Accommodations for All

             I began work at a highly selective liberal arts institution just over four months ago. When I advanced to the second round for this position, I asked my interviewers what ‘highly selective’ meant to them. I can’t remember their answers, but I do distinctly remember the feeling of sadness because I had the urge to ask the question at all. I am increasingly concerned with questions that shake the ground under me. What is talent? What is merit? What is competence... aptitude... ability?

            I stopped believing in meritocracy early on in college. I was proud to do so because I learned, after all, that its existence was a myth. If meritocracy produced “an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class privilege or wealth” then how come our country’s most elite groups are so overwhelmingly white, straight, Christian... those who are statistically born into higher class privilege and wealth. It was clear to me that this circumstance was not a coincidence. It was about that time in college when I became more seriously conscious of the reality that privilege and oppression certainly do exist. That is exactly why I have changed my mind, now, to express that meritocracy does too.

            Meritocracy is “leadership by able and talented persons” and a “system in which such persons are rewarded and advanced”. This is real and it poses a fundamental challenge to all of us who support our students towards graduation. Where and how do disabilities fit into our world under these conditions? Persons with disabilities are greatly diverse from one another ranging from their individual disability to every other aspect of their identity, as well. Yet, there is a common experience of existing in a world where positions of power and success are reserved for those who are able to do things we cannot do. Just in the way I cannot simply turn off from being gay, I cannot turn off my ADHD. I can work with it. I can love the parts I like about it. I can train my mind and body to fit more congruently with a society that values a worker/student without ADHD, but I cannot help from being this way.

            We have to start asking ourselves if this is what we want. Do we want to maintain a hierarchy of ability? What is the opposite of a ‘gifted child’? What do you do if you are not ‘bright’? Where is your place? Often times the students on my campus from less wealthy backgrounds are the best and brightest. Combining their high ability level with hard work in order to be here and graduate, they are often revered as beating the odds. But, what about their siblings that didn’t score as high? Is one student’s success entangled in a system of meritocracy in which only the highest abled and talented break through? Ability is a powerful social identity that intersects greatly with the other social identities we consider when supporting students. It is time to start asking the ground-shaking questions.

I’ve been lucky enough to study--and now work--under conditions that have met me where I am and have not asked me to do all the work to meet them. That is a huge part of why accommodations are so important. They have the potential to tell our students that this school wants you here and we are willing to work with you to make that happen. We have accommodations that are granted on a case-by-case basis for individuals with specific needs. This includes extra time for exams, note-taking services, service animals, and single rooms. We also have structural accessibility to work towards such as elevators and ramps, door handles, and food. I think there are other ways to think about accommodations, too.

As a young professional in residential life, I want to contribute work towards a campus culture and community that make small, yet far-reaching changes. Here is a short list of actionable items I am interested in pursuing for my campus that all represent the questions I’ve been asking myself. They are about ability, yes, but they’re also not. In a way, they are accommodations for all.

Quiet Rooms: This idea came from Dr. Margaret Price who recently visited my campus as an esteemed guest for our annual Disability Awareness Lecture. In a small group of administrators, several of us brought up the high frequency of students we meet with who have generalized anxiety, clinical depression, and other conditions that make living with a roommate difficult. We remarked that there is really no space on campus for our first-year students, especially, to be alone. Dr. Price asked us if we had any designated “Quiet Rooms” on campus. While our library is a generally studious space, it is also a very social space for students to study, as well, as relax, meet, and work together. She expressed to us that it is important to have quiet space in which others may be in a room together, but absolutely no social interactions happen. I can resonate wholeheartedly with that need and now I want to look into a collaboration with campus partners to make such a space available.

Class year designated by your date of entrance, not graduation: I work at a 4-year college and the pressure students feel to complete their degree within 8 semesters is high. For many, many reasons students often complete a bachelor’s degree in more than 4 years. We count our class years, however, by that 4 year measurement. The Class of 2019, for example, just started this past fall and they will all presumably graduate in the spring of 2019. Many of them, however, will not do so and that is okay! Yet, we tell them with our current labels that it is not. Instead, we could count class years by the date of their entrance to the school. My undergraduate institution, for example, did this and I am known as a member of the F’09 class because I entered in the fall of 2009. I do not have the direct authority to make this change on campus, but I will have the chance to be in various opportune spaces and I can share my thoughts on the idea.

Substance free environments on campus: In collaboration with my student leaders, we just recently launched a new initiative for recurring substance free programming during the hours of high alcohol usage on campus weekend nights. Many campuses have these kinds of programs already operating, but it is always worth taking a moment to ask what your campus offers and judge whether or not there is a need for such programming. I am, also, interested in the idea of a housing option in our apartment areas that will be home for students in recovery from addiction. Several campuses already operate such housing options and I admire them greatly. An organization called Haven at College offers a model to consider.

Recognize ability as a social identiy:  I raised a lot of questions in the beginning of this post. I do not know what my answers are yet to many of them. As we work, though, to support our students academically we have no choice but to understand that a disability is not merely medical. Someone’s disability is very relevant within the socio-political contexts of our campuses and greater society and we should take this into account!

 I do not know everything there is to know on these subjects, in fact, I only know the beginning. But, it excites me that there is more to learn. I hope you all will join me on this journey as well.

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About the author: Michael Drucker is a professional in Residential Life at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. He previously served as an Academic Advisor within the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont while earning a Master of Education degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration.