An attempt to capture the Disability Justice Caucus’s Event
Saturday, September 21st 10am-4pm in James Chapel
10am-12pm: Student Only Forum
This space is for students to discuss their experiences on campus, to build community together, and to explore future goals for increasing access on campus. A panel of current students will speak to their diverse experience before opening a time for response and questions.
Thoughts, feelings, and questions present:
Institutional failures, bureaucracy, personal issues interrupting professionalism and negatively impacting students’ accessibility at Union as a student and resident.
Structural and systemic powers disable us.
Ableism is the water we swim in.
How do we build coalition between disabled and those who don’t identify as disabled at Union? How can we address those who view accessibility and accommodations as a zero sum game seeing an extension for someone else as a loss for themselves?
We need a Disabilities Office, a person who’s full time position is to cover disability access at Union.
Has Union leveraged building projects (Hastings renovation and the tower project) and accessibility in them to gain support for the projects?
Bekah Anderson is included in the search committee for the new Dean of Students position.
Academia as disabler, pedagogy shift to accommodate multiple intelligences, becoming learner centric, “Ivy league expectations” on Union as under the accreditation umbrella of Columbia creates a certain academic emphasis on workload that is steep and non-accommodating.
Bring advocates with you into meetings you don’t feel adequate or respected at alone.
Create teams and coalitions in class, break down the borders, share with classmates, deconstruct learning in isolation or in competition.
Anyone affected by ableism can be a participant in DJC.
This work is tied to radical relationship, will mean our ways of relating to each other will change, and will ultimately be better for all.
12-1pm: Lunch
Vegan and gluten free food will be served. Staff, faculty, alumni, and invited community guests are welcome to attend any portion of the event from this point on.
1-2pm: Disability Culture
Disabled scholars and panelists Kendrick Kemp, Diane Weiner, and Cathy Weebb will provide some basics on disability culture, politics, and theology from their own work and study.
Kemp is an alum of Union and founded Black Liberation Theology of Disabilities, and more info from him can be found on his website (link: kendrickarthurkemp.com). Covered in this panel was a need for disability representation in Theology and in discussions on scripture interpretation. Webb offered examples of how the stories of Moses and Zacchaeus could be theologically impacted for the better when reading them through the discourse of Disability Theology. There is a need to shift the narrative away from “suffering, sickness, and sadness” to be cured and embracing of multiple abilities and identities as valuable ways of understanding the human experience.
Books Recommended:
“Academic Ableism” by Jay Timothy Dolmage
“Disability in the Way of Jesus” by Bethany McKinney Fox
“A Healing Homiletic” by Kathy Black
“Who is this God We Worship” by John Swinton
“The Disabled God” by Nancy L. Eiesland
2:15-3pm: Accommodations
Interim Dean of Student Affairs Bill Crawford, Academic Dean Pamela Cooper-White, and Public Services Librarian Carolyn Bratnober will present on the work their offices do to provide access and accommodations.
Dean Crawford discussed the flow of requesting accommodations and accessing disability services. Resources for the application process can be found on the Disability Services page of Union’s Website (link: https://utsnyc.edu/life/student-affairs/disability-services/), which includes a more thorough description of requirements than was stated in person. Each semester students have to fill out the Disability Services Registration Form (link: https://utsnyc.formstack.com/forms/disability_certification_instruction) and will then have to meet with Dean Crawford or whomever the current Dean of Student Affairs is at the time to discuss their disability further and what would be a reasonable accommodation. Following this meeting, if the request is approved, the Dean would notify all the student’s current professors of the need for accommodation and then the student and professor can design a strategy that supports the student’s flourishing in the class. If needed the Dean can participate in the process.
It was noted by a student in the question and answer portion that this process was not so easy and despite multiple attempts to file their disability with the Office of Student Affairs there was no follow through and this Dean led system resulted in institutional ghosting. It was noted from the panel that this process requires students to take initiative following up on their case with both the Office of Student Affairs as well as their individual professors. Also in response to this, Academic Dean Cooper-White acknowledged and apologized for current “slippage” which she related to priorities, identified in part due to the need to write the job description for the Dean of Student Affairs position and start the search process. This sentiment of priorities echoes an already stated suggestion from students for the need of a full time position that’s whole expertise and function is to cover disability access at Union, which would include the processing of these Disability Registration.
Another question from the crowd, this time from Professor Andrea White, asked what Professors can do to increase accessibility of readings within the syllabi. The Public Services Librarian Carolyn Bratnober answered by acknowledging an earnest message from the outset that making resources accessible for students is a priority for the Library and will always be available for consulting. Carolyn then explained the importance of readable PDFs in OCR accessible format posted to Moodle are the best form of text access for students as they can be read by screen readers and can cleanly be converted into other formats for accessibility purposes. This kind of PDF is not to be confused with one that is simply a black and white image as that will not have text recognition technology. Carlolyn also emphasized professors see how many of their texts have an eBook on CLIO, and to make a note of that on the syllabus. Dean Cooper-White said she would make sure all faculty had this information about accessible readings.
3:15-4pm: Chapel
We will close with a time of worship, led by embers of the Disability Justice Caucus.
“May access, interdependence, and love be among you.”
Statements, Notes, and Welcome from the Program
Your presence here matters, whether you identify as disabled, neurodivergent, mentally ill, D/deaf, someone with special needs or challenges--or none of the above. We hope this day has something to offer you: a fresh word about disability theology, a challenging perspective from another community member, or a concrete piece of information about how to get your needs met.
Today, the three primary goals of the Disability Justice Caucus (DJC) are to (1) foster and interdependent community of students with disabilities and other access needs; (2) advocate with faculty and administration for the rights and needs of disabled students; and (3) increase awareness of disability culture through education, activism, and interpersonal connections. We hold monthly meetings, where we make plans for supporting one another, educating ourselves and our community, and making our school more accessible. Some of our recent and current projects include working with administrators on the accessibility of the Hastings project, working with the Communications Office to improve email accessibility, and putting on community events like DJC chapel and sober Ice Cream Sundae PUB.
Our space is accessible by elevator, breaks are scheduled, real time CART transcription is projected on a screen during all sessions, and lunch includes vegan and gluten free options. While we attempted to maximize the accessibility of this event by using the principles of universal design, if you have an access need we have overlooked or failed to fully support, please find one of the Disability Justice Caucus Co-Chairs and we will do our best to provide access. Additionally, we encourage you to do whatever creates access and self-care for you. We welcome fidgeting; standing, sitting, or moving as needed; taking breaks; snacking; and other things you need to do for you. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we can’t do the work of justice”
Statements from the Disability Justice Caucus Co-Chairs
Bekah Anderson: “I think to me the most important thing about this event was reaching students. We have long been aware that there is a great deal of interest and passion about disability on this campus but it so rarely gets gathered in one room, and there is so rarely expertise that is present or recognized when it is present. So what we really wanted to do was gather expertise, gather the community, and put it front and center to say today we are talking disability, we are talking about all the things that get talked about in one-on-one conversations but now we’re talking about them together. And I'm just really grateful and honored by the presence of all the people who came today and how thoughtful and amazing all the questions and discussions were.”
The Heretic: Is there anything you want to say to the people who weren’t here or who have ongoing questions about their possible involvement with Disability Justice Caucus at Union?
BA: “Absolutely, the conversation is one hundred percent ongoing. The social justice conversations are always ongoing there is never a point of “we have resolved this” in particular with DJC we need to set our agenda, decide what our goals are, and set them into action so I would love for folks to come to the DJC meetings if they identify as someone affected by ableism and I would love anyone who is at all interested in or has opinions on this to reach out to us and hopefully we will be able to create a follow up email to include those that weren’t able to attend today.”
Naomi Maderas: “It felt special today to provide a space for students to process, celebrate, and share experiences about disability particularly at a place like Union. Putting this event together has taught me that though we have a long way to go, transformative things can happen when we teach, learn from, and rely on each other. Memorable moments from today were the conversations I had with students I had never met before, and with friends of students who attended the event.”
To join the listserv for DJC, email Saorsa Wissman at sw3358@utsnyc.edu.