Beyond Compliance: An Information Package on the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education

People with disabilities are present and visible at universities and postsecondary institutions as never before. This reflects changes in societal attitudes, law, public policy, and government programs, and, perhaps most important, the views disabled people have of themselves. The growing presence of this new "minority" on campus poses challenges to all postsecondary institutions. This information package contains essays, reprints, and resources designed to assist postsecondary institutions to move beyond basic compliance and to include disabled persons in all aspects of campus life. It is designed to offer perspectives, strategies, and resources that individuals can use to advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities at universities and postsecondary institutions. This package uses Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as a starting point for discussions of the inclusion of persons with disabilities, followed by discussion of the case for moving beyond compliance and various ways postsecondary institutions, faculty, and students can accomplish this. Specific accommodations for the disabled are presented, including a program that involves young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in campus life. Reprints of published articles that address different ways in which the visibility of disability on campus can be raised are included. The report concludes with annotations of selected published sources and additional resources. (Contains 4 notes.) [This publication was written with Jagdish Chander, Eugene Marcus, Michael Schwartz, Valerie Smith, Cheryl Spear, and Rachael Zubal-Ruggieri.]