UW-Whitewater was recently named one of America’s most disability-friendly colleges in a new book titled “College Success for Students with Physical Disabilities” written by Chris Tiedemann.
The book is a college planning guide for students with physical disabilities and chronic medical conditions. The book also includes information to help students choose the right college for them.
“The book contains forms, checklists, interviews with other students, advice from college disability personnel, and profiles of disability-friendly colleges across the United States,” Lacy Compton, editor and promotions coordinator for Prufrock Press Inc., said.
Colleges and universities were added to the list as America’s most disability-friendly colleges based on a variety of factors.
“All colleges and universities must meet the basic requirements set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Compton said. “What Chris was looking for were those schools that went beyond what ADA required.”
In order to be considered for the list, a school had to offer additional personal, social and academic accommodations for their students. This included schools that provided accessible on-campus housing, personal care attendants or assistance in hiring attendants, accessible on-campus transportation services, wheelchair sports and other disability-friendly extracurricular activities. After three years of research, a list of 77 schools was compiled.
UW-Whitewater made the list by meeting most of those requirements, along with the academic support program available to students.
“The chancellor and senior administration have been extremely supportive of our program and supported growth by means of funding, support and facilities,” Center for Students with Disabilities Director Elizabeth Watson said. “We are fortunate to have a larger staff than the other comprehensive colleges, but we serve more students.”
This is also not the first time UW-Whitewater has been recognized for being disability-friendly.
“UW-Whitewater has been recognized as a leader in accessibility and a successful program for students with disabilities since the 1970s,” Watson said. “UW-Whitewater has been recognized by NASPA, Mobility Magazine and University Business Magazine for outstanding programs and innovative universal design.”
Nevertheless, the university is far from done in trying to better accommodate students with disabilities.
“UW-Whitewater has intentionally strived to make our campus more accessible and is shifting to a model of universal design,” Watson said. “The long-goal would be that our campus serves our students needs without accommodations but through seamless building and curriculum design that makes living and learning universal and inclusive for all students.”
The book is the first of its kind to focus entirely on the needs of students with physical disabilities.
“We’re excited to help students who have physical disabilities find schools that will meet their needs and help them have a resource that they can use,” Compton said.
