Accessibility at Brandeis University.
Hear from our community.
What does accessibility mean to you? Why is it important?
To me, accessibility is universality.
Accessibility to me means equity.
Accessibility is important because everyone
has a right to exist in the same spaces.
To me, accessibility means
access, understanding, and equity.
For me, it's embracing duality.
I think that in order for accessibility to really happen,
we need to create an environment here,
where we see the entire person.
Accessibility is important because
it allows community and inclusion.
Accessibility means to me is
the ability for everyone to be included.
Specifically in terms of physical infrastructure,
how a meeting is held,
what kind of people feel welcome.
I think accessibility is part of
the larger social justice fabric.
As an international student
with a lot of mental health struggles,
it is vital for me to have
support in relation to accessibility.
Accessibility to me means working
with people to support different needs and
communicating, not assuming, what
people's needs are because even if you have the
same disability or same condition,
what people need can be different.
Accessibility to me means freedom.
As somebody who has multiple disabilities,
it's really important that
the university and the faculty and staff
value my accommodations and support
them because I probably
wouldn't be in college without them.
Accessibility is important because everyone deserves
to have access to education
and the help they need for success.
How can accessibility improve at Brandeis?
We should remove as many barriers
as is possible so that everyone every student at
Brandeis and all the faculty can get
the full Brandeis experience
and get as much out of it as possible.
Invest in accessible infrastructure
in dorms and academic buildings.
Disabled people still exist at the margins of society,
facing structural barriers that hinder our full access
to and participation and acceptance in society.
Make freshman dorms accessible.
Dorms and buildings are lacking accessibility.
Even when implemented, please ask
folks with different accessibility needs.
Be intentional and lead with empathy.
How can professors foster
an accessible learning environment?
High stress exams that are only given about 1 hour
to complete can put a lot of pressure on any student.
Having enough time to attempt
the entire test is necessary
for a student to display and be
recognized for their knowledge and their work.
If you're a class using time to take quizzes,
you can set up a separate quiz
with extra time for the students with extra time
so that most kids take
one version of a quiz that's 1 hour,
and then the kids with extra time have that.
Please acknowledge
when you receive an accommodation letter.
It just makes the student feel welcomed.
Mandatory attendance,
although rewarding for those who
are able to come to class each time,
is detrimental to others.
Because of my autoimmune condition,
I might miss class for an extended amount of time.
People do not want accommodations.
They need them.
Don't act like it's optional.
It's not a request. It's a polite demand.
I am legally blind.
I really couldn't participate in
a general classroom without
specific accommodations that I receive.
I don't have the ability to see a board and I
don't have the ability to read
written notes if I wrote them out by hand.
So it's very important that I have access
to a computer so that I can
see slides on my computer
and type notes instead of writing them.
I use a screen reader that reads
all written information auditorily
so that I can hear it instead of having to see it.
It's very important that professors I have
and anybody else that I come in contact with,
give me information and
educational material in a way
that I can interact with it.
Remain cognizant of how you are approaching students
with disabilities about their
accommodations during class.
Make a conscious effort to maintain confidentiality,
which despite your best intentions,
you might find yourself in breach of.
As a professor of mine did
during my first semester at Brandeis.
He approached me about accommodations during
a large 200 person lecture
class and didn't turn his lapel mic off,
and in doing so, inadvertently
divulged my accommodations to the whole class.
What advice can students utilize?
Get involved in your Student Union.
We've had a director for
accessibility for the last two years.
They've both done some great projects,
and on Student Union,
we work directly with faculty and
staff to make Brandeis more accessible all the time.
Go to Student Accessibility Support
in Brandeis Counseling Center. It helps a lot.
Get close to your professors.
I always like to send at the beginning of each semester,
along with my accommodation letter,
an introduction email, who I am,
what I'm like, what I'm interested in,
how I tend to act in a classroom,
my a bit about how my brain
works when you already have that repertoire,
it's so much easier to talk to them,
and it's also easier for them to
understand you when you talk to them.
Don't wait to get accommodations or meet with
someone about accommodations slash support.
There are many avenues for support.
For example, student accessibility support staff
can help with accommodations in classes,
meal plans, housing, and more.
If you want to learn more, see
if you qualify for accommodations,
please reach out by emailing access at
Brandeis.edu or visiting the website,
Brandeis.edu/accessibility.
You can also connect via
Instagram at Brandeis_SAS for up to date
information about the department.
If you feel more comfortable
approaching a fellow student with your concerns,
SAS fellows are a peer support resource for you.
Although fellows cannot approve accommodations,
they can support you with organizing your assignments,
communicating with professors, finding campus resources,
getting homework done, and more.
You can schedule an appointment
ahead of time easily using
the calendar or drop
in during their scheduled office hours.
For more information, reach out through email
sasfellows@brandeis.edu.
Or online at brandeis.edu/accessibility/students/sas-fellows.
The Campus Accessibility Committee
is composed of students and representatives
from university departments who work
together to address inaccessibility on campus.
Contact access@brandeis.edu.
If you're interested in joining or visit the website,
brandeis.edu/accessibility/cac.
On that same website,
you can find the report form where
you can submit accessibility concerns you may have.
These concerns may also be directed to
the office of Equal Opportunity via
email at OEO@brandeis.edu.
If you are looking for support,
the Brandeis Counseling Center can be
a short term support for you through individual therapy,
group counseling, Urgent Care, and more.
Contact the front desk at 781-736-3730.
Treatment is available in English,
Farsi, Hebrew, Mandarin, and Spanish.
If you are looking for community resources,
the disabled students network, dsnbranuni@gmail.com
Fosters community for students that identify as
disabled and deisvergent@brandeis.edu,
provides a space for students
that identify as neurodivergent.
Both are run by students that
identify as a part of their respective communities.
Please don't hesitate to give support
in whatever form you find most suitable.
Please.
Disability only becomes a tragedy when
society fails to provide
the things we need to lead our lives,
job opportunities or barrier-free buildings.
It is not a tragedy to me that I'm living in a wheelchair.
Judy Heumann, 1987.