Developing inclusive educators: enhancing the accessibility of teaching and learning in higher education
Abstract
In light of the growing population of students with disabilities at colleges and universities worldwide, faculty development connected to accessible teaching is of paramount importance. Drawing from the existing literature and from the results of a qualitative study of educational accessibility at one Canadian university, this article offers a series of recommendations for academic developers hoping to establish effective development initiatives focused on accessible teaching and learning. Key issues considered include the need to support instructors in translating principles of inclusive teaching into practice, the value of discussion-based approaches that take up difficult questions about minimum standards, and the question of whether development initiatives should be discipline-specific or interdisciplinary, mandatory or optional. Recommendations for further research are also discussed.
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Scenarios in simulations that represent diverse patient demographics help students develop cultural competence and sensitivity.
“For instance, scenarios in simulations should represent diverse patient demographics, such as variations in age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.This approach helps students develop cultural competence and sensitivity, as these skills are critical to effective medical practice [64].”
From Formative assessment and feedback in medical education: A practical guide: AMEE Guide No. 189 (2026) · cites this paper as [64]
Cites
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“around the documented gap between some training initiatives and positive change in faculty practices (Lombardi et al., 2011).”
BackgroundResultStudent Perceptions of Faculty Implementation of Universal Design for Learning.
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“The overall results of this research have been presented in two papers (Marquis et al., 2012, 2016) that compare the accessibility of teaching and learning at the study university prior to and following the implementation of one AODA standard.”
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Self-citation(2008) · ScholarWorks@BGSU (Bowling Green State University)
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Formative assessment and feedback in medical education: A practical guide: AMEE Guide No. 189
Lipnevich, A. A., Mattern, K., & Feddock, C. (2026) · Medical Teacher · doi:10.1080/0142159x.2025.2569623 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Charting the Landscape of Accessible Education for Post-secondary Students with Disabilities
Marquis, E., Fudge Schormans, A., Jung, B., Vietinghoff, C., Wilton, R., & Baptiste, S. (2016) · Canadian Journal of Disability Studies · doi:10.15353/cjds.v5i2.272 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Self-citationAccessibility Work in Academia: Balancing Needs, Bridging Gaps, and Breaking Down Barriers
Ly, C. K., Cross, T., Petterson, A., Pandey, I., & Chandra, P. (2025) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3757454 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Advocates for access and inclusion within universities often face tensions with academic freedom [56, 57].”
Universal Design for Learning and Accessibility: A Practitioner Approach
O'Shaughnessy, T. J. (2021) · Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design · doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-7106-4.ch002 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Marquis, E., Jung, B., Fudge Schormans, A., Lukmanji, S., Wilton, R., & Baptiste, S.
- Affiliations
- McMaster University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Marquis, Elizabeth
- Venue
- International Journal for Academic Development
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-05-19
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 337-349
- ISSN
- 1360-144X (ISSN-L)
- 1470-1324
- OpenAlex
- W2400766377
- Semantic Scholar
- 4d4255b2e4a3613c4b223c29e47c3fd0a1b6f6d4
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 4.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The International Journal for Academic Development (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- McMaster University (n/a)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Social Sciences › Education › Evaluation of Teaching Practices
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Practises and Engagement
- Keywords
- inclusive pedagogy, accessible teaching, students with disabilities, faculty development, academic development, higher education, accessibility standards, instructor support
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