Culture of Accessibility Project Team Highlight
The Culture of Accessibility team is working to make the College a place everyone can thrive.
Michigan Engineering News
One in four adults in the U.S. experiences a disability, and according to the National Center for Education Statistics ,19% of undergraduate students and 12% of graduate students report having one. Disability cuts across every social identity and shows up (or doesn’t) in myriad ways, affecting vision, hearing, speech, mobility, cognition, mental health and more.
Michigan Engineering’s Culture of Accessibility team is driving efforts to remove barriers for individuals with disabilities and make the College a place where everyone can thrive. The team’s action plan includes support and resources to help faculty, staff and students better understand disability and play an active role in removing barriers for themselves and others, and the team has already seen progress.
“The work of accessibility is ongoing and it’s about embedding a mindset where accessibility is part of everything we do from the start.”
Daniel Maletta, Executive Director of Information Technology and the Culture of Accessibility team’s co-sponsor.
“The work of accessibility is ongoing and it’s about embedding a mindset where accessibility is part of everything we do from the start,” said Executive Director of Information Technology Daniel Maletta, the Culture of Accessibility team’s co-sponsor alongside Executive Director of Culture, Community and Equity (OCCE) Gabriel Javier. “A culture of accessibility is a commitment to continuously rethinking workflows and breaking down barriers.”
Head Start on Digital Accessibility
Among other accomplishments, the team has put the College on a timely course toward meeting the new digital accessibility federal regulations and University standards connected to U-M’s recently announced Digital Accessibility Strategic Initiative. The initiative provides tools and training to support units in complying with the April 2024 update to the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires public entities like the University to ensure mobile apps and web content—including digital documents—are accessible by April 24, 2026.
The Culture of Accessibility team was able to hit the ground running in this area because it grew out of the Digital Accessibility Working Group the College convened earlier in 2023 to support compliance with the University’s policy on Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (SPG 601.20). The working group mapped out the current state of digital accessibility in the College, conducted an initial gap/needs assessment and made the recommendations that now underpin the Culture of Accessibility action plan.
“The working group was a community effort and because of their work, we as a College have the momentum we need to meet the 2026 deadline,” Maletta said. “Additionally, these early efforts in digital accessibility really shaped one of the pillars for DEI 2.0 and eventually this team.”
Digital accessibility is essential in today’s technology-driven world, yet 98% of website homepages include easily correctable issues that create barriers for people with disabilities, according to the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice’s 2024 audit of the world’s top one million websites.
Ableism and Accessibility Workshop Series Pilot
Using OCCE’s new Professional Development Track, Understanding Disability and Accessibility, the team launched several pilot workshops: Exploring Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence, Exploring Body Diversity and Sizeism, and Understanding Ableism. These sessions introduced participants to key concepts that connected the basics of ableism, accessibility and disability justice with practical skills for improving accessibility for events, the classroom and the digital realm.
One participant described the Exploring Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence workshop as “the best and most helpful professional development opportunity I have ever attended at U-M or beyond.” Another attendee remarked, “This is an excellent framework for folks to understand neurodiversity and contextualize how it has historically and currently [been] regarded.”
Over 200 people attended the workshops, and additional sessions are planned for winter term.
10-Week Accessibility Challenge
Piloted in the College of Engineering in Summer 2023, the 10-Week Accessibility Challenge now offers the entire University community weekly email challenges that focus on different aspects of digital accessibility, helping people make websites, documents, presentations and courses more inclusive.
The Challenge runs three times a year in collaboration with the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and includes an optional “live” synchronous component. A shorter Course Accessibility Challenge was piloted in the fall and will run again during winter semester. The challenges provide a low-effort entry point to learn about accessibility and equip participants to recognize and address issues. Since its launch, more than 1,200 U-M faculty, staff and students have taken part in the 10-Week Challenge, and more than 60% of participants were associated with the College.
“I learned a lot about different tools that are available to help assess and improve accessibility,” said Lesa Begley, a lecturer in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. “This includes both University-built tools and products from outside companies. I was surprised at how easy some changes would be to implement while still making a large impact on my content’s accessibility.”
CAEN Accessibility Workshops
For those interested in digging a little deeper, CAEN instructional designers Aaron Elam and Sarah Noah hosted fall semester workshops on more advanced topics, including accessibility for Canvas courses, digital documents, live and recorded video, and STEM documents. All were available through Sessions @ Michigan, and all will be offered again during the winter semester.
Disability Navigator
OCCE has hired Hannah Buck to lead and coordinate accessibility efforts, technical assistance and training as the College’s first Disability Navigator. Buck will provide direct support for all Michigan Engineering employees who encounter disability-related barriers, including faculty, staff and post-doctoral fellows, as well as undergraduate and graduate student employees.
“Accessibility is about more than technology, and we have to consider areas such as accessible digital tools, inclusive physical spaces or support for neurodiverse individuals,” said Maletta. “The addition of a Disability Navigator will help us identify these barriers and lay the groundwork where accessibility isn’t an afterthought but a standard that shapes how we build spaces, design courses and support our community.”
Looking Ahead
The Culture of Accessibility team is in the early phases of new initiatives that will continue to foster an inclusive and accessible climate on campus. In 2025, the team will pilot an innovative grant program designed to support faculty as they work to create accessible course materials and revise inaccessible content. Another group is working to identify technology gaps and situations where new or existing tools might better support access and inclusion in the College.
“The Michigan Engineering community is coming together to bring their unique perspectives and expertise to this important effort.”
Michelle Campbell, Program Director for the Office of Culture, Community and Equity.
“The Michigan Engineering community is coming together to bring their unique perspectives and expertise to this important effort,” said Program Director for the Office of Culture, Community and Equity Michelle Campbell. “These initiatives are a testament to the power of collaboration across disciplines. We have contributors and leaders from multiple departments who are dedicated to accessibility—and that will ensure these efforts are far-reaching and sustainable.”