Student activists have played a major role in the fight for disability inclusion and representation on college campuses. In this session, we will explore past and present disability movements on college campuses. 

For context, the session will start with an overview of the laws that protect disabled students: The ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

We will then explore student disability activists such as Ed Roberts and the “Rolling Quads” at UC Berkeley, the “Deaf President Now” movement at Gallaudet University, and the “Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee” at Syracuse University. While past activism and legislation has done a great deal to create a more inclusive educational environment, current policies often enforce only a baseline of non-discrimination rather than an ideal of full inclusion. We’ll discuss some of these gaps between policies and ideals and how to begin to fill them, especially the barriers faced by students in the accommodations process. This session will conclude with a presentation by students from the Social Work Disability Justice Coalition at Wayne State University about their current inclusion activism.

Access notes: This event is remote, and will be held on Zoom. All materials will be provided ahead of time in an accessible format. Chat will be enabled for the Zoom meeting, and cameras will not be required. We will also have live captioning and ASL interpretation. There will be one scheduled break during the event. Please let us know about any access needs when you register.

Timing and recording: This event is planned for 1.5 hours, which includes an introductory talk, a presentation by student activists at the Wayne State University School of Social Work, and I time for questions I am happy to make a recording for those interested.

RSVP for this free virtual event here: https://umich.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsc-2upzgoHdevxIXh_6aqlJQscmY5Bzpz#/registration