Cripping ASU: Institutional Analysis and Student Stories of Reimaging/Redesigning Accommodation

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Description
ABSTRACT My project addressed the broad questions of what barriers exist to accessibility for students and staff with disabilities at Arizona State University (ASU) and the reasons both historical and contemporary why those barriers exist. The second objective of my

ABSTRACT My project addressed the broad questions of what barriers exist to accessibility for students and staff with disabilities at Arizona State University (ASU) and the reasons both historical and contemporary why those barriers exist. The second objective of my analysis was to provide potential solutions to these problems utilizing the voices and lived experiences of students and staff with disabilities at ASU. In terms of methods, my project employed a mixed methods approach combining historical archival research with individual and focus group interviews with impacted stakeholders. I sought to build community across disciplinary and disability boundaries, as building community represents in my view the greatest asset to create social change. My study found that many of the barriers to accessibility that students and staff with disabilities at ASU face today have much to do with the institution’s historical connection to neoliberalism, ableism and eugenics. Although the task of undermining these systems of oppression may seem daunting at first, the biggest take away from my project is was that small changes can go a long way toward a broader communal understanding of accessibility within the built and classroom environments of Arizona State University. One suggestion that came up repeatedly throughout my interviews was the need for greater disability awareness within the ASU community of students, faculty and staff. In response to this suggestion, myself and my interviewees propose a semester long disability seminar for the ASU community taught by students and staff with lived experience of disability. Another recurring finding was the need for ASU to have greater transparency related to resources for students and staff with disabilities and other intersectional identities. In response to this need, I and two other interested community members have created a categorized list of disability resources that I hope can be updated organically by students and staff with disabilities at ASU as more resources become available. The resource list is included below as appendix E. My hope is that my project can serve as a building block in the ongoing work of envisioning a more accessible Arizona State University.
Date Created
2024
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