By Zoe Beery — 2020
For some of the 61 million Americans with disabilities, the ability to work, learn and socialize from home has been an unexpected expansion of possibility.
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CLEAR ALL
I couldn’t keep “proving everyone wrong” and still do all the things I wanted to do with my life.
Millions of young people grew up knowing the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act as a birthright. They now demand its guarantees — and even more.
In the beginning, it was difficult to let myself rest, even with the ultimate doctor’s note. I felt like I still had to push past my (extremely limited) capabilities. I had to practice slowing down and allowing my frailties to become visible even when I had the choice to hide them.
This is not about meeting criteria and ticking boxes, it’s about finally creating the generous, plural and radical art world that many of us want and need.
Most, if not all, colleges have resource centers devoted to helping students with all types of disabilities, but many obstacles still need removing in order to make college truly accessible to everyone.
Colleges and universities are making progress on efforts to serve disabled students, but some advocates and scholars say higher ed has been slow to recognize disability as an identity group or include it in programming around diversity and inclusion.
“It’s about going beyond compliance in terms of what the ADA really means and what it means in terms of disability and inclusivity,” one expert said.
By focusing on play, schools are finding ways to bring students with and without disabilities together, to the benefit of both groups.
When developing a culture of inclusion, colleges and universities have specific responsibilities to students with disabilities to ensure they can learn and achieve their goals.
Progress has been made in providing more accessible campuses, but for too long, students with physical disabilities have had to self-advocate for their needs.