Inclusion is not a checklist

Notable Quotes from Students’ Stories

When I returned to the research collected during The UDL Project: Phase 2, I reviewed all of the stories that participants shared with us during our 2020 Sharing Circles and Online Survey, and pulled out several noteworthy and representative quotes along the way.

One of the questions we asked students in our Sharing Circles and Online Survey was:

What does “Accessibility” mean for you in your life?

Here are some of the responses we received for that question. They are well worth ruminating on and considering how you would finish a sentence that begins with “Accessibility means…”

Accessibility means…

•  “creating the space where students can achieve fullest potential”;
• “not feeling self-conscious about how I need to access information”;
• “being on the same playing field as other students who don’t have a disability”;
• “being able to access the college as a whole; the services also affect your college experience and ability to succeed”;
• “all people have the same opportunity to show their contribution to society”;
• “course availability and no financial barriers; and knowing that resources are available to assist you when you need it”;
  and
• “Feeling like this place is for me, was designed for me too”.