Improving Access to Higher Education Act
Sponsored By: Representative DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
Introduced
Summary
Expands federal support to make postsecondary education more accessible and inclusive for students with disabilities. It would create coordinated grant programs, a voluntary Commission on accessible instructional materials, national technical assistance and coordinating centers, and targeted grants to build inclusive programs for students with intellectual disabilities.
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- Students and families: Students with disabilities would gain more supported pathways to degrees and credentials, including transition services, accessible distance learning, career pathway guidance, and accommodations training. Inclusive program grants would run for five years and cap at $300,000 for a single institution or $500,000 for a consortium.
- Institutions and faculty: Colleges could win competitive grants to train faculty and staff in Universal Design for Learning and evidence based practices, implement Section 508 compliant curricula and technologies, and build sustainability plans and business plans for ongoing services.
- System and data: The bill would create an independent Commission to produce voluntary accessibility guidelines within 18 months, fund a National Technical Assistance Center with an authorization of $10,000,000, and establish a national coordinating center to collect longitudinal outcomes and share replication guidance.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
College Offices of Accessibility required
If enacted, every institution would have to establish an Office of Accessibility (the campus disability services office or equivalent). The office would inform students at orientation and on a public website about available services, explain legal rights under the ADA and Section 504, provide information and supports for internships and work‑based learning, accept common disability documents (for example, IEPs, Section 504 plans, licensed evaluations, or prior college records) as sufficient evidence, and provide accommodations for mental health disabilities.
Grants to make college courses accessible
If enacted, the Department would award competitive five‑year grants to colleges to develop campuswide universal design for learning and make distance education accessible. At least five grants must fund professional development and technical assistance for faculty, staff, and administrators. Applicants would need to show stakeholder consultation, coordinate with their Office of Accessibility, provide a sustainability plan, and submit a business plan to the Department. Grant recipients would evaluate and share results, and the Secretary would report on projects after one year and again after several years.
Commission for accessible course materials
If enacted, an independent Commission would be created to write voluntary accessibility guidelines and an annotated list of national and international IT accessibility standards for postsecondary electronic instructional materials. The Commission would form a 12‑member technical panel within one month and must issue its guidelines within 18 months after enactment, with a possible 6‑month extension. The guidelines would be voluntary and would not replace existing legal protections under the ADA or Rehabilitation Act.
New inclusive college programs and center
If enacted, the Department would award annual competitive five‑year grants to create or expand college programs for students with intellectual disabilities. Single institutions could get up to $300,000 per year and consortia up to $500,000 per year. Grantees would need to provide at least 25% matching funds and a business plan by the end of year 3, and programs must award a degree, certificate, or recognized credential. Grantees would send student‑level data each year and track each student for 5 years after graduation or exit. The Secretary would also fund a five‑year National Coordinating Center to run a student outcomes database, give technical help, assist with credential approvals, and host grantee meetings. The bill defines who counts as a student with an intellectual disability for these programs.
National technical assistance center $10M
If enacted, the Department would authorize $10 million to set up and run a National Technical Assistance Center. The center would build a public, accessible website and database of disability services and financial aid links, provide technical help to students, families, and institutions, evaluate best practices, and publish a report three years after startup and every two years after. This would centralize information and outreach about postsecondary supports for students with disabilities.
Reporting student disability data to IPEDS
If enacted, colleges would have to report key counts about students registered with disabilities to IPEDS or other federal postsecondary data sets. Required items would include total enrolled, number using accommodations, percent of undergraduates with disabilities, and the number of undergraduate certificates or degrees awarded to students with disabilities. Colleges would not have to report data when doing so would reveal an individual student's identity.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
CA • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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