Disability at Scripps

The Dean of Faculty at Scripps asked me to write something up on disability at the college. Here it is.

Scripps’s biggest problem with disability is ignorance, a systemic ignorance that renders disability all but invisible. All students, disabled and able-bodied, should be fully integrated into campus life and have equal access to an excellent education, but the ableist attitudes that pervade the school have led to the isolation and exclusion of disabled students. Ableism, or discrimination against disabled people, is, like other forms of social prejudice, institutionalized, and little is being done at the moment to combat its presence at Scripps. As a school committed to fighting racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and heterosexism, Scripps must also work against ableism in order to fulfill its stated mission of inclusivity.

Scripps’s approach to disability currently begins and ends with accommodations. This is harmful, both because there is so much more to be done and because the accommodations process is problematic. Students face a great deal of skepticism while trying to secure accommodations, and the heavy reliance on documentation does not take into account the extensive time and money obtaining a diagnosis can require.

Having gone through the process, students may still encounter professors who do not honor their accommodations. Furthermore, the mindset that accommodations are special privileges rather than an attempt to level the playing field is not unusual among professors and students. Comments from students such as, “If I had extended time I would have also gotten an A” betray an ignorance of disability that makes the experiences of disabled students very difficult. Even well-meaning professors sometimes inadvertently do or say ableist things, and the lack of training for faculty members on these issues is indicative of the low priority the school places on disability.

Beyond accommodations, there is no conversation at Scripps about disability. The community as a whole functions on the medical model of disability, which theorizes that disability is a personal and private problem that is the root of the difficulties that disabled people face, rather than the social model, which is supported by the disability community and states that most of the pain and suffering disabled people encounter is due to an ableist society. There are brilliant professors at Scripps, and few of them have heard of this basic tenet of critical disability studies. Therefore, disability rarely comes up in classroom settings. Far more common are ableist comments from professors and students, which places disabled students in the uncomfortable position of either constantly calling out problematic comments or letting ignorant statements go by unquestioned.

In conversations about social identities, ableism is either absent or included as an afterthought and seldom discussed. There are no disability studies classes, and senior staff members have dismissed the need for a disabled student space. But for a brief nod to ADA compliance, disability is not mentioned on the website, and it is never spoken of during prospective student tours. Disabled students have few forums in which to explore this aspect of their identity, and this needs to change.

Scripps is actually in a very good position to become an excellent school for disabled students. The open-minded and ever curious attitudes of many professors and students suggest that the community would be receptive to and supportive of trainings, workshops, critical disability perspectives, and increased resources for disabled students.

Ally trainings for professors and students are essential in making the school a better place for disabled students. There is a whole host of steps professors can and should take, ranging from the simple (placing an ADA notice in a syllabus and making an announcement about disabilities on the first day of class) to the more complex (increasing their knowledge of critical disability theory and including relevant material in their classes), and regular trainings by professionals would facilitate this. The option of ally training for students (and the inclusion of disability issues in wider ally trainings) would enable the student body as a whole to become more educated and more inclusive.

Space for disabled students is also key. A Disability Resource Center is in the works, which would make an incredible difference in the lives of disabled students. The DRC, in addition to housing professional staff members who could facilitate the aforementioned trainings and support disabled students, would be a much needed safe space for disabled students at the Claremont Colleges to gather, have discussions, and become empowered. An effective DRC would include resources like books and movies, and should host programming that would enhance the experiences of disabled and able-bodied students alike. The center should also work with other offices at the 5Cs like housing and study abroad to make sure disabled students are in a position to make the most of their time in Claremont. The student-run Disability, Illness, and Difference Alliance (DIDA) would be housed in the DRC, and student leadership could hold office hours in the center for students to come in with any questions.

Including the voices of disabled students on committees is also important, as are the funds and initiate to bring guest speakers on disability to campus. One of the simplest steps to increase awareness is providing venues for disabled people to tell their stories and welcoming their input on larger college issues. The appointment of a disability representative to the President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusivity (PACDI) is a good first step, and one that should pave the way for greater representation to come.

Disabled students would also benefit from a mentoring program, which would be opt-in and could be run out of the DRC. At the moment disabled students have few opportunities to meet each other, and a mentoring program would help empower disabled students by connecting them with people who understand their circumstances and have experience self-advocating.

Currently, the DRC is on hold because of finances, but it absolutely must go forward as originally planned. Simply put, disabled people are no strangers to the excuse of money. It has been used to deny access and resources to disabled people time and time again, and it would be a shame for the Claremont Colleges to follow in that despicable tradition. It is not that there is not enough money for the Disability Resource Center; it is that certain people do not believe disabled students are valuable enough to spend what needs to be spent in order to create a space that will really make a difference. At this time, the vast majority of money being spent on disabled students is being used to meet a legal minimum of providing accommodations. If the money being spent on the DRC seems extreme, it is only because the Claremont Colleges are doing so little right now.

Finally, Scripps should begin offering disability studies classes, with an eye towards eventually having a disability studies major. Scripps has the opportunity to be at the forefront of a developing field, and it would benefit both the students (disabled and able-bodied) and the institution as a whole to begin exploring disability from an academic perspective.

Scripps has a lot of work to do in the realm of disability, but as a small school with not insignificant resources, it has both the ability and the obligation to begin making changes. Disabled students enrich Scripps College, and the more disability is viewed on campus as a normal part of human diversity, the better off the college and all of its students will be.