Improving Access to Higher Education Act

Key Points

• Every college would have to set up an Office of Accessibility to support students who arrive with disabilities or develop one while enrolled. These offices must accept a wide range of records, like old IEPs or Section 504 plans, to prove disability status and must provide accommodations for mental health disabilities.
• The bill funds competitive grants to train college faculty, staff, and administrators in better teaching methods, accommodations, and accessible distance learning based on universal design for learning.
• A new independent commission would create national guidelines for accessible digital textbooks and classroom technology, due within 18 months of enactment with a possible 6-month extension.
• The bill expands grant programs for inclusive college programs for students with intellectual disabilities, funding colleges up to $300,000 (or $500,000 for consortia) to build programs offering degrees, integrated housing, and job training.
• Colleges would have to report data on students with disabilities, including how many are enrolled, how many receive accommodations, and how many earn degrees, unless doing so would reveal a student's identity.