Enacting The Spirit Of The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities: The Role Of Postsecondary Faculty In Ensuring Access

Abstract

Nations throughout the world have signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities.  Many postsecondary educators support the ideals of access and equity for students with disabilities, but have received no training in how to ensure that these goals are achieved.  This paper introduces the concepts of universal design and universal instructional design and provides specific guidelines for general communication and for creating accessible classrooms, lectures or presentations, documents, media, websites, and distance education courses.