Impact

This resource has been created to support instructors in understanding the potential impacts of disabilities, and how they can help to foster an accessible learning environment for students experiencing a disability.

This resource is intended to increase awareness and understanding and is not meant to be used as a diagnostic tool. If instructors have questions regarding particular students in their classes, please contact the Disability/Accessibility Coordinator on your campus for guidance and support.

This section is organized according to the functional impacts of disabilities, rather than individual disabilities. There are two main reasons for this:

• A focus on disabilities can encourage a purely medical view of disability, with an emphasis on individual differences, rather than environmental barriers. By focusing on the functional impacts of disabilities, this site aims to provide practical suggestions for removing barriers to learning. Student populations are increasingly diverse and many of our students will struggle with stress, fatigue, or illness at some point in their college careers. How can we design learning to be more accessible for students with disabilities and for all students?
• Instructors may not have information about the specific disabilities of students in their classes, as students are not obliged to share this information. Disability Services Offices (DSOs) request documentation of disabilities, but this information is confidential under the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and is not shared without the permission of the student. Moreover, many students choose not to disclose their disability, even to the DSO. This site aims to show that instructors can make their classes accessible, without needing to know the specific disabilities of their students.