Award Categories:Accessibility Community Partner – This person or organization includes individuals, departments, or groups committed to eliminating barriers and changing the lives of students with disabilities in Palm Beach County. Examples would include hosting a job fair for students with Autism, developing a county-wide strategy to reduce unemployment for students who are visually impaired, creating an endowment or scholarship for students who have disabilities and creating public policies that enhance education and workforce outcomes for students with disabilities.
Accessibility Advocate – This is a person who publicly supports and promotes causes or policies that improve access and inclusion for students with disabilities. This person points out where accessibility does not exist and offers support or solutions to eliminate barriers. Examples would include creating a club on behalf of students with PTSD, eliciting support of local donors or legislatures for funding, or organizing an awareness campaign to end discrimination against students with disabilities.
Accessibility Champion – This person is an empathic and adaptable leader who advances innovative projects or initiatives that enhance accessibility, independence, and inclusion for students with disabilities. Moreover, this person has specialized knowledge in universal design for learning or disability studies or Civil Rights law and uses this knowledge to influence others to support students with disabilities when working to address student concerns or newly emerging issues regarding access.
Some examples include college-wide initiatives that have an impact on students with disabilities, such as
- the creation of the Interactive Campus Maps with the inclusion of accessible bathrooms, elevators, and the CSA offices clearly identified.
- creating a college taskforce that implemented solutions which improved students with disabilities’ college experience, sense of belonging, inclusion, agency, and awareness of their civil rights.
Accessibility Impact Award – This person has created or strengthened partnerships within the college community to remove barriers to student inclusion. This person has created initiatives that expand accessibility. Moreover, this person expands accessibility through teaching and training others on accessibility, ableism, disabilities, and ADA law. In addition, this person continuously challenges the status quo by advocating for inclusion.
