Viral tweets highlight the need for better accessibility

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ELENI KOPSAFTIS

A tweet with over 600 retweets has helped start the conversation about improving accessibility at the University of Guelph. CREDIT: TAYLOR PIPE

Under the ‘Accessibility (AODA) Resources’ tab on the University of Guelph website, you will find the U of G’s own statement of commitment to accessibility. There, our prestigious school commits to “fostering an educational, working, and living environment, where all University community members experience an authentic sense of inclusion and belonging.”

However, if you’re a student or member of faculty with disabilities, or you’ve at least kept up to date with recent U of G-related news, you might’ve noticed that such statements have been criticized in light of students’ actual experiences.

In early September of this year, U of G psychology and sociology student Brittany Hannah posted a thread of tweets about her experiences as a disabled student that quickly went viral.

Hannah has been bound to a wheelchair since an ATV accident injured her spine, three parts of her ribs, and her ankle a year ago. In July, a scheduled surgery left her completely unable to bear weight on her ankle. As a result, she cannot attend class on campus. Her program also has a limited amount of Distance Education (DE) courses available, according to Hannah.

In her thread of tweets, Hannah reveals a series of experiences in which the University of Guelph and some of its faculty failed to accommodate her.

When she first reached out to the university for accommodations in light of the limited DE courses, she was suggested to either drop the semester or attend another school. When Hannah pointed out her concerns over these options, a linked screenshot of one of her emails read, “I realize that some of the options are not the most efficient but there will be some limitations if there are certain (reasonable) restrictions you are working with for the first part of the semester.”

The same email also pointed out that professors are not required to “make exceptions” in light of accommodations, and Hannah’s professors had not offered any kind of accommodations or alternatives.

“I should not have to beg a school that is ‘committed to providing goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities’ for respect as someone with a disability. I have the right to the education I’m paying for. I am devastated,” wrote Hannah.

The thread has since gotten over 600 retweets and 2,200 likes.

U of G Assistant Professor Adam Davies told GuelphToday that although the University of Guelph does have a policy that should ensure that accommodations, such as audio or visual recording and virtual lectures, are provided, many such accommodations are “supplementary,” meaning it is left to the discretion of each course instructor.

As such, instructors, whom Davies says are often overworked and underpaid, may not want to put the extra effort into needed accommodations. There are also other factors, such as lack of training resources, to consider, though Davies says the problem mostly stems from structural ableism.

“When people whose minds and bodies operate outside of the

taken-for-granted norm of higher education, people often don’t know how to respond to that, are not willing to put the energy into making their classroom more inclusive,” said Davies in the article on GuelphToday.com.

They further explained that the solution for Hannah’s case could’ve been a simple one, and that professors would only have needed to “have a Zoom camera going during class and record the lectures, then post them afterwards. It’s definitely manageable because we’ve been doing that over the last few years with the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Following the media attention of her tweets, Hannah has since received accommodations from her instructors, but unfortunately it still seems like there is work to be done to better support students and faculty with disabilities.

On their Twitter profile, Davies elaborated a bit on their own struggles and that of their students.

“The emotional labour of being a queer nonbinary disabled faculty in the academy is enough of a reason as to why there are so few of us. I’m tired of feeling like I work at a place that would rather I not be there,” they wrote.

On Oct. 17, they also wrote that one of their students had contacted the university about acquiring accessible desks before the start of the school year. Six weeks into the semester, Davies’ lecture hall finally received the desks, only for them to be nowhere to be found the very next week.

“No explanation was offered,” said Davies in a series of replies. “Disabled students, faculty, and staff are treated like second class citizens in higher education and there is a systemic issue at this institution. As a disablaed faculty, I have been asking for copyediting for a month and still have nothing.”

The Ontarion reached out to the University of Guelph for a statement on Hannah’s situation and the issue of accessibility.

They responded, “the University cares deeply about our students. We do all we can to help them to succeed. We are committed to creating and maintaining an equitable learning environment for all. We recognize that each student has their own specific needs to do their best academically.”

They go on to explain that the team at Student Accessibility Services works with students individually to meet their needs and aims to remove structural barriers to ensure the equitable participation of all who attend post-secondary education at U of G.

“We work closely and collaboratively with students, staff, and faculty to determine what is needed. The process begins with the student reaching out to Student Accessibility Services.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the university learning environment, the University of Guelph will “[work] to continually evolve [their] practices and processes.”

On Oct. 25, Hannah tweeted that she would be pursuing education elsewhere.

“I’ve tried very hard to advocate for disabled students, but I’m tired of this administration and their lack of care or urgency with the systemic discrimination that they’re aware of,” she wrote.

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