot.
   2. Not grading presentations based on eye contact or facial/body expressions.

CTL: These tips are just the start of creating more accessible and inclusive classrooms. The goal? Making sure every student feels supported and can succeed, and that every instructor knows how to build accessibility into the deep structures of their teaching. In future CTL workshops, we hope to explore these themes even further, sharing practical, teacher-led strategies you can use in your own classroom!

To help guide this effort, we’ve created a short feedback form called "Creating Accessible Classrooms: Your Questions and Experiences." We’d love to hear about strategies you’ve found helpful and any topics or questions you’d like us to explore in future workshops.

A huge thank you again to the students at DSU for their valuable voices and contributions! Follow them on Instagram (@uvm.dsu) and contact them at dsu@uvm.edu for more info about their activities.
 

If you have specific questions about accommodations for a student, feel free to contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) for support.