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July 26 is the anniversary of when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. Kevin McCracken, Director of Adaptive Educational Services (AES) at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, remembers a world without curb cuts, door openers, and disabled parking. McCracken shares how the ADA led to physical accessibility to higher education for disabled students, but also forced higher education to establish disability services offices that now play a critical role in higher education.
Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: Please share more about you and your professional role on campus. What was the path that led you to your role in higher education?
Kevin McCracken, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis: As Director of Adaptive Educational Services (AES), I am responsible for every facet of our operations. This includes budgeting, general operations, strategic planning, and developing relationships with key stakeholders across the campus community. Our office provides campus-wide leadership for removing barriers to education for disabled students, confronting inequity as it relates to ability, and promoting the principles of Universal Design.
I had an entire career in community mental health services. My experience includes direct clinical work, provision of clinical supervision, managerial responsibilities — both tactical and strategic — and extensive community relations. I spent the last five years of that career establishing and growing a social enterprise business that employed people with psychiatric disabilities.
I began my career in higher education by working with corporate partners to develop and deliver professional development opportunities. In another role, I was responsible for graduate education on the campus where I worked. I recruited graduate students, assisted with curriculum development, advised students, and engaged alumni. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degrees in business administration and mental health counseling. I am a doctoral candidate in instructional systems design, which is an instructional design program.
In my role at AES, I draw upon my experience with the disabled community, my management and leadership experience, and my work in higher education. For me, my position is the perfect combination of all of these experiences and I truly consider this to be a “dream job.”
Hibel: July 26 is the anniversary of when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush who stated “The Americans with Disabilities Act presents us all with an historic opportunity. It signals the end to the unjustified segregation and exclusion of persons with disabilities from the mainstream of American life.” How do you think the ADA has helped persons with disabilities achieve success as a student? What about working in higher education?
McCracken: The ADA (and the ADA Amendments Act) forced society to confront ableist policies and practices. I remember all too well a world without curb cuts, door openers, and disabled parking. The ADA certainly led to physical accessibility to higher education for disabled students. But it also forced higher education to establish disability services offices that play a critical role in the implementation of accommodations. Without this legislation, countless students would be unable to access or complete their education, thereby robbing the world of their collective and individual contributions to improving society. The same applies to those of us who work in disability services. Our jobs simply would not exist if not for the ADA.
Hibel: What makes a college or university disability friendly for students? How can institutions be more inclusive for students with disabilities?
McCracken: I think that many students in higher education experience a high degree of autonomy for the first time. It can be exciting and overwhelming all at once. Disabled students have had very little autonomy over their treatment and accommodations. One way to make disability services more friendly is to empower students to make informed decisions rather than prescribing accommodations. This means providing them with good information, explaining all options, and generally treating them as peers and with respect.
Offices like ours can increase inclusivity by engaging in outreach and inviting students to learn more about disabilities and disability services. We also serve as tireless advocates for disabled students by raising awareness among members of the university community about what factors affect how we think about disabilities and what are some ways to interact with disabled students. We also take a leadership role regarding the dissemination of knowledge about the principles of Universal Design.
Hibel: You have notable experience in mental health services at the community level and employing people with disabilities. From an employer/employee perspective, how can higher education institutions be more welcoming for staff and faculty with disabilities?
McCracken: Higher education institutions, and organizations in general, will be more welcoming when they realize that disabled employees serve as an asset to the organization. Each individual shares their own unique gifts and higher education institutions that exclude disabled employees do so at their own risk. And I do not mean risk of consequences associated with non-compliance. I mean risk of losing the expertise, knowledge, skills, and experiences that disabled employees bring with them every day. An organization that limits the pool of potential employees will be less successful when compared to a more inclusive organization.
Hibel: What is a takeaway you would like to share, or wish more people knew about disability services, working with students and staff with disabilities, or what people can do on a regular basis to support those with disabilities on campus?
McCracken: I am a firm believer that change begins with self-awareness and that this occurs through self-examination. One must objectively evaluate one’s own biases before engaging in action that could support those with disabilities. A really good way to do this is to intentionally interact with disabled students, faculty, or staff. Become involved by volunteering at your disability services office. Seek out someone who is disabled and engage with them. Read what you can about ableism, disability, and inequity.
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