As my older sister Yulissa who has Cerebral Palsy puts it, “The truth is, we, as a society do not discuss the needs of our impaired fellows enough. And rarely, do we include their ideas and wishes in how to create a more inclusive society.” — Damaris Del Valle

By Johnsie McAuley-Davis and Damaris Del Valle, contributors

In Dr. Tay Rogers’ Fall 2023 Healthcare Ethics class, we, the authors of this paper, were introduced to something called “The Social Model of Disability.”

We were fascinated by the way this method of framing disability captures how we, as a society, create it. More specifically, the Social Model of Disability defines impairment as “individual and private,” and disability as “structural and public,” whereby it is societal policies and practices which render impaired individuals disabled. Rogers further explains:

“Society, rather than bodies, disable people,” Rogers said in a lecture in November. “Disability is something imposed on top of physical limitations, or ‘impairments,’ by the way society isolates and excludes some bodies from full participation in society.”

While it is an unfortunate truth that many people are physically impaired, they are disabled only because of social barriers we have erected. For example, while not being able to walk is an impairment, it only becomes a disabling impairment when a lack of accessibility ramps socially excludes those in wheelchairs.

Understanding this key tenet of disability politics can be motivating. As we learned more, we began to wonder how we, the GSU community, can best respond to impairment on campus. We sought answers through an interview with Ms. Angela Sanchez, the Director of Access Services for Students with Disabilities (ASSD) at GSU. Sanchez reminded us that “impairment can occur at any time and in anyone’s life.” However, there are several interlocking tools to assist students, staff, faculty, and community members with impairments. Some are championed directly through the ASSD office, while others are supported by various departments and divisions across campus.

We focused on the following questions and issues:

1. SECURITY: Do we have policies in place that are designed to assist police officers in knowing who might have a hearing impairment, so that they can use their hands to speak? Our concern arises from understanding how limiting handcuffs would be to hearing-impaired individuals who speak with their hands. Sanchez told us that continuous training is taking place on our campus, and in society more broadly.

• CLASSROOMS: Are students who are hearing, visually, or otherwise impaired, given first choice when choosing their seating preferences? In order to create a “stigma-free” and effective learning environment, do our classrooms provide the technology needed for teaching all students, including those with various impairments? Do professors have support to deliver these technologies? Sanchez assured us that the ASSD offices encourage faculty to reach out to the ASSD whenever a need arises. Please contact them at  [email protected] or visit their webpage at https://www.govst.edu/disability-services/.

• CULTURE: Is our culture more generally one that welcomes, includes, and makes our impaired colleagues know they belong? Do we educate ourselves on issues of disability? The answer is a resounding “yes.” According to Sanchez, GSU consistently welcomes an increase in enrollment of students with impairments, and there is active collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access, and Belonging (DEIAB), and individual departments and divisions to increase awareness. 

• OUTSIDE SPACES: We have beautiful grounds. Can everyone enjoy them freely? Have we considered our impaired colleagues in our landscape designs? This is an area that is outside the jurisdiction of the ASSD offices. However, we spoke with Director Jeff Stevenson of theNate, GSU’s premier sculpture park, and learned that there is technology designed to assist impaired colleagues, allowing for more mobility in grassy spaces. Currently, the cost of the project is a barrier, but GSU is keeping an eye on it.

We believe that lifelong learning, well-being, and success for all our colleagues, impaired or otherwise, can be achieved by continuing to educate ourselves through the lens of social and disability justice. We can then use such knowledge to invest in our community, advocating for the continual transformation of our institution into a space that is maximally inclusive. We can always do better.

(McAuley-Davis is an undergraduate senior in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Sociology and Political and Justice Studies. Del Valle is an undergraduate junior in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on Business and Psychology.)