Call for Proposals: Faculty-Led Learning Communities on Digital Accessibility

The Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources and Digital Education are excited to announce a new 2025-2026 opportunity for faculty to lead a funded learning community focused on digital accessibility. This initiative, which is supported by one-time funds for digital accessibility in teaching, aims to create a dedicated space for faculty to explore and implement principles of digital accessibility in their courses.

What

These learning communities are a structured, funded opportunity for faculty to discuss how to make their course materials and teaching practices more accessible to all students, focusing on digital accessibility practices, such as those described in the Digital Accessibility Course. 

Each learning community will be led by a Faculty Convener.

Who

Any instructional faculty member, LEO or tenure stream, can apply to be a Faculty Convener to lead a learning community with their colleagues.

Groups should include a minimum of three additional colleagues, and a maximum of eight. The Hub and the Digital Education team can help publicize your call to potential participants.

Why

Working together in small groups is a powerful way to make meaningful changes to your teaching approaches. This program gives you the chance to support yourself and your colleagues in making your courses more accessible, ultimately benefiting all students. We believe strongly in the power of word of mouth among faculty colleagues, and we hope these collaborations will spark ongoing conversations, inspire practices, and build a culture of accessibility across our community.

How Much

The proposed funding for each learning community is:

• $500 for the Faculty Convener: This stipend is for the time and effort of leading the group.
• $200 per participant: This stipend is for the participants who join the group.

Expectations for Conveners:

• Complete the Digital Accessibility Course by the time the community begins.
• Choose a specific focus for the community.
• Join a Hub consultation or meeting about program logistics
• Recruit colleagues to join.
• Find a consistent meeting time, set up the meetings, and send reminders to the group.
• Host a minimum of four meetings.
• Invite Instructional Technologist, Chen Wang: [email protected], to at least one of your meetings.
• Submit a brief, one-page report summarizing the main topics covered and questions raised.

Expectations for Participants:

• Attend the scheduled meetings (you may miss one).
• Complete a short survey at the end of the program to receive your payment.

How to Apply

Faculty interested in becoming a Convener should fill out this application. 

Faculty interested in joining a learning community as a participant can use this form to signal their interest in being contacted. 

Questions can be directed to Carla Vecchiola.