Accessible KU

ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility

The Accessible KU website is maintained by KU's ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility in conjunction with the Academic Achievement and Access Center (AAAC) and other campus partners.

Our Mission:

An woman using a wheelchair lift van

To create a campus climate that will sustain attention to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the spirit in which it was designed by:

  • Removing barriers
  • Embracing universal design
  • Ensuring procedures for student, employee and visitor reasonable accommodation
  • Promoting disability cultural competence 
  • Going above and beyond minimal ADA compliance
  • Encouraging KU community members with disabilities to be self-advocates
  • Weaving disability considerations into all layers of KU’s fabric

Accessible Jayhawk iconAlerts!


Events
News

Check out the Access + Ability exhibit at the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City. There are several related lectures and events as well that are open to the public. Tickets are needed for some but the exhibit is free. 

Time to redesign the accessibility logo. Essay by Melissa Blake. 

Read this article about the findings of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas around violations of the ADA here in Kansas. 

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped offers free braille and talking book services for people with disabilities that prevent them from reading or holding books. Read more about the NLS. 

Yes, you can call me disabled. Enjoy this essay on people-first vs. identity-first language. 

Come to the Ambler Student Recreation Center for the Inclusive Recreation Extravaganza, April 2  5:30 pm. Accessible equipment and information about various topics will be available. Come dressed to play!

Read about a recent ADA RCEA lunchtime conversation with Dawn Kuhlman on practicing trauma informed communication.

CUPA features our very own HawkRoute in their blog. Read Creative Parterships: The Path to an Inclusive Campus. 

Kansas Deaf and Hard of Hearing Day is coming up on March 6, 10 am to 1:30 pm at the Kansas State Capitol, second floor. Come show your support and learn from speakers and exhibits on various issues.

Come to an Employment Services Panel to learn more about employment services for people with disabilities. February 13, 1-4 pm. 

Upcoming Disbility Studies Seminar: John Watson will present "My Country, 'Tis of Me: The self-presentation of Invictus Games and Paralympic Games athletes on Facebook" on January 31st from 3:00 - 4:30 in  the Hall Center for Humanities seminar room 1. 

The KU Speech, Language and Hearing Department presents an oportunity to hear guest lecturer, Dr Julie Washington of Georgia State University, present on "Language Differences : A Help or Hindrance for Teaching Poor Children to Read."  This lecture takes place Monday, Feb 11, 2019 in the Price Computing Center auditorium from 5:00 to 6:00PM. 

Interested in wheel chair basketball? Check out this offering from the City of Lawrence. 

Starting November 20, 2018 the Natural History Museum passenger elevator will receive necessary repairs. Safely repairing the elevator requires removing the elevator from service from  11/20/18 to 2/22/19. The third floor galleries, including the fossils, flourescent minerals, and Bugtown exhibits are located on the ground level and are fully accessible. Please address accessibility concerns to Catherine Johnson, ADA Director at cej2@ku.edu or 785-864-3650.

Empowerment Yoga provides an opportunity for survivors of trauma to reconnect with their bodies. Explore this with a free course provided through the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center. 

Download the Spencer Museum of Art mobile app before your next visit to the museum. The app is available on iTunes and Google Play. It currently features audio description of "Untitled (Flag 2)" by Josephine Meckseper which is part of a nationwide public art project, "Pledges of Allegiance."

Need tips for making a private residence accessible for people with mobility issues? Check out this handy guide!

Good things on the way from Google! They are starting to include wheelchair accessible routes in their google maps. This blog post describes their initial offering.

2018 Gerber Baby makes history as first with Down syndrome. 

Did you know the American Council of the Blind Audio Description project keeps a master list of audio described DVD's, TV shows, and streaming videos? List of alphabatized videos here. And check the audio reader Audio Description site for a listing of local events with audio description at the Lied Center and Theater Lawrence. 

Interested in participating in a study on the usage of mobile devices to support learning strategies for students with and without disabilities in STEM classes? Contact KU graduate student Jingrong (Pearl) Xie for more information at jrxie@ku.edu.

Applications are now being accepted for the Faces of Change program developed by the Kansas Youth Empowerment Academy. Check out the KYEA website for more information about the program and to apply online. 

Audio description available at The Theater Lawrence and The Lied Center.  See Audio Description services provided by Audio Reader for more details.  

Former KU student Elizabeth Boresow featured in NPR story "Navigating Life on Campus When You're on the Autism Spectrum."

Texting to 911 now available in Kansas!! Read about their "Call if you can, text if you cant" specifics.   

Interested in becoming an audio describer for events at local theaters? Register now for the November training on Sunday the 12th. 

Come learn about Project Search and enjoy free coffee and donuts! October 26, 9:30 - 11:00 at Watson Library room 455. You'll learn about this unique program that gives young adults with intellectual disabilities experience with hands on employment training. This is a project that benefits the participants and the departments they work for. Learn more on the 26th!

Keep checking Audio Description services provided by Audio Reader for details about Lied Center, Theater Lawrence, and Starlight events that will be described. Grease and Catch Me If You Can are just two of the events coming up that will have audio description available!

he next Alliance for Economic Inclusion meeting will be August 19, 2017 at the Kauffman Foundation from 8am-noon. The meeting will concentrate on resources for the aging population and people with disabilities in Metropolitan Kansas City. Register using the AEI online registration. 

Interested in inclusive music and dance? Spaces are still available for performers of all abilities to participate in a free week-long event (August 7 - 12) with Jesse Stewart, internationally acclaimed musician, scholar, educator, and founder of We Are All Musicians. Register online by July 28th. Email questions to improv@ku.edu

KU professor developing a video game to prepare students with disabilitie for STEM careers

Matthew W. Mosconi assumes the directorship of the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training, or K-CART

Get information about receiving audio description at home on your television from the American Council for the Blind

 

 

 

 

 

 

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