Prioritizing Accessibility in the Classroom: Challenges and Opportunities in Teaching Anthropology Introductory Courses

This paper discusses a project to develop an introductory course in Cultural Anthropology that prioritizes accessibility. Drawing inspiration from Universal Design for Learning and other teaching strategies, we explore ways of making course materials, content delivery, and assessments more accessible for students with different needs and abilities. We also consider accessibility from the perspective of instructors with disabilities, a topic that has received less attention in the literature. We discuss the use of varied classroom activities to increase engagement and participation, different forms of expression, adaptive technologies, and evaluation components that anticipate and mediate barriers to learning while enabling students to connect the course content to their lived experiences. We conclude with a discussion of challenges and future considerations.