Disability Access Across Campus
Syracuse University is committed to making campus fully accessible to disabled staff, faculty, and students. Accessibility at Syracuse University happens across campus and is led by many departments and individuals within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, facilities, Information and Technology Services, cultural and academic centers and more. The information below provides an overview of key accessibility initiatives completed between 2020 and 2023.
Learning and Development
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion offers learning and development opportunities for campus members who seek to enhance their knowledge on key accessibility issues. The below is an overview of professional development sessions conducted by the Disability Access team:
| FY20-21 | FY21-22 | FY22-23 | |
| Disability Access Professional Development Attendees | 248 | 273 | 272 |
To attend an upcoming professional development opportunity or to request a professional development session be created for your team contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Disability Access team.
Campus Navigation
The university’s interactive campus map identifies accessible restrooms and generates an accessible route between two locations on campus.
Access ‘Cuse provides individuals with chronic health, sensory and permanent mobility disabilities with point-to-point transportation services. The below details the number of campus members serviced by Access ‘Cuse.
| FY20-21 | FY21-22 | FY22-23 | FY23-24 | |
| Access ‘Cuse Number of Riders | 23 | 39 | 12* | 19 |
Eligibility for Access ‘Cuse usage is determined by the Center for Disability Resources for students and by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Disability Access team for staff and faculty.
Accessible Content, Materials, and Events
Accessible content is digital or physical content that is designed and created in a way that ensures it can be easily and effectively used, understood, and experienced by individuals with various disabilities. The below are guidelines that can be followed to develop accessible content, materials and events:
- Create Accessible Materials
- Word Document Accessibility Checklist
- Reading Order Guidance
- Table Header Guidance
- Alternative Text Guidance
- Creating Inclusive Research Presentations
The university partners with SensusAccess, a fully automated document remediation and file conversion service to make electronic documents such as PDFs or Microsoft PowerPoint presentations more accessible for all audiences. For more information and resources regarding digital accessibility contact Digital Accessibility Services.
Employee Accommodations
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment that allows a person with a disability to participate in a comparable way as those without disabilities without imposing an “undue hardship.” The Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Disability Access team facilitates the reasonable accommodations process for staff and faculty members. The below details the number of reasonable accommodations issued to staff and faculty members.
| FY20-21 | FY21-22 | FY22-23 | FY23 -24 | |
| Approved Reasonable Accommodations | 112 | 97 | 162 | 238 |
To request a reasonable accommodation contact the Disability Access team.
Consultations and Guidance
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Disability Access team facilitates requests for guidance regarding all aspects of accessibility including but not limited to classroom accessibility, parking and transportation, disability disclosures, accessible facilities and event accessibility. The below details the number of consultations conducted by the Disability Access team:
| FY21-22 | FY22-23 | FY23 to 10/27/23 | |
| Disability Access Consultations | 547 | 478 | 193 |
Campus Construction and Facilities
The university integrates universal design for learning best practices in the construction of new facilities and has made significant progress toward remediating current facilities. The below provides an overview of the number of projects completed that remediate accessibility for current facilities: