ACCESS & INCLUSION

Ableism is a term rooted in the assumption that disabled people require “fixing.” Like racism and sexism, ableism is a form of systemic oppression—and it’s something that Laura Warner, PA’s director of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and the Academic Skills Center, works every day to reduce.

Nationally, more than one in five students have some type of learning or attention difficulty; between 10% and 12% of college students register with their accessibility offices. Currently, 8% of students at Andover are registered with SAS, seeking assistance to manage a wide range of disabilities including ADHD, hearing loss, and diabetes.

“In the past, there may have been a stigma about a student coming to our offices,” says Warner, “but things are changing. We do a lot of dorm outreach, we work with teachers, and the students themselves are interested in discussions about accessibility, inclusion, and disability.”

Thanks to increased education and visibility, Warner says the Andover community is becoming more progressive in its perception of the disabled and neurodivergent communities. Recent campus speakers have included Haben Girma, a Deafblind human rights lawyer advancing disability justice and Vasu Sojitra, an adaptive athlete who advocates for sports accessibility and education.

Students are taking the lead in a variety of ways. In her fall 2022 research project, Kate McCool ’23 explored how antiquated laws and policies, namely the federal Supplemental Security Income, have created a system whereby those with disabilities are forced to live under the poverty level in order to access government funds. When race and ethnicity are factored in, these income disparities increase.

“For a historically oppressed community that is much more likely to be in poverty and to be denied employment opportunities, there’s a systemic dependence on government benefits,” McCool says.

Joseph

Boston Globe features writer and former co-chair of the Alumni Council’s Class Secretaries Committee. In 2022, he co-chaired his 55th Reunion.

McCool and others are motivated to take action. Warner says that student affinity groups and clubs, such as Advocates for Diverseabilities (ADA), the American Sign Language Club, PA Neurodivergent Association (PANDA), Neurodiversity in Global Youth, and Active Minds, provide spaces for collaboration, discussion, and deeper understanding.

—ALLYSON IRISH