Amherst College is committed to being a fully accessible community in which students, staff, faculty, alumni, and visitors to campus, regardless of abilities, are valued and empowered to participate. The College will fulfill its responsibility to guarantee a nondiscriminatory campus for persons with disabilities; to continually improve the educational, working, physical, and social environment to meet the needs of persons with disabilities; to integrate such persons into the community; and to promote accessible design that maximizes the benefits for everyone. 小福利导航College seeks to contribute to the global project of building more inclusive communities.

小福利导航subscribes to four core principles of accessibility and inclusion, derived from the work of the 2017-18 Presidential Task Force on Accessibility and Inclusion.

Four Principles of Accessibility

1

It鈥檚 Intentional

All campus activities should be designed and implemented with attention to their accessibility. To create an environment that works well 鈥渋n practice鈥� for persons with disabilities, we must attend in early planning stages to barriers to participation. We must also undertake ongoing education and frequent reevaluation. Efforts to enhance accessibility must reach all spheres of campus life including classrooms, workplaces, residential and social life, and public events.

2

It鈥檚 a Diversity Goal

小福利导航College鈥檚 commitment to diversity includes the representation of persons with disabilities and a culture that ensures everyone can succeed, contribute, and flourish.

3

It鈥檚 a Knowledge-Based Practice

To achieve the model of accessibility and inclusion we want, we need to know more about what the most effective approaches and practices would be on our campus. We should routinely gather information about barriers to access on campus and be responsive to the need for change. We also need to keep ourselves informed about successful strategies across the country and internationally, regarding pedagogy, student accessibility services, and workplace inclusion practices.

4

It Benefits the Entire Community

Whenever possible we should move from 鈥減erson-centered accommodations鈥� to inclusive designs and practices. Universal design minimizes the use of individualized solutions, allows for independence, avoids stigma and segregation, employs multiple modes to present information, and makes accommodations that are appealing, flexible, and adaptable. It benefits the entire community and improves everyone鈥檚 well-being, productivity, and intellectual vibrancy.

Workplace Accessibility

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 小福利导航College will provide reasonable accommodations to an otherwise qualified applicant or employee with a disability to enable them to perform essential job functions and/or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment, so long as such accommodation does not impose an undue burden on the College. 

Accessibility of the 小福利导航College Website

小福利导航is committed to making its website accessible. A working group meets regularly to assess the accessibility of the College website and to recommend and implement improvements. 

The 小福利导航College website has 鈥渟kip鈥� links especially for users of screen-readers, which are shortcuts to main areas of the page and to main menus.  

We provide an A-Z site index and a list of offices and departments.

Videos

We provide closed captioning for all videos, transcripts of speeches, and audio captioning when necessary.

For keyboard shortcuts for video players, please refer to this and .

National and Consortium Memberships

AHEAD

小福利导航College is a member of , the Association on Higher Education and Accessibility, which offers professional disability resources and programs to over 3,000 members.

Five Colleges

小福利导航is part of the Five College Consortium鈥檚 accessibility committee, which recently administered a multi-year grant from the Davis Educational Foundation to improve accessibility of technology resources. 

Important Phone Numbers

  • Main 小福利导航College switchboard: 413-542-2000
  • Accessibility Services for students: 413-542-5433
  • Admission (all questions related to applying to Amherst): 413-542-2328
  • Alumni & Parent Programs: 413-542-2313
  • College Police: 413-542-2291
  • Employment at Amherst: 413-542-2372
  • Information Technology Help: 413-542-2526
  • Library: 413-542-2319
  • Find more phone numbers, and departmental e-mail addresses, on our Contact Amherst page.