Summary
Researchers from the National Disability Center will present new work at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Annual Conference in Denver this November. Their studies explore accessibility and the lived experiences of disabled students in higher education.
At ASHE 2025, the National Disability Center for Student Success will take part in conversations about how accessibility shapes college experiences. The Center’s research team will highlight student perspectives on navigating higher education systems while faculty leaders share insights on reimagining accessibility across institutions.
This year’s theme is inspired by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The concept of an arc mirrors the paradoxical nature of what’s rhetorical and reality.
Center-Led Research: Lifting Student Voices
The featured presentation from the Center, “You Always Have to Advocate for Yourself”: Administrative Burdens and the Experiences of College Students with Disabilities, draws on interviews with 24 college students from across the United States. The study examines how administrative burdens in accommodation processes affect student success and well-being while using an asset-based lens to highlight how students rely on their own strengths and cultural capital to persist.
The session will take place on Thursday, November 13, from 9:45 to 11:00 a.m. in the Sheraton Denver Downtown, Plaza Building, Concourse Level, Governors Square 17.
Speakers:
Denisa Gándara, PhD, Faculty Cadre Member
Ryan A. Mata, PhD, Research Associate
Ifeoluwa Adekoya, Student Fellow
Stephanie W. Cawthon, PhD, Executive Director
Reimagining Accessibility in Higher Education
In addition to the featured session, Dr. Cawthon will join fellow authors of Oxford University Press publication The New Accessibility in Higher Education: Disrupting the System for an Inclusive Future for a discussion on creating disability-inclusive campuses.
Center researchers contributed Chapter 2, “The Current Status of Accessibility in American Higher Education,” which examines how the COVID-19 pandemic prompted institutions to rethink their commitment to accessibility and outlines an “accessibility mindset” for shaping more inclusive learning environments.
This session will be held on Thursday, November 13, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Denver Downtown, Plaza Building, Lobby Level, Directors Row H.
Chapter 2 Authors:
Desirée Lama, MA, Coordinator of Student Partnerships
Ryan A. Mata, PhD, Research Associate
Lily Alvarez, MA, Student Fellow
Stephanie W. Cawthon, PhD, Executive Director
Faculty Scholarship Expands the Conversation
Dr. Gándara will also present research on topics related to policy, access, and administrative burden in higher education. Her sessions include:
- “Our Identity Isn’t Neutral”: Ethnoracially Minoritized Researchers’ Experiences with a Research–Policy Intermediary
Wednesday, November 12, 9:00–10:30 a.m.
Plaza Ballroom A - Temporal Tensions in Faculty Research–Policy Engagement
Saturday, November 15, 10:15–11:30 a.m.
Governors Square 12 - Who Deserves Administrative Burden? Why State Policymakers Support Compliance Costs in Tuition-Free College Policies
Saturday, November 15, 2:00–3:15 p.m.
Governors Square 16
Through her ongoing research, Dr. Gándara continues to explore how faculty and policymakers influence accessibility and opportunity in postsecondary education.
About ASHE 2025
The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) fosters collaboration and innovation across the higher education research community. Each year, the conference offers opportunities for networking, mentoring, and advancing scholarship that shapes more equitable and inclusive educational systems.
The 2025 ASHE Annual Conference will be held November 12–15, 2025, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown. For registration and program information, visit ashe.ws/schedule.
