Accessibility resources on ASU Campus

In honor of ASU’s ongoing commitment to creating safe and accessible campuses, we highlight several ASU resources dedicated to inclusivity and support for the disabled community and those seeking different accessibility options.

Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services (SAILS)

Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services (SAILS) is ASU’s central resource for fostering awareness and support for the disability community, offering a variety of services to enhance learning environments for students with disabilities.

One benefit of SAILS includes accommodations on timed assessments. Students who require accommodations for exams or quizzes are able to receive direct assistance in the form of a reader or a scribe, as well as more indirect assistance such as different testing locations and extended class time. Alongside this, students with SAILS can also apply for supplementary materials such as computers and tablets to assist with test-taking. 

Besides assistance on timed assessments, SAILS also works to provide students with notetakers, helping ensure that students are able to keep up with the often fast-paced nature of lectures. Students with limitations to attention, processing and/or physical limitations can apply to have another student as their notetaker. Students can also apply to be a notetaker, and are compensated at a rate of $25.00 per credit hour or they will receive a letter of commendation affirming the volunteer hours worked. 

Disabled students also have the option to receive class materials in an alternative format. These formats can help students with audio/visual impairments, as well as students with print disabilities such as dyslexia. Alternative formats include audio, braille, e-text, PDF with recognized text and tactile graphics.

Another amazing resource that SAILS provides is ASU’s DART system. DART, which stands for disability access and resources transportation, serves as transportation for any students, faculty, staff and guests of the University with permanent or temporary physical disabilities. DART is a fantastic way for students who have mobility impairments to travel across ASU’s large campus and make it to class on time. 

With its wide pool of resources and assets, SAILS is able to work directly with professors on campus to ensure each student and classroom has access to the resources necessary for disabled students to thrive. 

ASU Library Accessibility Services 

ASU’s campus libraries are amazing spots to study, relax and take advantage of some of the university’s best resources. Besides all the wonderful books to check out, the libraries offer assistive technology and software in the form of adjustable height tables, headphones, scanners, CCTV and, in certain locations, computers and printers. 

Resources vary across the seven campus libraries. Check out the ASU Library website to see what equipment is available where. 

As part of the libraries’ accessibility services, they are dedicated to making sure that all students, staff and faculty at ASU are able to utilize their available resources. They offer orientations, instruction on accessing and searching online databases, book retrieval and assistance with photocopying and printing, assistance with assistive equipment and technology as well as making print materials available in electronic format. 

Lastly, the ASU library is an amazing place to find information about and literature representing disabled people. With millions of print volumes and online resources in ASU’s database there is information readily available about all types of disabilities, their societal connotations, new perspectives on them, personal experiences with them, historical accounts and much more! 

ASU IT Accessibility

Alongside the aforementioned services, ASU is working to make sure that advancements in education and school curriculum don’t outpace the resources available for students with disabilities. ASU IT accessibility helps to ensure that teachers, students and classrooms as a whole have the information necessary to create an equitable learning environment. 

Some easily accessible resources include Canvas’ Accessibility Checker for restructuring your Canvas page, and Blackboard Ally, which can help determine how “accessible” your files are as well as generate alternative formats for files you upload. 

There are also online scanning services such as WAVE or Siteimprove, which can help scan your websites for common accessibility issues. While these tools are useful, they do not account for most accessibility issues and are best paired with manual testing, which ASU provides an online workshop for! 

Accessibility Coalition 

Last, but certainly not least, is the Accessibility Coalition. The Accessibility Coalition is an inclusive and student-lead group representing the disabled community at ASU. Working to create a more accepting environment for those with disabilities, the Accessibility Coalition works to provide disabled students on campus with resources to make education more accessible as well as build support and community. 

While the Accessibility Coalition focuses on bringing awareness to disability-related issues, combating ableism and de-stigmatizing disabilities, it is an inclusive organization that is open to anyone. 

The Accessibility Coalition supports its members through engaging events planned throughout the year, building a support network for students with disabilities, and creating plenty of opportunities for members to connect with each other. Alongside events, they also celebrate a week in October in recognition of the disabled community. 

There are also a plethora of member organizations affiliated with the Accessibility Coalition. Each member organization represents a smaller more specific group or cause associated with the disabled community and its allies. Some member organizations include: Active Minds at ASU, ASL Club, Deaf Devils, Delta Sigma, Devils4Devils, Sparky’s Service Dogs and Sun Devils for Accessible Education.

While there are many resource pools for disabled students on ASU campus, few of them come with a sense of community quite like the Accessibility Coalition. 

For more information regarding resources available at ASU, be sure to check out Support Services for ASU Students!