# Plain Language Summary: Improving Access to Higher Education Act

This bill makes changes to help students with disabilities succeed in college. It creates new funding and requirements for colleges to better support these students, from the moment they arrive on campus through graduation and into their careers.

The bill requires every college to set up an Office of Accessibility that helps students with disabilities navigate their education. This office must inform students about available services during orientation and explain their legal rights under disability laws. Importantly, the bill makes it easier for students to prove they have a disability by accepting various types of documentation—like an old IEP from high school, a 504 plan, or a letter from a doctor—rather than requiring expensive new evaluations. The office must also help students understand what accommodations are available for internships, apprenticeships, and work-based learning, and provide guidance on career planning and self-advocacy skills for the workplace.

The bill also funds grants for colleges to train their faculty and staff on how to teach students with disabilities effectively. These grants support professional development in areas like universal design for learning (teaching methods that work for everyone), providing appropriate accommodations, helping students transition smoothly from high school to college, and offering accessible online classes. Colleges that receive these grants must share what they learn with other institutions so successful practices spread across the higher education system.

Additionally, the bill requires colleges to collect and report data about how well they're serving students with disabilities, and it funds training programs for people who provide real-time captioning services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Overall, the bill aims to remove barriers that prevent students with disabilities from enrolling in and completing college programs.

Improving Access to Higher Education Act

DeSaulnier, Mark

Improving Access to Higher Education Act This bill addresses accessibility issues of students with disabilities in higher education. Specifically, the bill revises a grant program that supports institutions of higher education (IHEs) in educating students with disabilities. The Department of Education must award at least five grants to an IHE that provides professional development and technical assistance in order to improve access to and completion of postsecondary education for students, including students with disabilities. The bill also (1) revises and reauthorizes through FY2028 a program for national technical assistance centers that assist students with disabilities, and (2) reauthorizes through FY2028 a program to promote training and job placement of real-time writers to provide closed captioning of videos. Further, the bill establishes a new program that awards grants to IHEs for certain activities that improve accessibility of instruction and materials, such as distance education courses. The bill also establishes an independent commission to develop guidelines for accessible postsecondary electronic instructional materials and related technologies. In addition, the bill requires each IHE to establish an office of accessibility to develop and implement policies that support students with disabilities.