Disability awareness week approaching
Disability awareness week is scheduled to take place the week after Thanksgiving break, with many events to promote awareness and discussions at CSB/SJU.
Student Accessibility Services and Extending the Link are partnering to create Disability Awareness Week. The schedule of events will begin after Thanksgiving break on Nov. 29 and will focus on raising awareness and discussion about disability-related issues.
Events include a presentation in the Founder’s Room on Monday Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. by Miro Griffiths of the University of Leeds in London and Judy Huemann featured in the Netflix documentary “Crip Cramp.” A discussion of Huemann’s book in the Multicultural Center will follow on Tuesday. An identity and language panel and Theology on Tap will be featured later in the week. A full list of events and times can be found on Extending the Link’s Instagram page.
“I understand that a lot of people become uncomfortable with this topic. I think these events and this week will allow people to transform their ideas about disability and progress as a community,” Alex Morales-Garcia, ETL creative co-director and SJU senior said. “This week won’t change everything, but it will be a good start.”
Disability Awareness Week originated in several places at once.
“It was a really natural thing and very cool to see how everything is lining up because this is the first time for a lot of things. It’s the first time the course is offered and the first week for disabilities,” Morales-Garcia said. “Many departments understood the intersectionality of disability and how it should be more of a conversation within our community.”
Knowing that ETL was focusing on a similar topic, many other organizations collaborated to develop plans for the week, including a Disability Justice class by Dr. Janelle Hinckley, the Multicultural Center, CSB/SJU libraries and the McKneely Center.
ETL is in the process of creating its annual documentary. It is concentrated on disability activism, and they will travel to London in January to compare the historical context of accessibility.
“It aligns with our motto, think globally and act locally,” Olivia Hoff, ETL event coordinator and CSB senior. “The UK’s history of disability accessibility is completely different from the USA. Seeing how it intersects will be a big part of it.”
Student Accessibility Services have also added a new testing center with a capacity for 22 students. The office typically proctors 1,400 tests each year.
“We function as an extension of the classroom,” ETL director Tom Sagerhorn said. “It is designed to not make the exam any easier but provide a distraction-free environment where they get sufficient time to demonstrate their knowledge. Video cameras allow us to ensure that no forms of academic dishonesty occur within our space.”
The department supports 518 students who fall under federal classifications for diagnosed conditions that impact a major life function.
“We are not here to label individuals, we will meet them where they are at,” Sagerhorn said. “The common theme is barriers, whether physical or mental. It could be not having an elevator in a certain building or inability to hear content in the classroom.”
The facility is located in HAB 105.
“If I were to have known that those resources existed earlier, I think I would have been a better student,” Morales-Garcia said. “To have known about those spaces would have been beneficial.”