The University of Colorado Board of Regents will decide in two weeks whether to adopt a new, revised version of CU’s disability policy.

The revisions to the policy reiterate the university’s commitment to people with disabilities and aim to go beyond the legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“I think it’s really important we expressly state our commitment as a university to people with disabilities through policy,” Regent Elliott Hood said. “So I’m really grateful that we have a written policy that we’re proposing to the full board.”

The Governance Committee voted on Thursday to bring the revised policy to the full board for a vote, which will happen during the next regular meeting on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. The revised version of Regent Policy 10.M removes all prior language and includes a policy statement on disability, a commitment to universal design, a commitment to accommodations and guidelines for implementation.

Universal design is where all aspects of the educational experience, including curriculum, buildings and technology, are accessible to people with disabilities. Accommodations are adjustments made to the learning environment so people with disabilities can have equal opportunities.

The university initially began reviewing the Policy 10.M on disabilities in the summer of 2023. It was first adopted in 1993 to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and has not been updated since.

Potential changes to the policy were introduced to the board in October. The university’s recommendation was to rescind the policy entirely, and the reasoning was that there are efforts on the CU campuses to support students with disabilities that effectively replace the policy. The regents disagreed with the recommendation to rescind, instead expressing interest in replacing the policy with something new.

“The feedback we got is that a replacement policy needed to not only enforce compliance but go beyond the minimal requirement for disability services and take a proactive approach,” Regent Ilana Spiegel said.

Some of that feedback came in the form of a letter from three organizations that advocate for disability rights in Colorado: Disability Law Colorado, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition and The Arc of Colorado.

“As we enter an era of increasing local autonomy, where communities are entrusted with more decision-making power, it is essential for institutions like the University of Colorado to adopt clear, consistent policies that protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities,” the organizations wrote in the letter. “These policies should ensure that individuals with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of campus life and education.”

In the letter, the organizations encouraged the university to adopt universal design in the policy, which it did.

“I appreciate the work that the committee has done on this and especially the emphasis you have chosen to place on universal design,” Regent Mark VanDriel said. “As someone who was a new faculty member slightly more than a decade ago, this type of policy would’ve made my job a lot easier. Not by being prescriptive, but by guiding me toward the best practices … Ultimately, what this is going to do is help our faculty and hopefully help our students.”

Regent consideration of the revised policy comes after students reported barriers to accessing disability accommodations in the fall of 2023 and fall of 2024 on the Boulder campus.

Spiegel cited a Psychology Today article during the Thursday committee meeting that reported only 5% of students with learning disabilities make it to college, and less than half get a degree.

“As our students have to deal with greater academic demands in college and the stress of independent living, and this is also from Psychology Today, the effects of their disabilities get amplified,” she said. “I think the approach that we’re taking that’s reinforcing compliance and taking a proactive approach I think is very important to go beyond the minimum.”

All regent policies that are actively under review are open to public feedback. To view the disability policy and provide feedback, visit cu.edu/regents/rlpreview.