Thank you for stopping by to learn more about the Coalition for Disability. Take some time to look through our content and don’t hesitate to share how you’d like to get involved. Use the menu below to jump to a section of interest.
Please contact us at [email protected] or connect with the members of our Directorate Body with questions or ideas.
Our MISSION
In conjunction with the mission of ACPA—College Student Educators International, the Coalition for Disability is committed to values that support inclusivity, engage people to have new experiences, and inspire others to become advocates through our work. In addition, the coalition is dedicated to the advancement of disability education within the field of higher education to further awareness, eliminate commonly held misconceptions, and encourage people to view disability as a tenet of diversity.
inclusion
As a Coalition, we aim to pull together students, faculty, those with disabilities, disability service providers, and allies to carry out the mission of the Coalition for Disability (CD). The CD works with other inclusion groups in ACPA, by facilitating dialogue and collaboration.
access
Primarily focused on environmental accessibility, the coalition plays an integral role in providing access for the annual national convention. The CD, through the leadership of the access chair, takes the lead ensuring that convention space, technology, and transportation are accessible to individuals of all abilities.
Advocacy
The Coalition for Disability values advocacy by recognizing and awarding the work of professionals in higher education that raises awareness, promotes inclusivity, and encourages advocacy of individuals with diverse abilities.
Education Research
Within the Coalition, we are dedicated toward the acquirement and dissemination of information regarding disabilities within society and, more specifically, higher education. Through annual newsletters and social media, the coalition strives to educate practicing professionals on best practices and current events.
HISTORY & Resources
Founder: Alice Mitchell (2000)
Past Chairs: Karen Myers (2001-05), Mary Tregoning (2005-2007), Nancy Badger (2007-2009), Katherine Stolz (2009-2011), Melanie Thompson (2011-2013), Michael Kutnak (2013 – 2014), Erika Heffernan (2015-2016), Dale Ellen O’Neill (2016-2018), Spencer Scruggs (2018-2022), Capria Berry (2022-2024)
Historical documents
News & Updates
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upcoming events
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Meet the Directorate
Rory O'Neill Schmitt
Special Projects Coordinator
she/her/hers
Antonia DeMichiel
Membership Engagement Coordinator
she/her/hers
Pamela Butler
Membership Engagement Coordinator
she/her/hers
Get Involved
Become a member of the Coalition for Disability! Support student learning in higher education by helping to share knowledge of best practices, policies, and programs for those working with disabilities or for students with disabilities in the higher education community.
Ready to join?
Joining an Entity through the ACPA Member Portal automatically identifies you as a member of that Entity! You will begin to receive Entity communications through their respective email listserv and have access to any resources they share!
- Login to your ACPA Member Account
- Click on Community Groups (Chatter)
- Click Groups
- Click Active Groups
- Find the entity you want to join and within that group, click +Join
Contact [email protected] to learn more or ask questions!
Any ACPA member can become involved and there are varying levels of involvement:
- Attend our open business meeting at the annual ACPA convention
- Review conference programs for the annual convention
- Submit a sponsored program proposal for the annual convention
- Host an ACPA2GO Webinar
- Write a blog post to be featured in our blog section below
Volunteer with the Coalition for Disability at ACPA25
- Connection Point (Convention On-Site)
- Description: Connection Point is ACPA’s involvement fair that happens on the first day of convention. This is an event where we table and give away small items, help folks sign up for the email list and tell them more about the coalition and opportunities for engagement. This can be done sitting or standing, it is usually a pretty loud event. We will have all the materials including talking points prepared for you.
- Timeline: The event lasts for a single hour on Sunday and is before the opening session.
- Endorsed Program Introductions (Convention On-Site)
- Description: Become an ambassador and welcome our endorsed program presenters. It is common for endorsed programs to have a small token from the coalitions providing endorsement as well as an intro announcement from the coalition. It is most appropriate that the group providing the endorsement has one person doing the speaking portion and greet the presenters and that person stays for the entire session.
- Timeline: Once endorsed programs are solidified and the program book schedule is set, we can connect with those of you expressing interest and divide the task.
- Social Media at Convention (Convention On-Site)
- Description: Our busiest season on social media usually begins 100 days out from Convention and really increases during convention itself. It would be helpful to have folks working on graphics and posting during the event in February and even leading up to February’s convention. Many convention items come with templates centrally from ACPA. This responsibility can be shared in a number of ways: Social Media volunteer(s) can do all graphics and all posting, awards folks can do awards graphics and send to social media folks, endorsed programs can write blurbs for endorsed program posts, etc. Any system will work, we just need people to be actively engaged in that process at Convention and assistance leading up to it. Coalitions & Networks also has short guidance on posting.
- Timeline: Late October start through February
Awards
Annually in the fall semester, the Coalition for Disability collects nominations for our annual awards process. Recipients are announced in mid-December and awarded at the next ACPA Convention.
Intersectionality Award
In line with ACPA’s mission, this award is given to a scholar and/or practitioner who promotes awareness of the intersectionality between disability and other identities. Through scholarship, community outreach, or professional services, this award winner will exhibit cultural competency and advocacy for the unique experiences and challenges that individuals with disabilities and other intersecting identities encounter.
Alice A. Mitchell Ally Award
In honor of the founder of the Coalition for (Dis)Ability, this award will be given to a postsecondary educator or staff member who is supportive of the disability community. An ally is actively involved in promoting inclusion of individuals with disabilities in addition to promoting awareness of disability-related concerns. Allies act as advocates for the (dis(ability community.
Disability Leadership Award
This award is given to an individual with a disability who has contributed to promoting awareness of, knowledge about, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities. Contributions may be made through research, advocacy, or professional work.
Disability Service Provider
This award is given to an individual who is a disability service provider in a postsecondary education setting. A disability service provider promotes access and inclusion for people with disabilities by working to ensure equal access to curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs, activities and services.
Nominations close on October 31. Nominate a colleague today! Here is the nomination form. Stay tuned for our Award Celebration!
Coalition for Disability Blog
Students at the Heart of the System
By Jarell A. Alder It is official! Today’s world requires that universities offer much more than a degree as its primary selling product. Instead, the growing demand of higher education providers is that they offer memorable learning partnerships that deliver quality...
Social Innovation: What does this mean for Student Services Practitioners?
By Ms Dian Bailey Doctoral Candidate, School of Education, UWI Mona Campus Student Services and Development Manager, UWI Mona Campus Social innovation is an emerging concept. Despite its varied definitions, the commonality is that it is a process that leads to...
Researcher Spotlight
By Naseeb K. Bhangal, Wardah Mohammed, Johanna Hughes, Javed Ahmed, , Tenzing Dolma, Diandra Sarr, & Hannah Honor On what felt like one of the last days of summer in Chicago, I (Naseeb) frantically called up Wardah from the Back of the Yards coffee house...
Maintaining Restorative Practices
by Cokie Thompson The last day I came home from the office in March 2020, I sat down in a chair and fell asleep at 6 p.m. I’m not a napper. It was just all I could do to take a few deep breaths and tell myself I was going to be okay. A few days later, I started...
(Blog) The stratified higher education system in the U.S. and South Korea
As a college staff who had studied in South Korea but working in the U.S. now, I get to see and experience differences in the higher education system in the U.S. and South Korea. Recent researches, however, have pointed out that the higher education system in the U.S....
The Liaison | Vol. 2
Monthly Newsletter Highlighting ACPA-Sponsored Events
(Blog) The light at the end of the tunnel
Heralding the near-closure of a time we all want to put behind us, institutions are pressing forward with positive messaging, suggestions or requirements for vaccinations, and a much-anticipated return to in-person courses and student life experience. Personally, I...
Serve as Dr. Andrea D. Domingue’s Presidential Assistant
ACPA Presidential Assistant Application 2021-2024 *View the Full Position Description* The ACPA Presidential Assistant provides support to ACPA President Andrea D. Domingue during their term of service to the Association (including years as Vice President and Past...
2021 Senior Scholars Grants
Call for Proposals: ACPA Senior Scholars Grant Program September 13, 2021 The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and the Senior Scholars are committed to making policy programmatic decisions based on quality research data about the experiences of ...
ACPA COMMISSION FOR GLOBAL DIMENSIONS OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT: Research Grant 2021-2022
The Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development within ACPA—College Student Educators International invites the submission of proposals for a research grant opportunity. . The award will be made for a one-year period, beginning October 15, 2021 –...