HR 101: Urging the University of hawaii to evaluate the effectiveness of the university of hawaii at manoa kokua program and disability services across the university system and identify areas for improvement and expansion.

HOUSE RESOLUTION

Urging the University of hawaii to evaluate the effectiveness of the university of hawaii at manoa kokua program and disability services across the university system and identify areas for improvement and expansion.

     WHEREAS, creating an accessible, inclusive, and supportive learning environment where people may thrive, regardless of ability, is a guiding principle for higher education in the State; and

     WHEREAS, colleges and universities, other post-secondary institutions, and a public system of higher education have an obligation to provide access to students with disabilities in all institutional programs and activities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; and

     WHEREAS, the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey found that the percentage of college students with disabilities has nearly doubled during the last two decades, with as many as twenty-one percent of students reporting a disability in 2020; further, the National Center for Education Statistics found that during the 2019-2020 academic year, twenty-three percent of Pacific Islander undergraduate students reported having a disability; and

     WHEREAS, there is a discrepancy between the rate of students reporting having a disability, and the rate of the students registering with their campus disability center, with only seven percent of students registered at public institutions; and

     WHEREAS, students with disabilities face increased rates of basic needs insecurity such as food, housing, health care, and transport access, yet have not been identified as a vulnerable social category by the Landscape Assessment of Student Basic Needs Insecurity in the University of Hawaiʻi's System report; and

     WHEREAS, the Office of Student Equity, Excellence, & Diversity (SEED) works to ensure access and opportunity through research focused on impact that fosters academic excellence and success, and student affair programs that are shaped by connections to place, community, and society; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the University of Hawaii is urged to evaluate the effectiveness of the University of Hawaii Kokua Program and disability service programs across the University of Hawaii System and identify areas for improvement and expansion; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii Manoa SEED program is requested to conduct a study or survey to assess how to better improve student outreach and knowledge of disability support and provide recommendations for improving access, including but not limited to:

     (1)  Optimizing the disability services registration process;

     (2)  Improving the speed of faculty letter transmittal and classroom relocation so as to not impact registration and attendance;

     (3)  Assessing solutions for long-term building inaccessibility due to broken elevators;

     (4)  Accommodating a broader range of disabilities that may need innovative accessibility solutions; and

     (5)  Implementing a framework for accommodations regarding barriers with transport, attendance, and basic needs access; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii Manoa SEED program is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the University of Hawaii and Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success.

Report Title: 

UH; Kokua Program; Student Disabilities Services