Providing students with the best learning experiences is a priority for Wentworth. Approximately 12% of students in each incoming class have disclosed a disability*:
- Mental health issues, including ADHD: 44%
- Learning disabilities: 31%
- Physical/medical disabilities: 13%
- Autism spectrum disorders: 9%
- Sensory disabilities: 3%.
In order to improve student experience, Wentworth Institute of Technology has partnered with the Carroll Center for the Blind (CCB) to proactively test accessibility of digital services from the student perspective. The areas to be tested include but are not limited to evaluating prospective programs on the public facing website, applying for admission, accepting financial aid award, registering for courses, checking schedules and grades in Leopard Web, paying tuition and accessing instructional materials in Blackboard. In addition to providing qualified testers with variousdisabilities, CCB will assist in creating a roadmap to a more accessible digital environment. This roadmap, based on current research and best practices, will eventually inform how we design policies and processes, particularly in regard to software procurement and 3d party vendor evaluation.
For more information, please contact Ella Epshteyn at LIT@WIT.EDU.
Additional Resources
*According to the data collected by the Disability Services at Wentworth Institute of Technology in 2010 – 2013