David Jones, M.A., student success coordinator for the School of Education, contributed the chapter “Untangling Literacies: Accessible Digital Slides and Syllabi in the Graduate Classroom” to the book Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts, Case Studies, and Practical Implementation (IGI Publishing). His chapter deals with the observation that the graduate classroom relies on layers of assumptions about what is normal or commonplace in communication. While graduate classrooms rely heavily on slide presentations and syllabi, those forms require nuanced literacy. Invoking the social model of disability, the chapter argues that layering assumptions about the commonplace nature of such literacy builds a metaphorical staircase that systematically penalizes students from diverse backgrounds. The chapter further demonstrates how those types of materials can be unpacked and made more sensible.