McBurney Disability Resource Center

What McBurney Disability Resource Center does

The McBurney Disability Resource Center is a non-commercial department within the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Division of Student Affairs, established in 1977 as one of the first disability resource offices in the United States. Named in memory of Floyd 'Mike' McBurney, a UW-Madison graduate who advocated for accessibility legislation, the center provides disability-related academic accommodations to eligible UW-Madison students at no charge, funded through university and state budgets under ADA and Wisconsin statutory mandates.

The center's primary operational technology is McBurney Connect, a web-based portal (hosted on rainier.accessiblelearning.com) that supports student accommodation applications, instructor accommodation letter management, peer notetaker coordination, and a separate Communication Access Scheduling System for sign language interpreting and live CART captioning services. Core service offerings include alternative testing, alternative formats (braille, large print, audio), peer notetaking, sign language interpreting, CART captioning, housing accommodations, and adaptive technology. Supporting programs include the Disability Cultural Center (DCC), Career Accessibility and Readiness Program, Study and Learning Skills Specialists (SLSS), the McBurney Orientation and Service Training (MOST) program for incoming freshmen, and the Ambassador peer mentorship program.

The center serves 5,791 students with disabilities affiliated between Summer 2024 and Spring 2025, with a staff of 68. Distribution is direct-to-consumer (B2C/B2B2C), delivered through the McBurney Connect self-serve portal, in-person consultations at the 702 W. Johnson St office, and coordination with UW-Madison faculty, departments, and partners including University Housing, University Health Services, Employee Disability Resources, GUTS, and Wisconsin Union. The center has no external revenue model, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no API or public-facing developer integrations.

Name

McBurney Disability Resource Center

Legal name

McBurney Disability Resource Center

Website

https://mcburney.wisc.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The McBurney Disability Resource Center is a 1977-founded department of the University of Wisconsin–Madison that provides free disability-related academic accommodations to 5,791 eligible UW-Madison students annually, using the McBurney Connect web portal to coordinate applications, instructor notifications, and interpreting/captioning services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Disability Accommodation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDALAGAJ

Disability Case Management, Retention & Student Support

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Disability Services & Accessibility

SECONDARYEDALAGAD

Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Disability Services & Accessibility

SECONDARYEDALAFAN

Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Student Health, Counseling & Wellness Services

SECONDARYEDALAGAI

Faculty/Staff Training & Accessibility Awareness Programs

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Disability Services & Accessibility

Keywords

• Disability accommodation services
• Academic accessibility services
• Sign language interpreting
• Alternative testing accommodations
• Peer notetaking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Disability Accommodation Services: As a university department, the McBurney Center provides free disability-related accommodation services to eligible UW-Madison students. Services are funded through university and state budgets rather than direct student fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McBurney Disability Resource Center provides free academic accommodation services to eligible University of Wisconsin-Madison students with disabilities. Core offerings include alternative testing, peer notetaking, sign language interpreting, live CART captioning, alternative formats (braille, large print, audio), adaptive technology, housing accommodations, and reduced credit load recommendations. Services are delivered through the McBurney Connect web portal and coordinated with faculty, departments, and external service providers across the UW-Madison campus.

Product overview

McBurney Disability Resource Center is UW-Madison's central office for disability-related accommodations and accessibility services, serving over 5,700 students annually. The organization's primary product is McBurney Connect, a web-based portal that enables students to apply for accommodations, notetakers to manage assignments, and instructors to review and implement accommodation requests. Related core offerings include Communication Access Services (sign language interpreting and CART captioning), Alternative Testing and Alternative Formats for accessible course materials, and Peer Notetaking coordination. Supporting programs include the Disability Cultural Center (DCC) for community building, Career Accessibility & Readiness Program, Study and Learning Skills Specialists (SLSS), McBurney Orientation and Service Training (MOST), Ambassador Program, and Housing Accommodations. McBurney Connect generates Student Accommodation Letters that communicate approved accommodations to instructors. The center does not offer a public API or AI-powered products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• McBurney Connect: Online portal for students, instructors, and notetakers to apply for, request, and manage disability-related accommodations.
• Disability Cultural Center (DCC)

Products and services

• McBurney Connect
• Student Accommodation Letters

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• University HousingcoreOthersCollaborates with University Housing for disability-related housing accommodations. The McBurney Center reviews documentation and makes recommendations to University Housing regarding student accommodation requests.
• University Health Services (UHS)coreOthersWorks with UHS for campus resources related to mental health, physical health, and assessment services for students with disabilities.
• Transportation ServicessupportOthersCoordinates accessible transportation options including the Accessible Circulator Shuttle and paratransit services for students with disabilities.
• Employee Disability Resources (EDR)coreOthersClose working relationship with EDR office which handles accommodations for university employees with disabilities, including student employees.
• Greater University Tutoring Services (GUTS)supportOthersCollaborated on creating the Study and Learning Skills program (SLSS) for students with disabilities. GUTS has invested in resources ensuring SLSS's success including Study Buddies program and drop-in hours.
• Office of CompliancecoreOthersWorks with Office of Compliance on policy development, digital accessibility improvements, ADA education, and service/assistance animal policies.
• Wisconsin UnionsupportOthersCoordinates technology and logistics for captioning services in Wisconsin Union spaces. The Union Technology Staff assists with displaying captions and coordinating events.
• Campus Career CenterssupportOthersThe Career Accessibility and Readiness Program complements services offered by school/college career centers including Career Services, SuccessWorks, School of Education Career Center, School of Nursing Career Services, and others.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Texthelp: Texthelp builds literacy and accessibility tools (Read&Write, EquatIO, OrbitNote) widely used in K–12 and higher education to support students with learning disabilities and print disabilities. Comparable to McBurney's adaptive-technology and alternative-format offerings, but at a national commercial scale.
• University of Michigan Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD): SSD is the analogous Big Ten disability resource office at the University of Michigan, providing academic accommodations, notetaking, interpreting, and assistive technology to thousands of students. Direct functional peer operating at comparable scale within a peer public research university.
• Penn State Student Disability Resources: Penn State's Student Disability Resources is the Big Ten DRC at one of the largest U.S. public universities, providing accommodations, testing services, and interpreting at a comparable scale. Direct peer serving a similarly large disabled-student population.
• Ohio State University Office of Student Life Disability Services: The Ohio State SLDS is the equivalent Big Ten DRC, providing accommodations, testing services, notetaking, and sign-language interpreting. Direct peer delivering the same service mix at another flagship public research university.
• Symplicity Corporation: Symplicity provides the Accommodate platform — the accommodation-management software used by many U.S. universities including UW-Madison (which runs on the rainier.accessiblelearning.com instance). Direct peer in delivering the digital infrastructure that DRCs rely on to manage student accommodations.
• Northwestern University AccessibleNU: AccessibleNU is Northwestern University's Big Ten disability resource office, providing academic accommodations, adaptive technology, and sign-language interpreting. Direct functional peer at a peer private research university with overlapping service portfolio.

Others

• Benetech (Bookshare): Benetech operates Bookshare, the largest accessible e-book library serving U.S. students with print disabilities. Directly comparable to McBurney's alternative-formats service for visually impaired and print-disabled students, but operating as a national nonprofit rather than a single-campus department.
• Level Access: Level Access provides enterprise digital accessibility services including auditing, training, and managed services. Adjacent/ecosystem peer relevant to McBurney's work on digital accessibility, captioning, and ADA compliance — though it sells to enterprises broadly rather than specializing in higher-ed DRC operations.
• AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability): AHEAD is the professional association for higher-education disability resource professionals and the field's main training, certification, and policy body. Ecosystem peer that connects McBurney's office to the national DRC community and represents the broader industry context.

Broad incumbents

• Anthology (Blackboard Ally): Anthology's Blackboard Ally product provides automated accessibility checks and alternative formats for course materials across the higher-ed market — adjacent to McBurney's alternative-formats and digital accessibility work, but as part of a much broader LMS/ed-tech portfolio.

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UWMadisonMcBurney
• Facebookfacebook.com/McBurney-Disability-Resource-Center-1408271469436889
• Instagraminstagram.com/uw_disability
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcburneydisabilityresourcecenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McBurney Disability Resource Center