SIUE Office for ACCESS Completes Certification in Inclusive Mentoring Practices through Partners for Youth with Disabilities

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Office for Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) has successfully completed a four-month-long certification program on how to create mentoring programs, activities and events that are inclusive to youth, volunteers and staff with disabilities.

The certification was operated by Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD). The Fall 2024 cohort was the fifth time the certification was offered, and it featured participants from 20 unique mentoring organizations across 13 different U.S. states.

Collectively, it is estimated that 7,860 young people will be impacted by these programs that graduated the Disability Mentoring Program Certification.

“The Office of ACCESS has remained committed to creating an environment where students with disabilities can do more than just attend college but thrive and succeed beyond graduation,” said ACCESS Director Dominic Dorsey, and president of SIUE’s Black Faculty & Staff Association. “We're confident that this new certification will not only enhance our ability to fulfill this mission but also create more meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships between BUILD mentors and mentees as a function of our retention and affirmation efforts.”

To complete their certification, SIUE staff completed more than 20 hours of online coursework, contributed to weekly discussion posts, and attended live webinars and cohort convenings, while also creating a plan to improve the disability inclusion practices in their organization.

Through this program, SIUE staff gained valuable training in a wide range of topics, including:

• Models and definitions of disability
• Addressing ableism and fostering inclusion
• Disability rights and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Universal Design principles
• Inclusive language and communication strategies
• Accessible marketing and outreach practices

“We are thrilled to recognize the accomplishments of our certification cohorts,” said Program Director Kristin Humphrey. “Each participating organization created a detailed Inclusion Action Plan, and they have all made huge strides in making their mentoring program more inclusive of people with disabilities. This certification is an important step for the mentoring field to take to become more inclusive and accessible.”