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By John Dudley, University Communications and Marketing

October is , and about one in four people in the United States has some type of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As many as 80 percent of disabled individuals have invisible disabilities that can include ADHD, learning disabilities, psychological conditions or mental health concerns.

These statistics also apply across college campuses, where students are preparing to enter the workforce amid learning environments where accessibility has become a more routine aspect of the classroom.

鈥淪tudents arriving at college campuses now have grown up with the idea of inclusion,鈥� said Deborah McCarthy, director of USF鈥檚 Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS). 鈥淭hey鈥檙e used to the reality that someone in a wheelchair was in their kindergarten class, or that someone with autism was in their math class. They view accessibility as a communal responsibility and are eager to be proactive. This new viewpoint creates an exciting opportunity.鈥�

And yet, many students with disabilities still do not seek help for various reasons, including stigma. That represents a complex challenge for student accessibility leaders like McCarthy.

Below are some ways USF works to support student accessibility, reduce stigma, raise awareness of available resources and empower individuals with disabilities to share their experiences and concerns.

Student Accessibility Services

McCarthy鈥檚 office serves approximately 3,100 students across the three USF campuses 鈥� around five times the number it served in 2009 鈥� and provides them with services and support from enrollment through graduation.

SAS works with faculty to accommodate students through Universal Design for Learning, a framework meant to ensure that course materials and activities are accessible and inclusive for all students, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds or preferred learning styles.

This can include providing accessible textbooks, Braille, American Sign Language interpreters, extended time testing, note-taking technologies and transcription services.

When the COVID-19 pandemic sent colleges online in 2020, the shift to platforms like Microsoft Teams to connect faculty, staff and students brought unexpected benefits, such as improved captioning for students with hearing impairments.

McCarthy said the pandemic sped up efforts at USF and across the nation to increase the use of technology that supports accessibility and helped people think about what an in-person university means and what accommodations still need to be made.

SAS also serves as a resource for the broader campus community with a goal of promoting an environment where accessibility and Universal Design are central to the USF experience.

鈥淒isability advocate Alice Wong points out that accessibility is really about hospitality,鈥� McCarthy said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 invite someone into your home for dinner if you鈥檙e not sure they can get into your house. It鈥檚 not just ramps and curb cuts. It鈥檚 about what it means to be hospitable.鈥�

SAS encourages all students, faculty and staff to participate in AccessiBull, a series of disability awareness events to help educate the USF community and reduce stigma. The office also annually administers the Johnson Scholarship for Students with Disabilities to provide financial support.

Presidential Advisory Committee on Accessibility

Formed in 2021, the USF Presidential Advisory Committee on Accessibility is chaired by McCarthy and advises President Rhea Law on matters pertaining to ability, accessibility and disability for faculty, staff and students.

The advisory committee also evaluates and monitors the university environment for related problems and issues, and it鈥檚 a way for multiple areas of USF to come together to embrace accessibility.

Since its inception, the committee has partnered with USF鈥檚 Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning to enhance accessibility and training for online courses and faculty trainings.

The committee co-sponsored USF鈥檚 second annual production of 鈥淭his is My Brave,鈥� a student performance about mental health and disability, and is focusing on updates to USF鈥檚 Americans with Disabilities Act policies.

Employment support

SAS and partners like USF鈥檚 Center for Career & Professional Development offer a variety of resources to assist students with employment opportunities.

Information about the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Workforce Recruitment Program is available through the SAS website. The program, managed by the labor department鈥檚 Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Defense, connects employers with postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities. The is Oct. 12.

The offers articles and videos sharing tips and advice for students with disabilities who are entering the workforce, as well as resources such as career coaching and, on USF鈥檚 Tampa campus, 15-minute drop-in visits for students to answer basic career-related questions.

Recent campus career fairs offered a half-hour exclusive time slot with access limited to students needing accommodation so they could navigate the fair without crowds and with minimal sensory overload.

Student Government Accessibility Task Force

Last year, USF students Simone Till and Kevin Moore urged Student Government leaders to create a Campus Accessibility Task Force. Their intent was to enhance the disability culture at USF by raising awareness and empowering students.

Till and Moore spearheaded the creation of a survey last fall asking students to share their experiences and concerns and received 182 responses. The findings will help Student Government look for ways to guide more students toward resources available through SAS and advocate for increased support for disabled individuals.

Till arrived at USF three years ago with an acute understanding of the challenges facing students with disabilities. She experienced hearing loss during her childhood that eventually led to her use of hearing aids.

Because of her long hair, Till鈥檚 hearing aids aren鈥檛 readily visible. Her sister, however, has cerebral palsy, causing speech and mobility challenges that make her disability more apparent.

鈥淕rowing up helped me understand that when you approach disabilities, it鈥檚 really a huge umbrella,鈥� Till said. 鈥淵ou have to think about it from a very holistic standpoint.鈥�

Jillian Heilman, the task force鈥檚 faculty advisor at the time, credited Till, Moore and other Student Government leaders for responding to what they saw and heard from peers and pushing to make the task force a reality.

鈥淪tudents started to reach out to us,鈥� said Heilman, an adjunct professor in the USF Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences Program who researches disability impact, advocacy and awareness. 鈥淚t was a grassroots effort that solidified students鈥� need to be heard.鈥�

Till and Moore graduated in May, and one of the students taking over leadership of the task force is Chrissy Zimmer, a College of Public Health graduate student who has utilized accessibility services because of a spinal condition.

Zimmer calls Heilman 鈥渁 remarkable advocate,鈥� and says McCarthy鈥檚 team at SAS has made 鈥減henomenal improvements to its website,鈥� including the addition of webinars and other resources.

She said the task force is planning another survey this fall. There are also plans to create a peer-to-peer mentoring platform and promote a greater student body presence at events focused on access and raising awareness.

鈥淭he task force would love to get students more involved and make them aware of services available to them, and to help able-bodied students learn how they can become allies,鈥� Zimmer said. 鈥淭hese are small ways that we can ignite change.鈥�