ISSUE 01 · MEANINGFUL ACCESS
Approved doesn’t always
mean accessible.
The letter arrived. The course barriers did not disappear. What does implementation look like after approval?
THE SERIES · BY DR. ERIC S. FISHON
The letter is
a beginning.
What happens next?
A student can be admitted. An accommodation can be approved. And the barriers can still be there.
Stories, research, and practical conversations about the distance between access and success in higher education.
Invisible disabilities. Visible barriers. Shared responsibility.
A PUBLICATION OFDr. Disruptor Network
Connecting advocacy and research with Inclusive Pathways Collaborative.
AN INTERACTIVE OPENING STORY · FICTIONAL STUDENT
The letter took work.
The story keeps going.
Follow Maya through the search for proof, the decision to disclose, the forms and meetings, and the moment the letter arrives. Then stay for the question that comes next.
CHAPTER 01 · THE FIRST STEPANIMATED STORY · CAPTIONS ON · NO AUDIO
MAYA · A NEW STUDENT
Maya has been admitted. Now she is trying to learn how to get the support she needs.
THE TURNING POINTThe letter is in Maya’s hands.
The letter is in Maya’s hands.
Is the course ready for Maya?
Choose what the next scene should follow:
The next part of the story begins where approval meets daily learning.
Read the full story transcript
- The first step. Maya has been admitted. Now she is trying to learn how to get the support she needs.
- Finding proof. She searches for records, appointments, and documentation that explain the barriers she experiences.
- Choosing disclosure. Maya decides what to share, with whom, and how much personal detail the process requires.
- Forms and people. She finds the right office, fills out forms, waits for replies, and repeats her story to new people.
- The letter arrives. The approval email comes. Maya feels relief—and hopes the letter will help.
- What happens after. The course begins. A file is still hard to use. The letter is real, but the daily barrier is still there. Who helps turn approval into participation?
Maya is a fictional character created for education. Her path is one illustrative example; students’ experiences and college processes vary. This sound-free animated story includes captions and chapter controls.
FEATURED ANAM SNAP · 31 SEC
The one question every university must ask.
Are we measuring accessibility by an accommodation being provided—or by whether a student can participate, belong, persist, and succeed?
The central question behind Beyond the Accommodation Letter, presented through Eric’s Anam avatar conversation.
AI-avatar presentation · On-screen captions · Press play to listen
Read the key message
Edited for readability: An accommodation being provided is one part of access. The next question is whether the student experiences meaningful participation, a sense of belonging, the ability to persist, and success.
This clip expresses the series’ guiding question. It is an educational perspective, not a report of measured student outcomes.
Use it to start a conversation.
What would your institution need to learn beyond the number of accommodation letters it issues?
THE BEYOND THE LETTER FRAMEWORK
Access should lead somewhere.
An emerging conceptual framework developed by Eric Fishon. These stages can overlap; this is a lens for inquiry, not a validated measurement scale.
- 01Access
- 02Accommodation
- 03Meaningful
participation - 04Belonging
- 05Persistence
- 06Success
BEYOND THE LETTER BRIEF · EDITORIAL SERIES
Stories behind the paperwork.
Newsletter-ready essays asking what support looks like in daily life. They pair research, reflection, or a teaching scenario with a practical question.
ISSUE 02 · TRANSITION
From IEP/504 to college:
the documentation cliff.
What changes when a coordinated support system becomes a process a student must learn to navigate?
ISSUE 03 · INVISIBLE DISABILITIES
The hidden labor
of self-advocacy.
Emails. Follow-ups. Explanations. The work of accessing an education can become another course.
ISSUE 04 · TECHNOLOGY & DIGNITY
AI as an access tool:
who gets to participate?
A conversation about transparent policies, authorship, privacy, and individualized support.
ISSUE 05 · RETENTION & BELONGING
Retention is more than
a first-year question.
What would change if ongoing support followed students through the full degree?
A DIFFERENT WAY TO ASK THE QUESTION
“A ticket to the game is access.
Being able to participate in and enjoy
the game is meaningful access.”
Eric Fishon’s analogy for the space between admission and participation.
THE LEARNING ROOM
See the barrier.
Reconsider the response.
Use the explainer and sample situation for a class discussion, faculty conversation, or newsletter companion.
ORIGINAL TEXT-BASED EXPLAINER · 42 SEC
After the letter.
A fictional example of how approved support can become usable support. No audio; all information appears on screen.
Read the complete transcript
ILLUSTRATIVE SITUATION · NOT A RESEARCH PARTICIPANT
Meet Jordan.
Jordan has an approved accommodation for access to course materials in advance. A weekly video is posted just before class, without a usable transcript. Jordan spends the class trying to catch up instead of joining the discussion.
What response would help turn approval into participation?
Choose a response to explore what it changes.
Carry the conversation forward.
For students
What would make the next task usable? Describe the barrier and the requested support without sharing more personal information than necessary.
For educators
Where can course design reduce repeated requests? What still requires an individual conversation?
For institutions
Who follows up when approved support is not working? What tells us whether students can participate?
FROM EXPERIENCE TO INQUIRY
One body of questions.
Distinct academic projects.
This series translates scholarly questions into public education. The website is a companion artifact; it does not replace a research paper or establish institutional endorsement.
Non-thesis project
Bridging gaps in accommodations through accessible technology, transition support, and Universal Design for Learning.
Current project connection
Open the UF project briefingDSAB 629 companion
Connects the final paper’s focus on AI, academic integrity, universal design, and disability justice with educational stories and scenarios.
Intended final-submission companion
Possible capstone direction
Questions about accommodation continuity, communication, and implementation may inform later policy inquiry.
Exploratory · scope and approval pending
Course work and a future capstone remain separate academic deliverables.
Grounding the conversation.
Selected starting points for the educational content. Illustrative stories are authored examples, not empirical findings. Formal papers retain their own verified reference lists.
U.S. Department of Education · Postsecondary transition
Postsecondary students generally need to identify their need for adjustments and follow the institution’s process. A high-school plan can inform that conversation, but college support works differently. This series asks how that transition can be made easier to navigate.
Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities (2011)U.S. Department of Education · Academic adjustments
Academic adjustments are one part of access in postsecondary education. Our stories distinguish an approval decision from the practical work of implementing support.
Academic Adjustments for Postsecondary StudentsCAST · Universal Design for Learning
CAST’s framework addresses engagement, representation, and action and expression. We use those design questions to consider barriers before an individual request becomes necessary. Universal design and individualized accommodations can work together.
CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0 (2024)CAST is an educational design source for this website. CUNY paper sources must meet the instructor’s separate requirements.
A VISUAL IDENTITY FOR THE SERIES
Three marks.
One promise.
The shared idea is a pathway from access toward belonging and success. The rising-bar mark leads the system; the other concepts offer useful options for different formats.
01 · PRIMARY DIRECTION
The rising path
Clear at a glance and closely tied to progress across the series framework.
02 · STORY DIRECTION
From document to participation
Connects the accommodation letter with the movement toward participation.
03 · COMPACT DIRECTION
The B mark
A compact choice for small spaces, profile images, and course materials.
Recommended system: use the rising path as the main series logo and the B mark when a compact icon is needed.
CONNECTED BY PURPOSE
The bridge in our ecosystem.
Public storytelling connects research questions with the collaborative work of building more usable pathways.
THE UMBRELLADr. Disruptor
Inclusive Pathways
Dr. Disruptor
Network
Advocacy, ideas, and interdisciplinary work.
Visit the networkTHE STORY & LEARNING BRIDGEBeyond the
THE COLLABORATIVEBeyond the
Accommodation Letter
Explain the barriers. Ask better questions. Make room for participation.
You are hereInclusive Pathways
Collaborative
Accessible education, community, and practical support pathways.
Visit the collaborativeFISH Labs connects inquiry with prototypes.
Explore the tools taking shape alongside this work.
Explore FISH Access LabTHE NEXT QUESTION IS OURS TO ASK
After approval,
can the student actually participate?
That is where this series begins.
Return to the stories