The Accessibility Studies Minor provides an interdisciplinary opportunity to learn about the challenges facing people with disabilities and limitations, estimated to be nearly a fifth of the population. The Accessibility Studies Minor documents the graduate’s demonstration of competence in recognizing where, when, and how to accommodate such needs. Competence includes facilitating accessible transitions and employment for people with disabilities and limitations, approached from different perspectives of employers, social service agencies, commercial enterprises, and the people requiring access themselves. This competence is attractive to employers who must all comply with legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, intended to protect entitlement to activities of independent living in all environments- work, home, school, shopping, medical, leisure, and virtual.
Accessibility Studies add practical depth to all pre-professional degrees, such as Business Administration; Human Resource Management; Supply Chain Management; Marketing; Public Policy; Non-Profit Organization Management; Public Health; Social Services; Safety and Health Management; Recreation and Tourism; Family and Child Life; Web Design and Management; Physical Rehabilitation Therapy; Paramedicine; Emergency Medical Technician; Communication; Graphic Design; Professional and Creative Writing; American Sign Language; Theatre Art Design and Production; Museum Studies; Anthropology; Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Sciences; Applied Computer Science; Law and Justice; Psychology; Library Information Science; Instructional Foundations– all of which are influenced by the two primary motivations to improve accessibility: to prevent risk of lawsuits (risk management) and to increase participation by removing barriers and stigma (social justice).
The Accessibility Studies Program (ASP) courses are further designed to satisfy many General Education Program requirements.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the program requires an application approved by the Accessibility Studies Program, including the determination of the elective necessary for graduation.This must be submitted and approved before completing any of the core courses (ASP 305; ASP 325; ASP 435). There are no prerequisites for the core courses, but they are all pre/co-requisite for the capstone course (ASP 485).
Graduation Requirements
Successful completion of required courses with a minimum of C+ in all courses and the final exam.
Program Requirements
The minor degree in Accessibility Studies requires the four core courses of 15+ credits plus additional credits of program-approved electives in application and issues courses to total at least 20 credits. The electives are approved by the program director designated by the department at the time of application to the program and may be revised before completing the program.