Lyza Weisman, a senior triple major in economics, English, and psychology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA, was in her Leavey 6 apartment in April 2022 when the lights went out, trapping her inside. For most students, this was a minor inconvenience. However, Weisman says she was lucky that a caregiver was with her that day. Without a caregiver, she would have been stuck. Weisman was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at the age of 13 months and has been using a power wheelchair since the age of seventeen months.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular condition characterized by degenerating alpha motor neurons from anterior horn cells in the spinal cord, resulting in severe progressive hypotonia and muscular weakness. SMA is the second most common autosomal recessive condition after cystic fibrosis, with a carrier frequency of 1 in 40-50 and an estimated incidence of 1 in 10,000 live births.
Weisman stated that no one from Disability Support Services (DSS) called her. Weisman reiterated that sentiment and requested action more than a year and a half later, suggesting that DSS could send out an email checking in on their students.
Weisman says that broken elevators are also a problem at LMU. In one week alone, she counted nearly a dozen broken elevators throughout campus. Several buildings don’t have an elevator, including dormitories and on-campus apartments.
Sasha Gold-Moritz, a freshman sociology major, was hit by a car on Oct. 1 while walking with a friend near the intersection of 83rd Street and Lincoln Boulevard, leaving her with deep bruises and sprained ankles. Sasha, a resident of Whelan Hall, a building without an elevator, chose to stay with family nearby for a time so she wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of going up the stairs.
Skyler Andrews, a sophomore animation major, walked up the steps to the third floor of the Communication Arts Building while on crutches for a month after knee surgery since the elevator was broken. Andrews was informed that an elevator part was on backorder. Andrews was subsequently told that the elevator would be repaired within a few days to a week. However, it took almost a month to repair the elevator.
Inaccessibility and a lack of accommodations on college campuses create barriers for disabled people. Globally, many disabled people face challenges similar to those faced by students at Loyola Marymount University.
A university in the United Kingdom underestimated the expense of a sign language interpreter. Due to this error, a deaf student at The University of Brighton was forced to drop out. Chelsea Reinschmidt, an international student from the United States pursuing a master’s degree in occupational therapy, left the university after learning in October that the university could not provide a sign language interpreter.
Students and staff at Trinity College in Connecticut have found the services provided by the Student Accessibility Resource Center to be inadequate. Some professors have begun proctoring their exams online to ensure disabled students can access the necessary accommodations. Sometimes, exams are not delivered to the SARC or are missing content.
For other students, college can present logistical or physical barriers. In 2019, Edinboro University in Pennsylvania discontinued its service which offered PCAs to students. The PCAs helped students with activities of daily living such as toileting, dressing, and eating. Many students, like Veronica Siaba, opted to finish their degrees elsewhere.
For me, college has been challenging. I went through three different PCAs in three semesters of college. Often, my mother and a friend filled in. It forced them to adjust their schedules in order to accommodate me. From obtaining exam accommodations to ensuring that I had accessible books and furniture, nothing was straightforward.
In September of this year, I met with the disability services office at the local community college. I was having difficulty understanding my reasonable accommodations. Unfortunately, the meeting only added to my confusion.
I couldn’t understand why I didn’t receive a peer notetaker in my remote classes. In the past, I’ve received a peer notetaker in all of my classes, regardless of whether or not they were online. It frustrates me that the college couldn’t help me access the accommodations I need.
In the United States, just 15.2 percent of disabled adults aged 21 to 64 have a bachelor’s degree. But don’t think for a second that it’s because they aren’t intelligent, talented, or willing. Because ableism is so deeply ingrained in our society, disabled people must fight for the education to which they are entitled. Growing up, I felt the need to prove that I belonged with my non-disabled peers socially and academically.
Disabled people deserve a college degree, and it saddens me that many of them, like myself, believe they don’t. Disabled people need to have institutional barriers to higher education removed. We can accomplish so much if we are given the support we need.
Sources:
Carroll, Jamie M., et al. ‘Barriers to Bachelor’s Degree Completion among College Students with a Disability’. Sociological Perspectives, vol. 63, no. 5, SAGE Publications Inc, Oct. 2020, pp. 809–832, https://doi.org10.1177/0731121420908896.
D’Amico, Adele, et al. ‘Spinal Muscular Atrophy’. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, vol. 6, no. 1, Nov. 2011, p. 71, https://doi.org10.1186/1750-1172-6-71.
Keinath, Melissa C et al. “Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Mutations, Testing, and Clinical Relevance.” The application of clinical genetics vol. 14 11-25. 25 Jan. 2021, doi:10.2147/TACG.S239603
McNeil, Grace. “Students with Disabilities Express Grievances about Accessibility on Campus.” Los Angeles Loyolan, Loyola Marymount University, 21 Nov. 2023, http://www.laloyolan.com/news/campus_news/students-with-disabilities-express-grievances-about-accessibility-on-campus/article_2ee8e086-db1d-5525-be41-f56570e63db5.html.
Prior, Thomas W., ‘Carrier Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy’. Genetics in Medicine, vol. 10, no. 11, Nov. 2008, pp. 840–842, https://doi.org10.1097/GIM.0b013e318188d069.
Schackner, Bill. “As a Storied Program Ends, Students with Physical Disabilities at Edinboro U. Face a Painful Choice; What Happens to Them Now?” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Block Communications Inc, 3 May 2019, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2019/05/04/Edinboro-University-State-System-Attendant-care-disabilities-health-college-higher-education/stories/201905040025.
Simpkins, Skyler. “Ableism at Trinity: Disabled Students Share Their Harrowing on-Campus Experiences.” The Trinity Tripod, Trinity College, 18 Apr. 2023, https://tripod.domains.trincoll.edu/news/ableism-at-trinity-disabled-students-share-their-harrowing-on-campus-experiences/.
Southwell, Felice. “Deaf Student Told to Leave Course after Funding for Interpreter Falls Through.” Brighton and Hove News, Independent Community News Network, 9 Oct. 2023, http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2023/10/08/deaf-student-told-to-leave-course-after-funding-for-interpreter-falls-through/.