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Student Involvement in UW System - Standing Committees
President's Advisory Committee on Disability Issues
Description of Committee
The UW System Policy on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability (RPD 14-10) states that the committee shall "provide information and recommendations (to the President) relating to individuals with disabilities." The committee is charged with providing recommendations in three major areas:
- Policy and guideline implementation;
- Procedures for periodic reporting of data regarding disabilities; and
- Disability related issues raised by UW System Administration, institutions, or units.
The committee has been involved in promoting many issues to provide a supportive environment for students with disabilities, but over the past two years, it has promoted access to Assistive Technology and the implementation of a Universal Design in Higher Education grant from the Department of Education. The goal of this project is that all UW institutions will advocate to: 1) develop policies and procedures that support universal design, 2) plan on all levels to consider universal design principles, and 3) identify and support architectural, informational, and curricular experts on each campus to serve as resources in these areas.
The committee has ten members appointed by the President of the University of Wisconsin System, two of which are students selected by the student representivies. Tim O’Connor, tnoconno@facstaff.wisc.edu, Director of the Testing and Evaluation Service at UW-Madison, chairs the committee; Sal Carranza, scarranza@uwsa.edu, Senior Institutional Planner in the UW System Office of Academic Affairs, serves as staff.
Logistics of Meetings
Meetings occur in the fall and the spring. Both meetings are usually face to face, in Madison, but, on occasion, they are held in conjunction with Disability Issues conferences held in the state. The student members are encouraged to connect with committee members from their own campus and travel with them to the face to face meeting in order to avoid travel expenses.
Benefits of Participation
This committee would be appropriate for any students interested in policy concerns and wanting to influence positively a welcoming environment at our institutions regarding disability issues for faculty, staff and students. UW System and the committee benefit greatly from having a student viewpoint at the table when formulating policy or developing programs at our UW institutions.
Contact
Sal Carranza, Senior Academic Planner, Office of Academic and Student Services, 608-265-9177, scarranza@uwsa.edu.
Web Site
http://www.uwsa.edu/acss/disability/pacdi/index.htm