Recommendations to New York State for strategies to increase access
7. Accreditation and Review (continued)
- The New York State Education Department and accrediting bodies such as the Middle States Association collaborate to ensure access to and diversity of programs and services to qualified students with disabilities.
- Both regional and specialized accreditation bodies assure greater attention to the implementation of existing standards regarding universal design and access, especially as they apply to diversity and students with disabilities.
- Both regional and specialized accrediting bodies ensure that review protocols include appropriate attention to orientation and training in the area of universal design and access for on-site review teams.
- The New York State Education Department and accrediting bodies develop and promulgate suggested strategies for assessing institutional effectiveness and student outcomes with regard to providing access to programs and services to eligible students with disabilities.
Outcomes
Issues of access are included in the oversight criteria used by accreditation and review bodies operating in New York State.
The percentage of programs and institutions that are reviewed favorably with regard to universal design and access will increase over the next five years.