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ADA and Student Success

When we talk about accessibility, we are not just talking about compliance—we are talking about connection. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) affirms the rights of students with disabilities to fully participate in all aspects of public education, including digital learning. But access alone is not the end goal. Our deeper commitment is student success.

Inclusive course design helps students not only enter but persist, engage, and thrive. Research shows that accessible materials benefit all learners: captions help multilingual students and those in noisy environments, clear document structure improves comprehension for students with ADHD and dyslexia, and readable fonts and contrast support everyone navigating screens for hours each day.

The new interpretation of ADA Title II strengthens our shared responsibility: to build learning environments that anticipate diversity—not react to it. This means designing syllabi, assignments, and course content with difference in mind from the start. When we do, we reduce friction, remove barriers, and make space for the full spectrum of student learning experiences.

At º£½ÇÂÛ̳, we believe that accessible teaching is excellent teaching. It's not a side effort—it’s a central feature of equitable education.

Why Accessibility Matters for Student Success

Accessible course content supports retention by ensuring that students can engage with materials from day one. It improves performance by delivering content in ways that meet diverse learning needs. It reduces the need for reactive accommodations and fosters a classroom culture where all students feel expected, welcomed, and included.

College Students with Disabilities: A Snapshot

Understanding who our students are is essential to designing inclusive learning environments. The data below highlights the national landscape for college students with disabilities in the United States as of 2025.

Prevalence of Disability

• 21% of undergraduate students report having a disability (American Council on Education, 2024).

• 11% of graduate and post-baccalaureate students report having a disability (American Council on Education, 2024).

• Nationwide, this represents an estimated 3.5 million college students (U.S. Government Accountability Office, Disability Pride Month Blog, 2023).

Commonly Reported Disabilities

• 69% report behavioral or emotional conditions, including depression and anxiety (U.S. Government Accountability Office, Disability Pride Month Blog, 2023).

• 15% report ADHD (Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Statistics, 2024).

• Recent studies estimate that 15–20% of college students are neurodivergent, though many do not disclose their neurotype or seek accommodations.
  (Neurodiversity in Higher Education, Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2023)

Academic Success & Barriers

• Nationally, the six-year graduation rate for students with disabilities is 49.5%, compared to 68% for students without disabilities.

• Only 37% of students with disabilities disclose their condition to their college.

• Among those who disclose, 15% to 43% do not receive accommodations.

What You Can Do

• Use descriptive link text and clear headings.
• Caption all videos and narrated slides.
• Provide materials in accessible file formats.
• Design assignments with flexible engagement in mind.
• Reflect regularly on who may be excluded—and how you can shift that.

Every accessibility choice you make—however small—can change a student’s experience of higher education. This is how we move from access to success.