University SHOCKED Individuals With Disabilities Exist Beyond Email Disclaimer
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: “Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact-“
Lurking at the bottom of your emails and included on any event invitation, it’s quite likely this phrase has become so commonplace to students that it simply blends into most emails. For the totally legitimate Undersecretary of Student Engagement, Sandra O’Sohmthing, this disclaimer had always skipped her mind, even though she had drafted it.
Until she got an email.
Although she initially ignored the original email and a “let’s circle back”-esque follow-up, the day before O’Sohmthing’s “Great Student Org Bash” she came across it in her inbox.
“It was about wheelchair access,” she recalls, “asking about ramps near the building and where the Bionic Bus might drop students off.”
O’Sohmthing forwarded the trusty email disclaimer back to the student. She also found an accessibility map dated from 2014 concerning the building’s access points. Her job complete, she felt prepared for the big day.
For some strange reason, Sandra could not find the student at the event the following day. It took nearly half the allotted time slot before they even showed up.
“It was so strange,” O’Sohmthing reported, “apparently the elevators in their dorm were down for the weekend but didn’t get fixed until this morning. They also told me that they had trouble getting to the building because of street construction?”
In her discussions with the student, Sandra was surprised to hear they had difficulty traveling up and down the ramps on campus. “The people riding bikes seem to find it just fine,” she said, “you could just use one of those.”
Worst of all, the student couldn’t cross the grass to the park, where the clubs had set up tables to advertise their upcoming events. “They just kind of squinted at us from across the grass. I offered to place some boards down for them if the mud was too much.”
O’Sohmthing was proud to see students with disabilities in real life also engaging in campus events. She joined the student to discuss their experience while at the complimentary snack stand inside of the IMU. But she was disheartened to find out the student had not found the variety of sources she provided helpful.
“I hope as long as students keep emailing, they’ll be able to find the right accommodations,” was her main takeaway from this event. “I’m sure we’ll be able to get them the right bikes for the ramps, or whatever they use.”
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to comment on this article, please contact The Doily Allergen at thedoilyallergen@gmail.com.