Increasing Accessibility of Postsecondary Career Centers

Postsecondary career centers help students prepare for employment by teaching them how to create resumes, improve interview skills, and find job openings. Some career centers understand the unique needs of students with disabilities such as accessible facilities, materials in accessible formats, and learning about disability disclosure for employment. However, there are additional ways that career centers can improve access and engagement.

When career centers collaborate with other departments and organizations on campus, they can more effectively serve students with disabilities. For example, career centers can find partners on campus to run a Workforce Recruitment Program. They can also encourage partners to distribute resources on accommodations for students with disabilities.

There are many promising practices for career centers to follow, as seen below:

• Create workshops specifically for students with disabilities and host all events in accessible facilities.
• Train career counselors and staff on communication tips for working with students with disabilities and how to provide materials in alternate formats.
• Provide supportive statements on promotional materials.
• Caption videos and maintaining accessible websites.

Career centers can also create resources specifically for students with disabilities. For example, the UW Career & Internship Center created a page from their home page called “Resources for Students with Disabilities.”

This article is adapted from the DO-IT Knowledge Base article “How can the engagement of students with disabilities in postsecondary career centers be increased?”. For more information about accessible career services, consult Equal Access: Universal Design of Career Services.