Ever wonder why the handicap button on door 26 to access RCTC is on the far right door, while the wheelchair accessible ramp is located in the far left once you enter through the double doors?
Can you imagine being in a wheelchair trying to traverse from one side of the doors to the opposite just to enter RCTC?
Although the campus provides elevator access, many struggle with how rapidly the doors close upon entrance. These are just a couple aspects of building design that may go unnoticed to many, but that do an injustice to the disability community.
“That was designed by somebody without a disability.” says Lexi Dunn, Social Work Major, Founder and President of the Disability Advocacy Club at RCTC.
Dunn’s mission is to make visible the invisible plights of those disabled. These examples should provide understanding of the importance of why people with disabilities should be at the forefront of the conversation.
“A lot of the time, what I have noticed is that people don’t really become aware of the troubles that people with disabilities go through until they themselves become disabled,” says Dunn.
Dunn founded the Disability Advocacy Club last semester to raise awareness to those who struggle with having a disability. The club meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month from 5-6pm in room M2400 on campus. To accommodate those who cannot make it to campus, meetings are also available online.
Disability awareness is not just a solution to those who struggle with disabilities, it can create solutions for the community.
At their first meeting on October 23rd, 2024, subjects ranging from service dog etiquette to mentor programming for students with disabilities to holiday and event planning were discussed. A key component of the first meeting was finding ways to advocate as someone with a disability. This included implementing sensory-friendly hours initiatives in places on and off campus such as the Apache Mall, Rochester Public Library, and the Rec Center.
Dunn is emphatic that The Disability Advocacy club is not just for the disabled, it is for everyone who wants to raise awareness to conditions that will affect everyone.
“Everyone that you know will have a disability at some point of their life, whether that is becoming elderly and needing more mobility assistance, or problems with their vision. Disability is the only minority that someone can become a part of at any time,” says Dunn.
Advocacy, says Dunn,allows her to become comfortable within her own disability. Dunn says that some may question the validity of her disability because some days her wheelchair is not required.
“I have a dynamic disability, some days I might need my wheelchair, some days I might need my walker, or my cane, some days I may use nothing. Every day is different,” says Dunn.
Disability does not have a look and the misconceptions can be misleading.
25% of the population is disabled. There are four major categories. Physical disabilities consist of conditions such as Spina Bifida, Traumatic Brain Injury, amputations, and multiple sclerosis. Behavioral disabilities consist of ADHD, PTSD, OCD and eating disorders. Developmental disabilities include conditions like Autism, Down Syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Lastly, sensory disabilities include blindness, deafness, and sensory processing disorder.
The vast majority of society either has or knows someone with a disability. Some people are not aware that they even have a disability. This phenomenon is better known as invisibility disabilities. Some examples of invisibility disabilities include (but are not limited to), PTSD, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and Autism. There are many misconceptions about disabilities, but disabilities do not have a look, age, gender, or sexual preference.
by Nuquii Watkins
photos by Jessica Cormican