Director of Disability Affairs Report

Well, Finals Week is nearing, as is the end of our first quarter. We've done a lot of preparation for next quarter, already. Expect more events themed about disability this winter. We'll be working with disability-friendly groups and organizations on and off campus.

I had a Meet and Greet on Thursday. Several people with and without disabilities spoke to me about their concerns on campus. I was saddened by some of the things they shared when it comes to lack of accessibility on campus. The biggest obstacle everyone mentioned regardless of ability was that people with disabilities face oppression from their able bodied counterparts here at WSU. To remedy this, many called for events  that focus on informing and educating able-bodied students, faculty, and staff about disabilities.

When it came to events, while many said they either did not know about most events in time to plan to attend, the majority of students with disabilities noted lack of accessibility as a reason they do not attend. Some cannot go places without PCAs and cannot afford to pay for them to go with them to events, since they must cover this pay out of pocket. Others noted lack of transportation to off campus or Nutter Center events, as well as dismissive attitudes by those at the events towards them as reasons for not going.

Many people with disabilities are so used to be treated differently or being told there is not enough interest from the disabled community to make the event accessible that many have given up even trying to attend events. The able-bodied respondants noted that they have seen mistreatment of those with disabilities mainly due to indifference or ignorance by others.

I also met with Brittany Boyne last week who is an advisor for Abilities United. We had a great discussion about AU and how we can hopefully work together to better this campus. Brittany and Zack (AU president) have signed on to help with the Abilities Expo in February.

The Disability Resource Center plans are moving slowly but I hope to work on this further over break.

Good Luck on your exams everyone and Happy Holidays!