Disability Studies and Universal Access

The Center for Disability Studies and Universal Access was created in 2005 from a United States Department of Education grant entitled, "Improving Education Success for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education." Our goals and purposes include:

• Enhancing the educational experiences of students with disabilities at Eastern Washington University.
• Fostering an environment in which students, faculty and staff with disabilities are identified as part of the tapestry of diversity at Eastern Washington University.
• Providing support for persons with disabilities, in collaboration with Disability Support Services.
• Promoting a universally-accessible campus environment for people from all backgrounds.
• Collaborating and consulting with the university community to enhance resources for people with disabilities and other diverse characteristics.
• Developing and administering the Interdisciplinary Studies Certificate program and other Disability Studies classes at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

The Disability Studies Certificate Program is located administratively in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Social Work, and is directed by the Center for Disability Studies and Universal Access. However, the certificate program is interdisciplinary, involving multiple academic departments throughout the university.

Disability Studies is a multidisciplinary field drawing from humanities, liberal arts and the sciences, and is taught by faculty from multiple fields and disciplines. The Disability Studies Certificate program, offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels, educates students to develop an understanding of disability, disability culture and people with disabilities as inclusive members of society. The program's emphasis on universal access complements the university's mission to prepare its graduates to live and work in a diverse society.

The Disability Studies certificate program will show you that disability is part of the tapestry of a diverse society. It emphasizes "universal access," the philosophy that society should be inclusive of people of all diverse backgrounds and traits, and that the responsibility for diversity transcends traditional identity-based characteristics. Universal access (UA) embraces an approach that responsible societies do not just accommodate minorities, but are constructed for people of all; both majority and minority, typical and atypical.