Please email facultygrants@teachaccess.org if your question is not addressed below.

What are some examples of eligible and ineligible grant submissions?

The most common ineligible submissions we receive for these grants are from applicants who are requesting funding to make their course material more accessible, rather than using the funding to teach their students about accessibility.

Teach Access focuses on teaching accessibility, not teaching accessibly. The grant application should reflect how your course will educate students on how to implement the principles of accessibility. Awards are focused on enhancing the content of courses to address accessibility knowledge, not on the format or delivery of the content. While making learning materials more accessible is a goal of many other notable initiatives, Teach Access is not focused on making courseware more accessible to students with disabilities.

Examples of eligible submission topics (all are focused on teaching students about accessibility):

• I would like to use the grant funds to pay myself a stipend to add an “Accessibility 101” lecture to my Human Computer Interaction course.
• I would like to use the grant funds to purchase accessibility testing software to educate myself on how it works so I can teach my students about it.
• I would like to use the grant funds to pay a disability advocate to come speak to my students about how accessible design improves their everyday life.

Examples of ineligble submission topics (all are focused on teaching accessibly rather than teaching accessibility):

• I would like to use the grant funds to modify my course material to be accessible to students with disabilities.
• I would like to use the grant funds to pay to create braille versions of my classroom handouts.
• I would like to use the grant funds to pay myself for the time it takes to add captioning to my instructional videos.

Is the research associated with this grant covered by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval? Isn’t IRB approval required to collect “Pre- and post-testing of student knowledge of accessibility information“?

The Teach Access faculty grant funds curriculum development, not research. Due to this distinction, it was not necessary for Teach Access to acquire IRB approval. However, if you would like maximal flexibility to use your students’ pre/post data or other data in presentations and publications, rather than strictly for the purpose of improving the curriculum, you will need to check with your institution’s IRB to see if use of the data in this way will qualify for exemption.

I would like to use the grant funds to modify my course material to be accessible to students with disabilities. Is that an acceptable use of the funds?

Teach Access focuses on teaching accessibility, not teaching accessibly. The grant application should reflect how your course will educate students on how to implement the principles of accessibility. Awards are focused on enhancing the content of courses to address accessibility knowledge, not on the format or delivery of the content. While making learning materials more accessible is a goal of many other notable initiatives, Teach Access is not focused on making courseware more accessible to students with disabilities.

My course isn’t a computer-science course – am I still eligible to apply?

Yes! We strongly encourage any and all instructors to apply that are teaching an existing course in any field/discipline that can incorporate curricula designed to impact a student’s knowledge of fundamental accessibility concepts and skills and their ability to implement the principles of accessibility.

Should I complete the submission form myself, or should my university submit it on my behalf?

The submission form, located on the faculty grants page, can be completed by either the faculty member or the institution. Please check with your institution’s grant office to determine how your university would like to handle this. Here is information about how these grants are funded/disbursed:

• Financial support for the awards is being provided through sponsorship from corporate members of Teach Access.
• Award payments will funnel to faculty through their universities and colleges. Teach Access faculty grants do not allow the charge of any indirect institutional costs. Total funding may not exceed $2,000. These funds may be used in flexible ways to support staff salary and benefits, summer salary, extra-contract work, or student employees. Funds can also support travel, materials and supplies, or other project expenses
• Outfitters4  is the fiscal agent for Teach Access and will be managing the dispersal of funds to faculty.
• Teach Access will create opportunities for collaboration among awardees.

I’m a faculty member at an institution outside the United States. Am I eligible for the grant?

No, these grants are only available for faculty teaching at institutions in the United States and U.S. Territories.

Are incoming faculty members eligible for this grant? (For example, submitting an application in Spring 2025 when you won’t officially be a faculty member until Fall 2024)

If I am co-teaching a course with another faculty member, can we apply for the Faculty Grant as co-applicants and share the award money?

Yes, co-applicants are fine as long as you are co-teaching the same course together.

If one of our campuses is not a participating member of Teach Access yet, can a faculty member at that campus apply for the grant?

Absolutely! Grants are not restricted to only Teach Access university members. Any faculty member who meets the eligibility criteria may apply:

• Teacher of an existing course in computer science, design, user experience research, human-computer interaction, or related field
• Teacher at a two- or four-year university or college in the United States
• Preference will be given to instructors who have not received a past Teach Access Faculty Grant. If you are a previous grantee and you wish to receive consideration for this round of awards, you may submit an application for a different course than previously awarded.
• Planning to teach this course in the upcoming academic year (this Fall through next Spring). Teach Access reserves the right to rescind award funds if your course is not taught in this timeframe.

One of my colleagues has already received an award; is it conceivable that you might make a second award to someone at the same institution? (Of course, for a different project, targeting a different segment of the curriculum.)

There are no restrictions on the number of awards per institution, so please do submit your application. We look forward to reading it!

Are the awards primarily intended for undergraduate classes or can they also be used towards classes for graduate students?

We are open to considering submissions related to graduate student courses, but will let our selection committee have the final say in that once all submissions are in. Preference will be given to undergraduate faculty.

Is the expectation that the award money will pay faculty salary during the summer (while we are developing the course) or will it cover equipment as well?

The money can be spent on any appropriate expense, including salaries, grad students, equipment, as long as the deliverable requirements are met.

My course teaches students how to design and develop online instruction. I want to increase my students’ understanding of how to create accessible learning content. Is this course eligible for a Teach Access Faculty Grant?

What department do I need to be part of in order to apply for a Teach Access Faculty Grant? Are these awards only available to Computer Science professors?

As long as you are a full-time, part-time, or adjunct faculty or instructional staff member at a community college or four-year university in the US who teaches a course in which you can enhance the curriculum with accessibility concepts and skills, you are eligible to apply for these awards.

Are bootcamp instructors eligible to apply for the Teach Access Faculty Grants?

Currently for this round of grants, applications are only open to faculty at US-based colleges/universities. However, we are actively exploring how to provide more support in the future to bootcamps to ensure their students are exposed to accessibility.

I teach a course called “Designing for Accessibility” and I was wondering if I would be eligible to use a Teach Access Faculty Grant to fund additional development for this course (e.g., developing demos, grad student as a teaching assistant etc.).

Anybody is welcome to apply for the awards, but it sounds like your course already teaches accessibility topics to your students. If you teach another course that does not already include accessibility concepts in it, please consider applying for grant funding to modify that course instead. More information can be found in the Limitations section of our call for proposals:

• These awards are intended for the introduction and promotion of accessibility knowledge in courses that do not already contain modules/content covering the concepts of accessibility. Faculty who are new to teaching accessibility or are hoping to infuse their existing courses with accessibility content are encouraged to apply.