The Accessible Virtual Campus

Elevators are comprised of multiple features that must be considered for full accessibility. Use this AUDIT to determine how successful your elevators are at providing access and usability for all students, staff and faculty.

This posterette about procurement describes recommended steps to ensure maximum accessibility when acquiring goods and materials- custom or "off the shelf".

This protocol explains the required "why" and "how" of creating an accessible thesis/document. Graduate students in the Occupational Therapy Department at UWM are required to provide an accessible copy of their thesis, project or dissertation. The protocol is distributed in conjunction with a formatted template that includes all of the requirements of the graduate school at UWM.

Able Flight is a scholarship program that enables anyone with a physical disability the opportunity to learn and train how to fly airplanes. Recipients of these scholarships receive a full scholarship that covers flight and ground training, testing fees, study materials, lodging, and travel to flight school.

This website provides numerous links to resources about recreation accessibility issues and adapted activities, predominantly outdoor activities. Also this link provides “Bookmarks” and “Resources” lists with pages of links to accessibility and adaptation information for individuals with various disabilities.

This guidance note sets out Sport England’s advice on meeting the needs of the widest range of people in the design, operation and maintenance of sports facilities, following the principles of Inclusive Design. This includes considering the needs of parents with young children, older people, alongside the needs of disabled people – people with sensory, cognitive and mobility impairments, including wheelchair users. Though this is centered on Great Britain, there are many relevant guidance notes.

Achilles track club is a worldwide organization that is dedicated to enabling “people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics, promote personal achievement, enhance self esteem, and lower barriers.” Achilles provides bi-weekly racing training programs and assistance in helping individuals sign up for racing events across the country.

The checklist presents information in summary form on the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations implementing the ADA on rooms and spaces. The checklist must be used with the DOT and DOJ regulations and ADAAG to ensure accuracy. This checklist is intended for technical assistance purposes only.

The checklist presents information in summary form on the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations implementing the ADA on toilet rooms and bathrooms. The checklist must be used with the DOT and DOJ regulations and ADAAG to ensure accuracy. This checklist is intended for technical assistance purposes only.

This website contains information on Aimfree manuals. "These manuals are a validated series of questionnaire measures that can be used by persons with mobility limitations and professionals (i.e., fitness and recreation center staff, and/or owners of fitness centers) to assess the accessibility of recreation and fitness facilities, including fitness centers and swimming pools."

This article from Access Today by Catherine Veronic Nolan addresses the importance of inclusion for all individuals. Nolan defines inclusion and offers suggestions for over coming barriers and implementing change.

Community Living provides a list of resources (with corresponding links) for individuals with varying abilities related to personal fitness, adapted physical activity, creative and expressive activities, hobbies, sports organizations, spectator sports, team and solo sports, and outdoor recreation. The website also provides articles about recreation and additional links to sports and recreation products.

“Extreme Chairing is the largest Adaptive Action and Adventure Sports Organization in the world. Some sports such as chairing, sit ski, 4 cross, body surfing, power wheelchair racing, and others are starting to gain more attention all over the world. On Extreme Chairing you can find pictures and information about these sports, events, and some of the athletes that participate.”

"More than 40 years has passed since the first computer game was developed. Yet you still have the same implied prerequisites to play a game, i.e. full sight, hearing, cognitive, motoric et cetera functions. In short the game industry excludes many (or most) disabled, potential gamers. Compared with the web industry (only about 10 years old), the game industry has done very little (if anything) in the accessibility area. We feel confident that virtually any game can be made accessible. However, we also know it is a huge task for any game developer to make games (and especially 3D games) accessible." This website offers a blog for interested gamers and developers.

This monograph discusses "the issues facing inclusion of people with disabilities within the game of golf, recently released accessibility guidelines for golf courses, policy issues, new initiatives encouraging participation of people with disabilities in golf, and resources for golfers with disabilities and golf course operators."

"A resource to support the inclusion of people with disabilities in performing groups. This guide provides information and strategies to assist community groups and organizations to include people with disabilities in performing arts activities.The guide also addresses some of the issues that may arise in bringing about meaningful participation in performance-based arts activities for people with disabilities."

This article by Susan Ostby and Jennifer Skulski addresses the topic of including people with disabilities in aquatic venues. This article addresses the benefits of swimming for all people and how to make swimming areas follow Accessibility Guidelines thus making them accessible to individuals with various forms of disabilities.

Mobility Fitness Equipment is a manufacturer with its own line of accessible fitness equipment. Mobility Fitness is “defined by the passion for fitness that transcends conventional boundaries.” This company focuses on working with a wide range of clients to design equipment and workout programs for individuals with various physical challenges.

The National American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) has provided Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy programs throughout the United States and Canada since 1996. “Individuals with special needs benefit from activities which include therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, equine facilitated psychotherapy and learning, driving, interactive vaulting and competition.” The website discusses NARHA’s history, purpose, and mission as well as a section to locate a center by state/province and ways to get involved or become a member/instructor.

"In our pursuit of excellence, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association provides qualified individuals with physical disabilities the opprotunity to play, learn, and compete in the sport of wheelchair basketball. The National Wheelchair Basketball Association is compromised of over 200 basketball teams across twenty two conferences and seven divisions." The website was recently updated in 2009.

This website is a helpful resource for anyone looking for adaptive gear. The authors have compiled a list of “disabled-friendly” companies and their contact information. Links are given for the specific categories of hunting, mobility equipment, vehicles, medical supplies, and outdoor recreation.

"Striving to deliver accessible recreation and leisure programs that exceed minimum accessibility standards is often difficult for professionals to implement. The literature is limited to ADA technical assistance manuals issued by the U.S. Department of Justice with few examples related to recreation". This 2008 pdf article describes best practices from the National Center on Accessibility, Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies. The publication is based on a survey of national experts in accessibility and other relevant articles (some cited elsewhere on the ACCESS-ed website).

This article from Access Today by Tip Ray addresses the benefits of recreational activities for all people and how it can specifically help individuals with a disability. Ray also lists 5 rules to consider when adapting activities for individuals with a disability.

This 58 page comprehensive guide offers a discussion of usability and the "untapped market". An excellent resource for fitness facilities!

This article form Access Today focuses on the critical components of an accessible trail. The author then gives advice on how to meet all of these components depending on the type of trial.

This website contains information about the U.S. Handicapable (USH) Square Dance Association, its history, what’s new, the location of different clubs and how to get involved. The goal of the USH is to “inspire and share the love of dance with their members". The USH Square Dance Association includes dance groups throughout the United States, and members all have various abilities and disabilities.

This link provides a report of Phase 1 research project to develop design, construction, and installation guidelines for the UD of aerobic and strength training equipment. Prior to this project, no guidelines or information were available for manufacturers wishing to incorporate UD principles into their product line. The home page also has an on-line survey for contributions to ongoing research.

The United Spinal Association provides a list of resources related to accessible travel, adaptive recreation and hobbies, adaptive sports, programs for kids with disabilities, arts for wheelchair users, and camps for special needs populations. The list allows a user to search programs by category or state.