By Jenn Polish (Guest Curator) 

Whether it’s foremost on our minds or not, dis/ability is ever present in our classrooms, in every assignment and every discussion. With this in mind—and in conjunction with an ongoing series on the topic of ableism and pedagogy—we invited CUNY instructors to share their own strategies for cultivating accessible and anti-ableist classrooms. From the ways that an awareness of student anxiety can (and should) alter how instructors define and assess “participation,” to the benefits of incorporating universal design principles into assignments, these three posts prompt us to reflect both on how ableist assumptions manifest in our course design, and how we might use this knowledge to reshape our classes, and our expectations of ourselves and our students.  We invite you to join the conversation and share your own experiences!