About Us

Essential to the larger mission of the institution, the Disability Resource Center (DRC) eliminates barriers and promotes an inclusive campus environment to provide equal access for students with disabilities.  

We do this by: 

• Acknowledging disability as an aspect of a person’s identity; 
• Cultivating awareness of the University’s responsibilities in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended 2008; 
• Collaborating on and proactively facilitating accessible environments and experiences; 
• Educating faculty and staff on providing equal access in their respective areas to remove barriers impacting students with disabilities; 
• Shifting to an inclusive-minded attitude; 
• Supplementing with reasonable accommodations to ensure access. 

Accessibility is not just a DRC matter.  It is a UNCW matter.  We encourage proactive consideration of the way in which environments are created and in how we, as a campus community, think about disability.  We believe better design, even if as simple as a more open attitude, can create better access and more inclusion for everyone.  Our goal is to provide the knowledge, resources and skills necessary to ensure full access and engagement for students with disabilities throughout their university experience.