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Two critically important resources for disabled students are consistently underfunded and understaffed at the University of Washington, causing significant accessibility problems: the Disability Resources for Students (DRS) office, and the UW Counseling Center.A <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/603ff532-fa5b-11ef-8f05-37a55668e8d1">recent article</a> in The Daily, UW's student newspaper, examines the accommodations process with DRS and notes that each service coordinator at DRS is currently assigned to between 700 and 800 students, which is about three times the recommended case load of 250 students. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/opinion/uw-celebrates-diversity-and-inclusion-while-failing-disabled-students/article_7dbe1d16-c10e-11ec-86b8-3b80290b1478.html">According to</a> The Daily, DRS has been staffed at the same level for the past ten years despite an over 300% increase in the number of students registered with DRS during the same time period. "Members of DRS administrative staff have recently reported that their department is facing an unprecedented workload and lacks the necessary resources and support from the university to ensure accessibility for students in need," <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/uw-drs-report-consequences-of-understaffing-20240213">reports</a> The Daily. The understaffing results in accommodation requests sometimes taking over five weeks to process, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/603ff532-fa5b-11ef-8f05-37a55668e8d1">according to</a> The Daily.&nbsp;One student <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/news/drs-continues-to-struggle-to-accommodate-students-as-leadership-looks-to-revitalize-the-office/article_bcd4b734-ed41-11ed-9ab1-732a4a111435.html">commented</a> to The Daily, "I scheduled an appointment [with DRS] but it never happened... It’s kinda frustrating because there are important things I need access to and there’s a timeline for everything at school."As far as mental health resources at UW, one student tells us, "The psychological counseling center is often overwhelmed and cannot see the amount of students who need their services or have to limit sessions. Because of this, it can take a while to get an appointment." The president of the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/47267402-9671-11ef-b2cb-bf499ccb2eb9">noted</a> to The Daily that "28% of UW students had a significant mental health concern and the estimated numbers to actually treat this is 200 counselors but we only currently have 36."In <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/a-step-forward-or-another-missed-opportunity-20250123">a recent op-ed</a> in The Daily, Melanie Nguyen writes, "It seems as though UW has struggled in the past to make mental health resources feel accessible and genuine to students. In a small survey I created and conducted, seven out of nine students said they don’t use these resources because they feel 'ingenuine' or 'unreliable,' describing them as more of a token effort than meaningful support. For many of us, the university’s current approach feels impersonal — a QR code here, a flyer there. It’s not enough to simply offer resources; they need to be presented in a way that feels approachable, welcoming, and trustworthy."Despite these problems, University of Washington is one of the most progressive and disability inclusive campuses in the United States. In 2013, UW became only the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/hub/hub-nov-2018/hub-nov-2018-special-feature-disability-cultural-centers">third campus</a> in the country to establish a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://depts.washington.edu/dcenter/">Disability Cultural Center</a>, where "students are invited to use the center to unwind, do homework, eat lunch, and connect with other students," <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/arts_and_culture/community/one-decade-of-the-d-center/article_3d54a8b0-7f3c-11ee-bb43-abfa17ce32e2.html">according to</a> The Daily. UW is also one of the few campuses in the United States to house a full-fledged program in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.washington.edu/">Critical Disability Studies</a>, and very few other campuses can claim to match the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://depts.washington.edu/dcenter/clubs-and-organizations/">plethora</a> of activities, organizations, and research programs centered on disability that are offered at UW.The "F*ck the Stairs" movement began at UW in 2018 and has since spread to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://flathatnews.com/2023/05/02/fck-the-stairs-movement-strives-to-increase-accessibility-awareness-on-campus/">other campuses</a>.University of Washington is ranked 46th among national universities by U.S. News. It was ranked 40th last year.

The Student Disability Commission at UW is working towards <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/news/governance/asuw-senate-calls-for-increased-access-to-remote-classes/article_060f55ac-87f0-11ec-892a-bfa1c825cd38.html">implementing hybrid remote/in-person options</a> for all courses.

<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/3f4b4488-a55d-11ef-b3e3-0f2215517fe7">Is UW actually accessible?</a>, by Cadence Merker, November 18, 2024</li><li>ASUW Board passes bill to combat barriers to student accessibility, by Anouk-Belle Janess, October 30, 2024</li><li>Review: ‘A Different Man’, by Anikka Stanley, October 2, 2024</li><li>UW Law presents a celebration of diversity with panel moderated by Chief Justice Steven González, by Abigail Meyers, February 27, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/dcfebb28-d476-11ee-8be1-fb05e99a3778">General chemistry at UW: rigorous or ableist?</a>, by Chaitna Deshmukh, February 26, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/uw-drs-report-consequences-of-understaffing-20240213">UW DRS report consequences of understaffing</a>, by Alex Olson, February 13, 2024</li></ul>

The College of Arts &amp; Sciences offers a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.washington.edu/DS_courses_programs">Disability Studies minor, major, and graduate certificate</a>.

UW has a full-fledged <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.washington.edu/DS_courses_programs">Disability Studies Program</a> that offers a major, minor, and graduate certificate in Disability Studies.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.washington.edu/DS_courses">Courses</a> offered include DIS ST / LSJ / JSIS 346, Disability in Global &amp; Comparative Perspective; DIS ST&nbsp;/ HSTCMP 402, Topics in Disability History; DIS ST / LSJ / CHID&nbsp;230,&nbsp;Introduction to Disability Studies; DIS ST&nbsp;/ GWSS / CHID 335,&nbsp;Sex, Gender, &amp; Disability; and DIS ST 501,&nbsp;Seminar on&nbsp;Critical Disability Studies Foundations.The UW <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dsfa.uw.edu/">Disability Staff and Faculty Association</a> (DSFA) provides community and support for faculty and staff who identify with disability, "including: D/deaf or hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired, chronically ill, Mad, neurodivergent, or experiencing mental health concerns."

On May 14, 2025, The Daily <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/news/federal-government-pauses-uw-alzheimer-s-research-funding-dei-concerns-likely-behind-the-pause/article_cea894b8-d135-45d7-b2ce-00e1c45f4fe4.html">reported that</a> after the NIH issued a threat that it would not renew grants to institutions with DEI programs, the UW Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) indicated that it would modify its proposal "by emphasizing the scientific necessity of diversity in their research groups and omitting its administrative DEI initiatives." No other responses to the Trump administration's attacks on DEI have been reported at UW at this time.

According to a June 6, 2025 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/news/safecampus-training-aims-to-create-a-safer-uw/article_224917e3-6567-49b3-b03b-c97895219d84.html">article</a> in The Daily, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.washington.edu/safecampus/">SafeCampus</a> at UW launched a mandatory Violence Prevention and Response Training that "that outlined the importance of recognizing early signs of violence or mental health concerns." Why are risk for violence and mental health being conflated?

University of Washington

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://depts.washington.edu/dcenter/">Disability and D/deaf Cultural Center</a> (D Center) is "a physical and virtual community gathering space for UW students, staff, and faculty who identify as Disabled, D/deaf, or allies."In 2024, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Section 504, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.washington.edu/ada/recreation-adaptive-series/">UW Recreation</a> hosted a series of events highlighting adaptive sports, including adaptive climbing, adaptive archery, adaptive aquatics, and sitting volleyball. However, UW does not organize regular adaptive sports sessions.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://huskylink.washington.edu/organization/ability">Ability</a>, based in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science &amp; Engineering, "[creates] disability community and accessibility awareness&nbsp;within the computing community."The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://asllclub.wixsite.com/uwaslclub">American Sign Language Club</a> (ASL Club) "[brings] Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students together by communicating in ASL, learning about Deaf culture and supporting Deaf communities."<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://huskylink.washington.edu/organization/autistics">Autistics @ UW</a> "[provides] a friendly and accessible social space for UW students who are Autistic or questioning if they are Autistic."The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/uw.djc/?hl=en">UW Disability Justice Collective</a> (DJC) is "a community driven space for disabled folks at UW with social justice backgrounds advocating for Disability Justice."<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://huskies4neurodiver.wixsite.com/hfnuw">Huskies for Neurodiversity</a> "[provides] a space for neurodivergent individuals to connect with others in the community."<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wellbeing.uw.edu/livewell/services/peer-groups/">LiveWell Peer Groups</a> is UW's peer health education program that offers discussion groups, workshops, and wellness counseling.

"There are two campuses, according to UW alumna Lindsey Muszkiewicz. There is the one that brings tourists to UW every spring, with beautiful cherry blossoms and well-maintained walkways. Then, there’s the one with back alleys and winding, broken roads, ignored by UW but used by every student in a wheelchair or with a mobility impairment" (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/opinion/f-stairs-reveals-aesthetic-but-inaccessible-campus/article_e99e4060-c442-11ec-beb2-e771411c9b64.html">The Daily</a>).

In 2024, The Daily <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailyuw.com/article/a-step-forward-or-another-missed-opportunity-20250123">reported</a> that UW launched a mobile mental health crisis response team consisting of "trained counselors, social workers, and crisis specialists." The Seattle Times <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/uw-plans-to-launch-mental-health-crisis-response-team-this-spring/">explains</a> how the crisis unit works at UW: "When a call comes in to 911 or the UW Police nonemergency line, dispatchers will ask callers about the situation and assess whether there are safety risks that require police response. If the emergency seems mental health-related but doesn’t present safety risks, a team of two mental health professionals will respond, aiming to stabilize the situation and connect the student, faculty or staff member to resources like the campus counseling center."

https://dsl.uw.edu/staff-development/student-care-report-form/

A full year after the murder of George Floyd, UW President Ana Mari Cauce <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.washington.edu/president/2021/05/24/george-floyd-one-year/">finally released a statement</a>, saying, "Let’s remember to care for each other, always, but especially now, and let us recommit ourselves to a world in which Black opportunities, voices and lives matter."

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://criticaltheory.berkeley.edu/">https://criticaltheory.berkeley.edu/</a>&nbsp;

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UC Berkeley is the most storied campus in U.S. disability history, being the birthplace of the independent living and disability rights movements. The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dsp.berkeley.edu/home">Disabled Students' Program</a> (formerly the Physically Disabled Students' Program), founded by Ed Roberts and other disabled Berkeley students in 1970, still operates on campus today under the Division of Equity &amp; Inclusion and serves as the primary office for disabled students.In 2022, Berkeley opened its long-awaited <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/uc-berkeley-opens-disability-cultural-community-center/article_4f07203b-bdcc-5549-b2ac-05ff03b0daaa.html">Disability Cultural Community Center</a>, "<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/10/21/how-community-spaces-can-empower-students-to-mobilize-explore-their-identity/">a place</a> where students can explore their intersectional identities together and mobilize." UC Berkeley established its Disability Studies program, which offers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disability-studies.ugis.berkeley.edu/">a minor</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/10/02/evolution-of-disability-studies-at-berkeley/">in 2003</a>, making it one of the oldest in the nation.UC Berkeley University Health Services and the Disabled Students Program have also been organizing the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://uhs.berkeley.edu/about-uhs/about/equity-inclusion-and-diversity/neurodiverse-care/uc-berkeley-neurodiversity">UC Berkeley Neurodiversity Initiative</a> for a few years. Earlier this year, UC Berkeley held its inaugural <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/nickwalkersensei/posts/oh-hey-im-presenting-at-the-uc-berkeley-neurodiversity-symposium-on-saturday-apr/1197013685767043/">Neurodiversity Symposium</a>.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/academics/lectures-to-be-automatically-recorded-starting-next-semester/article_d7c206b8-b3a2-11ef-a159-2f4a245b7174.html">This year</a>, in a huge win for disabled students, all lectures taught in Course Capture-equipped rooms are automatically recorded for students. This remote access allows students who are experiencing illness to miss class without being penalized, and -- demonstrative of the curb cut effect -- also helps nondisabled students who either want to review lecture content or "need to miss class for bereavement or family emergencies," <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/academics/lectures-to-be-automatically-recorded-starting-next-semester/article_d7c206b8-b3a2-11ef-a159-2f4a245b7174.html">reports</a> The Daily Californian.Not all is rosy at Berkeley, however. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/archives/uc-berkeleys-disabled-students-program-can-be-source-of-frustration-for-students-with-disabilities/article_8c8e41ef-0331-5000-92ff-7f7859e48c95.html">For years</a>, Berkeley students have been complaining about the cumbersomeness and lack of timeliness in the process of obtaining accommodations. In 2023, CalMatters <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat/2023/05/university-of-california-disability/">reported that</a> disability specialists at Berkeley were each working with about 470 students although the ideal ratio is one disability specialist for 250 students. In The Daily Californian, a student <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/2022/07/26/disabled-students-program-an-illusion">wrote that</a> "By the time I got a meeting with an advisor from DSP to discuss accommodations — through the advocacy of a College of Letters and Sciences academic advisor — it was February of my second semester. I had navigated my first two rounds of enrollment, my first semester of classes and my first round of finals at UC Berkeley, all sans accommodations."In 2022, these widespread grievances among disabled students at Berkeley prompted the campus organization, Berkeley Disabled Students (BDS), <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/2022/07/26/disabled-students-program-an-illusion">to proclaim</a> that "DSP has become adversarial to disabled students, rather than a safe source of support." Last year, in response to these complaints, the new executive director of DSP <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/dsp-director-implements-reforms-to-address-ongoing-accommodation-concerns/article_f9ca374c-9036-11ef-8099-2b83d8334dec.html">implemented reforms</a> "to remedy staffing shortages and overwhelming caseloads."However, lack of adequate staffing and services is only part of the problem, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/opinion/editorials/students-with-disabilities-must-be-valued-not-just-tolerated/article_6c9df409-4308-5c85-83aa-bd3006ef5bfe.html">reports</a> The Daily Californian. Professors often choose to disregard the accommodations recommended for students in their DSP letters. "The cherry-picking of when to take accommodations into account and when to disregard them reflects both a lack of instruction on how teachers should implement DSP requirements and the absence of a clear disciplinary response that students feel they can pursue when this occurs," <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/opinion/editorials/students-with-disabilities-must-be-valued-not-just-tolerated/article_6c9df409-4308-5c85-83aa-bd3006ef5bfe.html">notes</a> The Daily Californian.UC Berkeley is ranked 17th among national universities by U.S. News. It was ranked 15th last year. It is currently the 2nd highest ranked public university in the country, behind UCLA.

This is dependent on each professor.

<ul><li>Kinky love: A conversation with B, by Jojo Pak, December 14, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/academics/lectures-to-be-automatically-recorded-starting-next-semester/article_d7c206b8-b3a2-11ef-a159-2f4a245b7174.html">Lectures to be automatically recorded starting next semester</a>, by Caroline Marsden, December 6, 2024</li><li>How to fight: Becoming a rabbit, by Yuka Iriguchi, December 5, 2024</li><li>DSP director implements reforms to address ongoing accommodation concerns, by Paarth Mishra, October 22, 2024</li><li>Accessible voting workshop highlights resources for disabled community, by Isabelle Katz, October 3, 2024</li><li>Newsom approves bill establishing disability access and compliance training, by Swasti Singhai, October 1, 2024</li><li>A new approach to mental health awareness, by Eleni Bauman, September 21, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/academics/campus-professor-sunaura-taylor-discusses-new-book-disabled-ecologies/article_51f4c6c0-6fea-11ef-8416-47f116ce2f5f.html">Campus professor Sunaura Taylor discusses new book ‘Disabled Ecologies,</a>’ by Melody Seraydarian, September 11, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/communities/spirit-of-possibility-berkeley-center-for-independent-living-celebrates-disability-pride-new-chapter/article_6c4db1ee-5429-11ef-b12d-e778627bf46e.html">‘Spirit of Possibility’: Berkeley Center for Independent Living celebrates disability pride, new chapter</a>, by Lauren Mandel, August 6, 2024</li><li>Choose, be chosen, by Adriana Temprano, April 14, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/arts/theater/oakland-theater-project-explores-vulnerability-disability-in-evocative-cost-of-living/article_17ade338-e7c9-11ee-809e-cf39aa60df95.html">Oakland Theater Project explores vulnerability, disability in evocative ‘Cost of Living</a>,’ by Maida Suta, March 21, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/opinion/op-eds/it-s-time-to-rethink-recruiting-practices-for-people-with-disabilities/article_4738522c-d05f-11ee-96c7-6fec0a77a83f.html">It’s time to rethink recruiting practices for people with disabilities</a>, by Eleni Bauman, February 20, 2024</li></ul>

A student says, "Yes. I had to have a doctor fill out an impact assessment and then worked with a disability counselor to determine appropriate accommodations."

The College of Letters &amp; Science offers a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disability-studies.ugis.berkeley.edu/">minor in Disability Studies</a>.

UC Berkeley offers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disability-studies.ugis.berkeley.edu/">a minor</a> in Disability Studies. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disability-studies.ugis.berkeley.edu/courses/">Courses offered</a> include UGIS 110, Introduction to Disability Studies; ANTHRO 189, Special Topics: Disability, Ethnography, and Design; and EDUC 53, Neurodiversity: Scholarship, Politics, and Culture.

UC Berkeley's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://diversity.berkeley.edu/">Equity &amp; Inclusion</a> website remains intact as of July, and maintains support for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thriving.berkeley.edu/">vital initiatives</a> supporting marginalized students, such as the African American Thriving Initiatives (AATI), "to address the underrepresentation of African American students, faculty, and staff at UC Berkeley," and Disability Justice, "to address ableism's root causes, promote systemic change, and foster a more inclusive and welcoming campus culture for students, staff, faculty, and community members at UC Berkeley."Within the University of California system as a whole, all UC campuses have dropped the use of diversity statements in hiring, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/tracking-higher-eds-dismantling-of-dei">according to</a> The Chronicle of Higher Education.

University Health Services' published <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://uhs.berkeley.edu/counseling/self-help/for-students-of-concern">guidance</a> for helping "Students of Concern" lists a variety of ambiguous behaviors as reportable, thus encouraging people to indulge their worst biases. Some of the examples of "concerning behaviors" listed include "Makes worrisome comments or exhibits unusual behavior," and "Makes others uncomfortable or uneasy." <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2024/11/penn-marginalized-students-fascism-discrimination-classroom">This essay</a> by a student at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrates how and why such indicators are often weaponized against racially marginalized people.UC Berkeley's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/gold_folder_2023.pdf">Blue Folder</a> similarly lists many behaviors such as "Repeated absences," "Multiple requests for extensions," and "Overly demanding of faculty’s or staff’s time and attention" that might be considered code for neurodivergence and/or disability, particularly when students are seeking accommodations. These lists of indicators therefore stigmatize and problematize disability.

University of California, Berkeley

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dsp.berkeley.edu/support-services/welcome-disability-cultural-community-dcc-center">Disability Cultural Community Center</a> at Berkeley opened its doors in 2022. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/news/uc-berkeley-opens-disability-cultural-community-center/article_4f07203b-bdcc-5549-b2ac-05ff03b0daaa.html">According to</a> Professor Karen Nakamura, "The DCC is unique from existing services on campus because the DCC emphasizes community rather than legal compliance."UC Berkeley Recreation &amp; Wellbeing runs <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://recwell.berkeley.edu/wellness-offerings/inclusive-recreation/">inclusive recreation programs</a>, with offerings such as seated yoga, wheelchair basketball, goalball, adaptive pickleball, personal training, and adaptive climbing.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/BerkeleyDisabledStudents/">Berkeley Disabled Students</a> (BDS) is "a group of U.C. Berkeley students with disabilities, alumni and community members who advocate for an equitable education at UC Berkeley."Berkeley <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sspc.studentorg.berkeley.edu/">Student-to-Student Peer Counseling</a>, a student-run organization that started in 1967, "provides free, anonymous services from fellow trained student counselors to other UC Berkeley students." (Peer support was established by the early leaders of the disability rights movement as a core resource for independent living.)

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycal.org/2022/02/14/uc-berkeley-students-struggle-to-gain-wheelchair-accessibility-in-campus-classrooms">The Daily Californian reports</a>, "'Every time I roll into a classroom, it feels like the university is saying I’m not wanted,' Bailey said. 'When you arrive on the first day of class and realize there isn’t a place for you, you just have to sit in the aisle feeling like all of the eyes in the classroom are on you.'"

UC Berkeley is one of the few campuses in the nation that has implemented an alternative-to-police crisis response unit "to serve as first responders in wellness checks and mental health crises in an effort to reduce the role of police in mental health calls." The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://crisisresponse.berkeley.edu/home">Campus Mobile Crisis Response</a> team is staffed by clinicians and technicians.

NAGPRA: UC Berkeley still holds the remains of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://projects.propublica.org/repatriation-nagpra-database/institution/university-california-berkeley/">9,058 Native Americans</a>.

PHIL 4210 Critical Theory: Norms &amp; Facts

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A student <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/opinion/jones-improve-campus-accessibility/">writes</a> in The Hoya, Georgetown University's student newspaper, that "Georgetown University offers a plethora of opportunities for disability education, but when it comes to taking action to make campus accessible for those living with physical disabilities, Georgetown falls remarkably short." The student adds, "Members of Georgetown's disabled population — wheelchair users, in particular — face physically limiting conditions on campus, especially with regard to campus doors, which can cause accessibility issues in classrooms, dorms and community spaces."In addition to chronic maintenance issues with push buttons to open doors, in 2022 The Hoya reported <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/features/a-clear-violation-of-the-law-professors-reject-student-disability-accommodations/">widespread accounts</a> of professors disregarding student accommodations. In 2023, The Hoya <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/features/students-express-frustration-with-housing-accommodations-process/">reported</a> widespread frustration with the Office of Residential Living's mishandling of student applications for housing accommodations. The Student Health Center also seems to be doing its darnedest to keep students away. In 2020, The Hoya <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/features/gu-health-services-lack-adequate-accessibility-for-students/">reported</a> that "Long wait times for treatment and limited clinical hours make health care at the Student Health Center inaccessible for the majority of students."Despite the pervasive issues with accommodations and accessibility, Georgetown is a leader among national universities in providing opportunities for students to participate in disability community and engage in disability studies on campus. In 2023, Georgetown became one of the few private universities to house a true Disability Cultural Center on campus, housed under the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://osei.georgetown.edu/#">Office of Student Equity &amp; Inclusion</a> with other cultural identity spaces. And just <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://college.georgetown.edu/news-story/disability-studies-major-college-of-arts-and-sciences/">this year</a>, Georgetown became one of the few private universities to house a full-fledged <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.georgetown.edu/">Disability Studies program</a>, offering undergraduate students the opportunity to major or minor in disability studies. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://georgetownvoice.com/2025/04/27/georgetown-becomes-second-top-25-university-to-offer-a-disability-studies-major/">Of top 25 universities</a>, only Georgetown and UCLA offer a major in disability studies.Alumni who have become prominent leaders in the disability community include <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014UBYvAAO/lydia-m-zh%C7%8Engs%C5%ABn-brown">Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.tiffanyyu.com/about">Tiffany Yu</a>.Georgetown University is currently ranked 24th in the country by U.S. News. It was ranked 22nd last year.

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/gradgov-survey-identifies-lack-of-consistent-accessibility-resources-among-graduate-students/">The Hoya reports</a>, "While almost 30% of graduate students reported having access to class recordings without needing to justify their absence to professors, around 15% reported having no access to any virtual resources. Moreover, only 31% of graduate students reported having virtual options available in all of their classes."

<ul><li>GU Law Center Title IX Policy to Change, by Nora Toscano, December 6, 2024</li><li>GU’s Medical Humanities Initiative Hosts Discussion on Disability Studies, by Ellie Ward, November 1, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/science/bioethics-speaker-event-spotlights-the-power-of-using-narrative-storytelling-to-contemplate-medical-moral-dilemmas/">Bioethics Speaker Event Spotlights the Power of Using Narrative Storytelling to Contemplate Medical Moral Dilemmas</a>, by Mia Hoffman, October 16, 2024</li><li>“The Seated Nurse” Discusses Healthcare Career as a Disabled Person, by Devansh Gandhi, February 28, 2024</li><li>Music Artist Discusses Disability Culture During Intersectionality Series Finale, by Olga Rocio Rivas, February 9, 2024</li></ul>

The College of Arts &amp; Sciences offers a minor in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.georgetown.edu/">Disability Studies</a> for undergraduates, and a 12-credit certificate for MA/PhD students.

The College of Arts &amp; Sciences' <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.georgetown.edu/">Disability Studies Program</a> offers a major, minor, and graduate certificate in Disability Studies.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.georgetown.edu/programs/courses/">Past courses</a> offered include ANTH-2256, Disability and Culture; DBST-2270, Introduction to Disability Studies; DBST/ENGL-2680, Disability and the Arts; ENGL-4257, Disability Narratives; and PHIL-2002, Bioethics and Disability.

On March 21, 2025, The Hoya <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/news/gu-community-defends-race-power-and-justice-course-amid-dei-crackdown/">reported</a>, "As the federal government threatens diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at higher education institutions, Georgetown University faculty and students reaffirmed the importance of 'Race, Power and Justice at Georgetown' (RPJ), a required course for first-years centered on injustice and equity at Georgetown." The course, which was implemented in 2024 after four years of co-development with student and faculty, includes content <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/news/gu-community-defends-race-power-and-justice-course-amid-dei-crackdown/">covering</a> topics such as reparations and mass incarceration. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/news/gu-law-community-responds-to-us-attorneys-anti-dei-letter/">Also in March</a>, Georgetown University Law Center's Dean rejected demands by the Trump administration that it terminate its DEI curriculum.As of today, the Division of Student Affairs' <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://studentaffairs.georgetown.edu/studentoutreach/our-statement-of-commitment-to-racial-justice/#">DEI statement</a> remains up, as does the website of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://osei.georgetown.edu/#">Office of Student Equity &amp; Inclusion</a>, which houses the Disability Cultural Center at Georgetown.

Georgetown University's "<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://georgetown.app.box.com/s/ql0w63qxz78tv3hltasxb6vozowblzf3">Distressed Student Resource Guide</a>" lists multiple ambiguous behaviors as reportable, including "Repeated absences," "Disorganized performance," "Multiple requests for extensions," "Overly demanding of faculty and staff time and attention," "Garbled, tangential, disconnected, or slurred speech," "Behavior is out of context or bizarre," "Unusual/disproportional emotional response to events," "Excessive tearfulness; panic reactions," and "Delusions and paranoia." Most of these behaviors can be considered code for disability and neurodivergence. As such, the administration is encouraging targeting of disabled students.

Georgetown University

Georgetown <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/news/georgetown-establishes-new-disability-cultural-center/">opened</a> a full-fledged <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilityculture.georgetown.edu/#">Disability Cultural Center</a> in 2023. The Center "[fosters] a culture of access inside and outside of the classroom that embraces non-apparent and apparent disabilities as vital to the vibrant diversity of humanity."The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/georgetowndisabilityalliance/">Georgetown Disability Alliance</a> is a student group that was <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/news/georgetown-disability-alliance-pushes-recognition/">founded in 2019</a> to "encourage education on disability issues and advocate for on-campus accessibility."

Alumni Square and Henle Village dorms <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehoya.com/jones-improve-campus-accessibility/">lack elevators</a>.

https://studentaffairs.georgetown.edu/studentoutreach/reportform/#

*2021 dataUpdated on February 2, 2021.

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The George Washington University (GW) becomes more disability-friendly every year thanks to the very active disability community on campus. The GW Hatchet, the student newspaper of GW, produces consistently good <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2023/12/11/a-moral-monster-and-the-lobotomys-legacy-at-gw/">writing</a> on disability, and campus groups are persistent and effective in getting the administration to listen to their concerns.In 2024, The GW Hatchet <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/01/16/disability-advocacy-groups-partner-to-bring-greater-accessibility-to-gw/">reported</a>, "Leaders of the GW Disabled Student Collective and Chronic Health Advocates said they have been forming a plan to repair and add door activation buttons in all GW buildings on the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses, increase faculty training to avoid academic ableism and push for increased funding in the Disability Support Services office." For several years now, the Disabled Students Collective (DSC) has been urging the administration to implement faculty training to improve understanding on how to work with students' accommodations and to make courses more accessible.In <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/01/21/op-ed-rhetoric-about-gws-learning-environment-isnt-reality/">a powerful op-ed</a> last year, an MPH student wrote that in addition to students experiencing dismissive comments and ableist assumptions from faculty and staff, the lack of staffing in Disability Support Services (DSS) had contributed to staff burnout and turnover, which in turn left many students without formal accommodations, forcing students to self-advocate and go to faculty directly for support (which, ironically, is often considered a reason for faculty <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://students.gwu.edu/care-team">to report students</a> to administration). <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/11/14/dss-doubles-office-size-following-staff-turnover/">Last year</a>, in response to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2023/06/09/dss-staff-decreased-by-about-50-percent-over-past-four-years-causing-employees-to-become-overburdened/">reporting</a> by The GW Hatchet and the sustained pressure placed by disabled students on the administration, DSS finally doubled the number of its staff.The DSC has been an active group on campus for many years, demonstrating the strength and longstanding activism of the disability community at GW, which has continued to incrementally push the campus towards greater inclusion and accessibility. In 2019, the DSC initiated <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gwhatchet.com/2018/12/10/student-organization-to-host-accessibility-training-this-spring/">trainings</a> for other student organizations to improve accessibility and cultural competency around disability. In 2022, the DSC began operating a free delivery service for disabled students at the campus' student-run food pantry, as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gwhatchet.com/2022/12/06/grocery-pickup-program-pushing-to-alleviate-food-insecurity-among-disabled-students/">reported</a> in The GW Hatchet. Last year, The GW Hatchet <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/11/11/faculty-to-launch-blackboard-accessibility-tool-after-calls-from-student-advocates/">reported</a> that DSC and the Student Government Association successfully petitioned the Faculty Senate to integrate Blackboard Ally into GW's course management platform, which will improve accessibility of digital course content for disabled, Blind, and Deaf students.Despite the progress, there is still a lot that can be improved. A student <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/01/16/disability-advocacy-groups-partner-to-bring-greater-accessibility-to-gw/">notes</a> that the Mount Vernon Campus, where the GW Living Learning Communities are housed, is inaccessible. It'll be exciting to read about what the students accomplish in the years ahead.George Washington University is ranked 63rd among national universities by U.S. News. This is a slight improvement from 67th place in 2024.

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gwhatchet.com/2022/08/22/high-risk-students-apprehensive-after-officials-lift-covid-testing-requirement/">The GW Hatchet reports that</a> "students looking to receive a remote learning accommodation first apply through GW Disability Support Services and wait for their request to be approved or denied... Once the request is approved, students receive a letter from DSS detailing their accommodations to pass on to their professors."A student tells us that most professors are willing to record lectures, but without an accommodation letter, it’s up to the professor.

<ul><li>Global health equity leaders talk innovation in assistive technology, by Ann Duan, December 5, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/11/14/dss-doubles-office-size-following-staff-turnover/">DSS doubles office size following staff turnover</a>, by Gianna Jakubowski and Sophia Caputo, November 14, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/11/11/faculty-to-launch-blackboard-accessibility-tool-after-calls-from-student-advocates/">Faculty to launch Blackboard accessibility tool after calls from student advocates</a>, by Tyler Iglesias, November 11, 2024</li><li>Former medical student sues GW for claims of disability discrimination, by Rory Quealy, September 26, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/10/28/sororities-fraternities-rebuke-housing-rule-enforcement-that-they-say-targets-members-with-dss/">Sororities, fraternities rebuke housing rule enforcement that they say targets members with DSS</a>, by Hannah Marr, October 28, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/01/21/op-ed-rhetoric-about-gws-learning-environment-isnt-reality/">Rhetoric about GW’s learning environment isn’t reality</a>, by Rachael Bailey, January 21, 2024</li><li>Former medical student sues SMHS, administrators for alleged dismissal due to disability, by Fiona Riley and Rachel Moon, January 18, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2024/01/16/disability-advocacy-groups-partner-to-bring-greater-accessibility-to-gw/">Disability advocacy groups partner to bring greater accessibility to GW</a>, by Emma Khodaverdian and Fiona Bork, January 16, 2024</li></ul>

A student says, "I was required to provide documentation for disability for accommodations. The wait time for initial appointment was less than a week but for ADHD services and assessment is was longer than 9 months. The services I was provided were not great and they ended up referring me out elsewhere because they weren't qualified to deal with my case."

GWU offers a few disability-related courses such as "PHIL 2124 Philosophies of Disability," and the English Department offers a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://bulletin.gwu.edu/arts-sciences/english/micro-minor-disability-studies/#requirementstext">Micro-Minor in Disability Studies</a>, which is only a 9-credit program.

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://english.columbian.gwu.edu/">Department of English</a> offers a "<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://english.columbian.gwu.edu/micro-minor-disability-studies">Micro-Minor</a>" in Disability Studies. Whereas a regular minor is 18 credits at GWU, a micro-minor is 9 credits, which is a few credits short of a graduate or professional certificate at GWU, which is 12-15 credits.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://english.columbian.gwu.edu/micro-minor-disability-studies">core course</a> for the Micro-Minor in Disability Studies is ENGL 3910, Disability Studies. Other <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bulletin.gwu.edu/arts-sciences/english/micro-minor-disability-studies/#requirementstext">courses</a> offered as electives include PHIL 2124, Philosophies of Disability; and ENGL 3915, Literature and Madness.

On March 27, 2025, The GW Hatchet <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwhatchet.com/2025/03/27/gw-law-quietly-dismantles-dei-website/">reported</a> that "GW Law shut down its diversity, equity and inclusion website." However, "the University’s DEI webpages for its other schools, colleges and graduate programs, as well as the University-wide Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement, remain unchanged and accessible as of Wednesday."

Although Student Affairs' CARE Referral <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://students.gwu.edu/care-team">guidance</a> includes ambiguous behaviors, overall the guidance does a good job of not conflating distress with dangerousness, and not stigmatizing mental health conditions.

The George Washington University

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/GWU.DSC/">GWU Disabled Students Collective</a> is an active student group "centered on uplifting and engaging the disability community on campus."<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gwu.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/rare-research-advocate-reform-educate-gw">Chronic Health Advocates</a> is an advocacy organization that educates the GW community about rare and chronic illnesses.

In 2017, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/11/20/inaccessible-buildings-pose-barrier-to-students-with-disabilities/">The GW Hatchet reported that</a>, "While many campus buildings have been updated to be more accessible to people with disabilities in the past few years, eight students with disabilities said many buildings still lack proper accommodations. Those students said parts of campus are uncomfortable, difficult or even impossible to navigate without extensive renovations."A student tells us that "it is more dorms being inaccessible than lecture halls." Another student adds, "I lived in a three story dorm without an elevator, definitely not accessible to those with wheelchairs or mobility difficulties."<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gwhatchet.com/2023/04/17/sa-rha-report-details-maintenance-and-accessibility-issues-in-residence-halls/">A 2023 joint report by the Student Association and Residence Hall Association</a> identified "13 residence halls on the Foggy Bottom and the Mount Vernon campuses with accessibility issues at doorways and building entrances and inside laundry rooms" and "accessibility issues, like a lack of handicap doors and broken handicap door buttons, in five of the six residence halls on the Vern... nine residence halls either lack elevators, like Building JJ, or have dark and shaky elevators, like FSK Hall."

https://studentlife.gwu.edu/care-team

*2021 dataUpdated on February 2, 2024.Note: Previously, an incorrect number was reported. The previous statistic suggested that there were zero sexual assaults on campus, which was a result of rounding down from 0.467 per thousand students. The information is sourced from NCES <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=ucla&amp;s=all&amp;id=110662#crime">College Navigator</a>. I apologize for the error.

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Christopher Ikonomou, a UCLA student and president of the Disabled Student Union on campus, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/06/11/community-advocates-discuss-plans-hopes-for-disability-cultural-center">noted to</a> the Daily Bruin recently that "disabled students often have difficulty navigating campus, obtaining academic accommodations from professors and confronting ableist attitudes... I would generally say it (UCLA) is not a super welcoming environment for disabled students." Ikonomou and other students <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/04/27/ucla-working-group-to-focus-on-improving-campus-accessibility">added that</a> the extensive amount of stairways without ramps on campus, a general lack of accessible pathways, a lack of elevators, an unreliable shuttle system, and "discriminatory attitudes toward disabled students on campus" all "exacerbate the existing challenges students with mobility difficulties face" at UCLA.Although UCLA offers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://transportation.ucla.edu/getting-around-campus/bruinaccess">BruinAccess</a>, a free van service to help disabled students navigate its hilly terrain, students have <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/05/14/disabled-students-report-chronic-delays-frustration-with-bruinaccess-van-service">reported</a> that the service is extremely unreliable. "I could literally wheel in my wheelchair and get to there (class) faster than it would be for me to wait for a ride. After 40 minutes pass, I’m like, f— it," <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/05/14/disabled-students-report-chronic-delays-frustration-with-bruinaccess-van-service">commented</a> one student to the Daily Bruin. Several disabled students have noted that the unreliable transportation services have negatively impacted their education, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/05/14/disabled-students-report-chronic-delays-frustration-with-bruinaccess-van-service">reporting to</a> the Daily Bruin that the frequent delays have caused them to be late to class or to have to lose hours in their days waiting for bus service. In <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/05/14/disabled-students-report-chronic-delays-frustration-with-bruinaccess-van-service">at least one case</a>, a student had to drop classes after realizing that they were "not going to be able to ever get to any of [their] classes."Last year, Daily Bruin <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2024/02/02/its-just-a-fact-understaffed-cae-office-fails-to-meet-students-needs">reported that</a> "The [Center for Accessible Education] has been stretched thin for years. Last fall, three specialists served 3,843 registered students, resulting in a ratio of 1,281 students per specialist – 1,148 more than the national average of 133 students per disability specialist." This unusually high ratio, which compromises the individualized supports that disabled students need when seeking accommodations, caused one student to ask rhetorically <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2024/04/14/uclas-center-for-accessible-education-needs-more-funding-to-operate-efficiently">in a recent op-ed</a>, "How can an organization designed to meet the accessibility needs of its disabled student body be so inaccessible in nature?"&nbsp;This year, two UCLA students <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2025/04/17/students-with-disabilities-sue-ucla-uc-regents-for-discrimination">filed a lawsuit</a> against the university, alleging that "multiple UCLA academic facilities do not have accessible entrances and furniture... that buildings lack or have incorrect signage about where accessible pathways are, and pathways both indoors and outdoors are often blocked or obstructed." A student also <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2025/04/17/students-with-disabilities-sue-ucla-uc-regents-for-discrimination">claimed</a> that "he experienced difficulties securing accessible transit via BruinAccess, which requires that students needing a lift for their BruinAccess vehicle reserve a ride at least 24 hours in advance – a request the complaint said is a violation of the ADA."<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/10/08/op-ed-ucla-lacks-accommodations-for-students-who-need-sensory-friendly-spaces-on-campus">An op-ed</a> in the Daily Bruin observes that UCLA's campus is a sensory minefield for neurodivergent students. "Nearly every space on campus where students are allowed is filled to the brim with exorbitant sensory stimuli: the lecture halls, the dorms, the dining halls, the restaurants, the gyms and the libraries. There is almost nowhere for students with sensory issues to escape to."UCLA is the top-ranked public university in the country, according to U.S. News. It was ranked 15th among national universities both this year and last year.

<ul><li>UCLA Housing removes COVID-19 isolation rooms for students who test positive, by Alyssa Wong, December 21, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2024/12/05/service-therapy-animals-on-campus-improve-student-wellness-create-community">Service, therapy animals on campus improve student wellness, create community</a>, by Lucrezia Castellanos, December 5, 2024</li><li>Uncomfortable Conversations: Destigmatizing eating disorders takes important steps toward education, support, by Kirsten Brehmer, December 4, 2024</li><li>Settlement establishes accessibility consultant for LA County’s voting system, by Lucine Ekizian, November 3, 2024</li><li>From pipettes to policy, science educators advocate for change via communication, by Sam Mulick and Archi Patel, May 27, 2024</li><li>Students express discontent with UCLA’s provision of accessibility amid encampment, by Matthew Royer, April 26, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2024/04/14/uclas-center-for-accessible-education-needs-more-funding-to-operate-efficiently">UCLA’s Center for Accessible Education needs more funding to operate efficiently</a>, by Eve Carrera Akopyan, April 14, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/post/neurodivergent-students-create-community-through-bruin-neurodiversity-collective">Neurodivergent students create community through Bruin Neurodiversity Collective</a>, by Catherine Wang, February 21, 2024</li><li>Student-run Collar Scholars initiative works to raise service dogs, help community, by Prisha Puntambekar, February 6, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2024/02/02/its-just-a-fact-understaffed-cae-office-fails-to-meet-students-needs">‘It’s just a fact’: Understaffed CAE office fails to meet students’ needs</a>, by Samantha Parr, Mridhula Thyagarajan, Rachel Rothschild, and Lori Garavartanian, February 2, 2024</li><li>Sundance 2024: Alumnus Michael Fitzgerald talks progress in representing disability on screen, by Sydney Gaw, January 25, 2024</li></ul>

UCLA offers a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dslabs.ucla.edu/disability-studies/">Disability Studies minor</a>.

In 2023, UCLA became one of the few universities in the United States and the first university in the University of California system to offer a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.uei.ucla.edu/academic-programs/disability-studies/disability-studies-major/">Bachelor of Arts in Disability Studies</a>. The program takes an interdisciplinary approach that combines both the medical and social models of disability, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/11/12/ucla-launches-new-bachelor-of-arts-degree-in-disability-studies">according to</a> the Daily Bruin. The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.uei.ucla.edu/academic-programs/disability-studies/">Disability Studies Program</a> offers both a major and minor in Disability Studies.UCLA's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dslabs.ucla.edu/">Disability Studies Inclusion Labs</a> is a network of initiatives on campus including the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dslabs.ucla.edu/labs/heumann-community-partnerships-lab/">Heumann Community Partnerships Lab</a> and Disability and Ecology Performance Exchange (D.E.P.E.) Lab that "bring together diverse networks of people to reframe our cultural norms, societal practices, and institutional policies around disability."

The Chronicle of Higher Education <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/tracking-higher-eds-dismantling-of-dei">reports that</a> "The University of California at Los Angeles replaced its Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with an Office of Inclusive Excellence." In July, Daily Bruin <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2025/07/06/ucla-lays-off-some-retention-access-program-staff-amid-federal-dei-scrutiny">reported that</a> project directors for student retention and access programs, part of UCLA's Community Programs Office, were laid off "due to federal directives that 'reinterpret diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as potentially non-compliant with anti-discrimination laws.'" One of the project directors who was fired, Samone Anderson, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2025/07/06/ucla-lays-off-some-retention-access-program-staff-amid-federal-dei-scrutiny">told</a> the Daily Bruin that "the university has failed to provide any policy evidence that supports Campus Life's claim that the current retention programs' structure is 'non-compliant' with DEI regulations," and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2025/07/06/ucla-lays-off-some-retention-access-program-staff-amid-federal-dei-scrutiny">added</a> that "the impact of these anti-DEI directives extends beyond UCLA, setting a precedent for more policies that hurt students of color across the country."

The administration encourages members of the UCLA community to submit a “Student of Concern” report online to the Consultation and Response Team via the Dean of Students Office website. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ucla-advocate.symplicity.com/care_report/index.php/">On the form, it says that</a> “UCLA community members have a shared responsibility to report students of concern.” Its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.studentincrisis.ucla.edu/Portals/36/Documents/redfolder.pdf">Red Folder</a>, which offers guidelines for reporting students, suggests that “Distressed Students” are a type of gray area between students of no concern and “Disruptive Students.”

University of California, Los Angeles

In 2023, the Undergraduate Students Association Council <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/2023/06/11/community-advocates-discuss-plans-hopes-for-disability-cultural-center">announced</a> plans to open a Disability Cultural Center on campus "that will offer a space for disabled empowerment, provide academic and career resources for disabled students, and celebrate disabled culture and history." As of 2025, the space has yet to materialize.UCLA Recreation offers an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://recreation.ucla.edu/rec-programs/adaptive-recreation">Adaptive Recreation Program</a> that includes wheelchair basketball as well as partnerships with programs in the LA County area to provide off-campus recreation opportunities.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://linktr.ee/dsuucla">Disabled Student Union</a>, founded in 2020, is an active student group on campus whose "purpose is to empower students through advocacy and education, build relationships with administration and the wider campus community to remove barriers of access on campus, advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to live in peace, and build strong and supportive community."The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://community.ucla.edu/studentorg/6340">Bruin Neurodiversity Collective</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://dailybruin.com/post/neurodivergent-students-create-community-through-bruin-neurodiversity-collective">which formed in 2024</a>, is a student-run group that provides peer support, organizes social events, and manages a a Discord server with over 100 members.UCLA also has an active <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://alumni.ucla.edu/alumni-networks/udan/">Disability Alumni Network</a>.

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.sycamores.org/mobile-crisis-outreach-team/">Sycamores</a>, a mental health services agency, provides mobile mental health crisis outreach in the Los Angeles County area. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://counseling.ucla.edu/services/are-you-in-a-crisis">UCPD</a> provides coverage on the UCLA campus, however.

NAGPRA: University of California, Los Angeles, Fowler Museum of Cultural History still holds the remains of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://projects.propublica.org/repatriation-nagpra-database/institution/university-california-los-angeles-fowler-museum-cultural-history/">2 Native Americans</a>.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/david-eisenman">David Eisenman</a>, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has contributed to pseudo-scientific research connecting mental illness with extremism and violence, which has played a major role in advancing harmful programs that target Muslims, Black people, and Indigenous people, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.stopcve.com/uploads/1/1/2/4/112447985/mental_health_report_online.pdf">such as CVE</a>.Updated on January 30, 2024.

On May 30, 2020, Chancellor Gene D. Block and other leaders of the UCLA community <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/pain-behind-protests/">signed a joint statement</a> that said "We conclude by stating unequivocally that Black lives DO matter. They matter at UCLA. They matter in Minnesota. They matter everywhere."

*2021 dataIn 2019, The Chronicle published the findings of a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/02/duke-university-sexual-assault-new-survey-results-say-48-of-female-undergrads-have-been-sexually-assaulted-during-time-at-duke">Duke survey</a> indicating that "47.8% percent of women who responded said they had been sexually assaulted while they were students at Duke... 13.5 percent of male students said they have been during their time at Duke." So the Clery Report data is clearly under-reporting instances of sexual assault.

PHIL 572 Frankfurt School Critical Theory

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In 2000, Duke reached <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2000/February/078cr.htm">a settlement</a> with the U.S. Department of Justice in response to a complaint brought by a student and wheelchair user who graduated in 1997. According to the terms of the settlement, Duke "agreed to make a broad range of programs more accessible to persons with disabilities including, academics, dining and living facilities, and social aspects of campus life." In the twenty-five years since, Duke has made progress in improving accessibility on campus, but issues persist.Duke currently has 10 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ocrcas.ed.gov/open-investigations?field_ois_state=All&amp;field_ois_discrimination_statute=702&amp;field_ois_type_of_discrimination=All&amp;items_per_page=1000&amp;field_ois_institution=duke&amp;field_ois_institution_type=752&amp;field_open_investigation_date_1=&amp;field_open_investigation_date_2=&amp;field_open_investigation_date=&amp;field_open_investigation_date_3=">pending cases</a> related to disability discrimination under investigation with the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. This is among the highest amount of open cases at any private university, with some cases, involving denial of accommodations, harassment, and retaliation, dating back to 2015. Somewhat paradoxically, these cases could be what has spurred Duke to become one of the most disability-friendly campuses in the United States. In 2021, for example, Duke became one of the few private universities in the country to establish a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2021/02/duke-university-four-years-planning-duke-disability-cultural-center-open-resources-library">Disability Cultural Center</a>, although it must be noted that the Center is not currently recognized as one of Duke's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://students.duke.edu/belonging/icr/">Identity &amp; Cultural Centers</a>.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/11/duke-university-student-government-disability-at-duke-no-sofc-funding-approved-conflict-of-interest-presentation-gpsg-progress-period">Reporting</a> in The Chronicle reveals further grievances on Duke's campus. A student <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/11/duke-university-student-government-disability-at-duke-no-sofc-funding-approved-conflict-of-interest-presentation-gpsg-progress-period">noted</a> that the rigidity of both the first-year meal plan as well as of scheduling paratransit service, which requires students to put in requests 3-4 days in advance, makes it challenging for disabled students to participate fully "in social life at Duke, such as sporting events or off-campus extracurriculars."Duke University is ranked 6th among national universities by U.S. News. Last year Duke was ranked 7th.

https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2022/02/02172022-ceb-duke-must-take-advantage-of-its-new-virtual-infrastructure-zoom-disability

<ul><li>DSG senators hear ‘Disability at Duke’ presentation, approve no student group funding requests, by Michael Austin, November 21, 2024</li><li>Scientology and the dangers of neuroessentialism, by Nik Narain, October 28, 2024</li></ul>

Students must provide <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://access.duke.edu/requests/review-implementation-process">documentation</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2021/04/duke-university-disability-cultural-center-disability-alliance">according to The Chronicle</a>, it "is often a lengthy process, requiring multiple meetings with SDAO staff and medical documentation from a physician."

Duke doesn't offer a Disability Studies Program, but offers a few courses on disability each semester such as PHIL 220, Philosophical Perspectives on Disability; and SOCIOL 251S, Science, Society, &amp; Disability: Cripping Technoscience.

As of June 25, 2025, The Chronicle <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/06/duke-university-diversity-equity-inclusion-cuts-compared-to-peer-institutions-federal-attacks-on-dei-north-carolina-ivy-plus">reports that</a> "Duke has yet to indicate a revision of its curricular requirements in light of DEI crackdowns, and notably, the University has not changed the language used in its 'statement of commitment to diversity and inclusion' on its OIE website since Trump took office." As The Chronicle <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/06/duke-university-diversity-equity-inclusion-affirmative-action-policies-timeline-trump-administration-inclusive-excellence">also observes</a>, however, Duke has widely shifted its language on DEI to the more ambiguous mantra of "inclusive excellence."

Duke University

Duke opened its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2021/02/duke-university-four-years-planning-duke-disability-cultural-center-open-resources-library">Disability Cultural Center</a> in 2021. However, the Center is not recognized as one of Duke's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://students.duke.edu/belonging/icr/">Identity &amp; Cultural Centers</a>, which suggests that it may function more as a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gradschool.duke.edu/story/dimensions-disability-duke-academics-advocacy-community-and-culture/">community affinity space</a>.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sites.duke.edu/disabilityatduke/">Duke Disability Alliance</a> (DDA) is a student-led organization that has been active on campus since 2011, and has been hosting an annual <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sites.duke.edu/disabilityatduke/events/">Disability Pride Week</a> for many years. They also run monthly social gatherings, dinners, and speaker events.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sites.duke.edu/neurodiversityatduke/">Neurodiversity Connections</a> at Duke is a campus organization that works "to increase awareness and promote inclusion of neurodiversity in all campus spaces."<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://recreation.duke.edu/story/breaking-barriers-adaptive-sports-intramural-sports/">Duke Recreation &amp; Physical Education</a> provides opportunities to participate in adaptive sports through its intramural sports programming, including seated volleyball tournaments and wheelchair basketball.

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2021/04/duke-university-disability-cultural-center-disability-alliance">According to The Chronicle</a>, "many buildings lack automatic doors, elevators and ramps."

Cure Autism research: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://autismcenter.duke.edu/impact-study-cell-therapy-children-diagnosed-autism">https://autismcenter.duke.edu/impact-study-cell-therapy-children-diagnosed-autism</a>&nbsp;Surveillance: Duke uses SpotterEDU to track students' movements on campus by their smartphones' connection to the campus WiFi.Facial recognition (non-consensual): <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/06/duke-university-facial-recognition-data-set-study-surveillance-video-students-china-uyghur">https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/06/duke-university-facial-recognition-data-set-study-surveillance-video-students-china-uyghur</a>&nbsp;

https://students.duke.edu/wellness/dukereach/

PHIL-UA 39; Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy

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By our metrics, NYU is one of the more disability-friendly campuses although there is room for improvement. In particular, the NYU community can be more intentional about including disabled people and improving disability representation at all levels. For example, disability coverage in the Washington Square News, NYU's student newspaper, is consistently lacking. As well, ableism is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://medium.com/@kpagination/ableism-on-the-left-359a888b3005">pervasive</a> in liberal and progressive circles and NYU is no exception. A student at NYU School of Law tells us, "NYU Law is very accommodating to requests for common neurodivergence diagnoses like ADHD, but is minimally and sometimes not at all accommodating to requests that stem from less common neurodivergence diagnoses. If they haven't heard of it, they don't believe it exists."In 2021, the Washington Square News <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nyunews.com/news/2021/08/25/remote-accommodations-moses-center/">reported</a> widespread grievances among disabled students at NYU over the administration's dismantling of remote learning options, including recorded lectures, which exposed deeper frustrations with the Moses Center for Student Accessibility. One student <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nyunews.com/news/2021/08/25/remote-accommodations-moses-center/">told</a> Washington Square News, "The whole experience made me question if the disability accommodations are almost like about reducing liability rather than protecting the students. And just about a minimal compliance with ADA rather than actually seeing the registered students get the support they need."As New York City is one of the most heavily policed areas in the country, racially marginalized students thinking of living here should be aware of potentially frequent interactions with police and how that might negatively impact their safety and well-being. NYU is also home to the controversial Policing Project program, which has been heavily criticized by community groups and NYU School of Law <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qHWVP2gPqirTFQDXhd4schKiJU9EAYiKsQqOkmC1Vns/edit">students</a> for being funded by police agencies and for promoting technological solutions that "sanitize police violence and surveillance."U.S. News ranks NYU 30th among national universities, an improvement from 35th place last year.

A student writes, "Unless the professor happens to be nice, you often have to work with [Moses Center for Student Accessibility] to get videos."

<ul><li>Picking up where she left off: NYU para swimmer Katie Kubiak qualifies for US national para swimming team, by Jonathan Mak, October 10, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nyunews.com/news/2024/04/11/nyu-langone-disability-lawsuit/">Former employee suing NYU Langone for disability discrimination</a>, by Yezen Saadah, April 11, 2024</li></ul>

The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development offers a Minor in Disability Studies. A Center for Disability Studies was established at NYU in 2017.

NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development offers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/degree/minor-disability-studies">a minor</a> in Disability Studies. The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bulletins.nyu.edu/undergraduate/culture-education-human-development/programs/disability-studies-minor/#curriculumtext">core courses</a> are MCC-UE 1026, Disability, Technology and Media; CAM-UY 2204, Disability Studies; and ANTH-UA 209, Disability Worlds: Anthropological Perspectives.There are many other <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bulletins.nyu.edu/class-search/">courses</a> on disability offered every semester, such as CAM-UY 2304, Disability &amp; Theatre; CEH-GA 1016, Special Topics: Disability and the Biopolitics of Care; CCOL-UH 1040, Disability; EAP-SHU 100, English for Academic Purposes I: Exploring Disability; and OT-UE 1403, Disability Justice and Radical Inclusion.The NYU <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.nyu.edu/">Center for Disability Studies</a> (CDS) "promotes disability scholarship, artistry, and activism through: grant-funded interdisciplinary research, a public event series, local and international community collaborations, and facilitation of an undergraduate Disability Studies Minor."

On March 17, 2025, Washington Square News <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nyunews.com/news/2025/03/17/nyu-doe-investigation/">reported</a> that "NYU has yet to change its website or policies related to DEI amid federal threats." On March 21, 2025, Washington Square News <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nyunews.com/news/2025/03/21/nyu-langone-hospital-dei/">reported</a> that legal counsel at NYU Langone "proposed changes to its website and policy statements and advised that it eliminate 'trigger words,' including 'marginalized' or 'vulnerable,' to evade potential investigation or cuts to federal funding."According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://meet.nyu.edu/life/students-with-disabilities-have-an-on-campus-support-system/">Meet NYU</a>, members of the NYU community can request a workshop or training on disability called <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nyu.edu/life/global-inclusion-and-diversity/learning-and-development/in-person-sessions.html#disabilityZone">Disability Zone</a>, through the Office of Global Inclusion.

NYU's Student Health Center (SHC) issues pretty solid <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nyu.edu/students/health-and-wellness/wellness-exchange/helping-someone-in-trouble.html">guidance</a> on helping students in distress, without resorting to fearmongering or ableist language.

New York University

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://meet.nyu.edu/life/club-spotlight-nyu-disability-student-union/">Disability Student Union</a> at NYU "works with the University to improve accessibility, promote disability awareness on campus, and discuss ways to increase inclusion in society as a whole. The student group also hosts events and serves as a safe space for students to explore ideas related to disability and share common experiences," according to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://meet.nyu.edu/life/students-with-disabilities-have-an-on-campus-support-system/">Meet NYU</a>.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nyu.edu/students/communities-and-groups/student-accessibility/nyu-connections-asd-program.html">NYU Connections</a> is "a free and optional program for autistic NYU students dedicated to promoting student success by promoting a culture of acceptance and belonging."

In 2022, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nyunews.com/news/2022/11/30/nyu-to-expand-housing-accessibility/">the Washington Square News reported that</a>, "NYU will begin a five-year effort to make its housing facilities more accessible after reaching an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. Some of the university’s housing facilities had previously been found to be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act."

NAGPRA: NYU still holds the remains of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://projects.propublica.org/repatriation-nagpra-database/institution/new-york-university-college-dentistry/">113 Native Americans</a>.NYU's Policing Project program has been criticized by community groups as well as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qHWVP2gPqirTFQDXhd4schKiJU9EAYiKsQqOkmC1Vns/edit">NYU School of Law students</a> for being funded by police agencies and for promoting technological solutions that "sanitize police violence and surveillance."

The University does have an online form to submit a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nyu-advocate.symplicity.com/public_report/">Student Misconduct Report</a> (Public Incident Report) that uses the Symplicity database, but it is mainly for reporting violations of the University Student Conduct Policy.

NYU's president, Andrew Hamilton, issued statements after the murders of George Floyd in 2020 and Tyre Nichols in 2023, but he didn't explicitly support Black Lives Matter.

ED POL 500 Critical Theory in EducationGEOG 511 Critical Social Theory

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In <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/opinion/2022/07/14/letter-to-the-editor-uw-must-recenter-disabled-perspectives-in-academia/">a 2022 op-ed</a> in The Badger Herald, first-year student Katie Sullivan writes about the disheartening experience of taking disability-focused classes as a disabled student at UW-Madison and encountering pervasive ableism. "In a course entitled 'Individuals with Disabilities,' a classmate of mine argued that I was centering myself around my 'downfalls' by referring to myself as disabled," recalls Sullivan. Echoing the withering critiques on the ableist culture in higher education found in Jay Dolmage's book, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://press.umich.edu/Books/A/Academic-Ableism2">Academic Ableism</a>, Sullivan <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/opinion/2022/07/14/letter-to-the-editor-uw-must-recenter-disabled-perspectives-in-academia/">notes</a> that "Professors discuss disability as if disabled students are not in the room. Students engage in discussions surrounding disability but resort to ableist and euphemistic descriptions of the disabled experience. These courses, I’ve found, often reinforce the dangerous notion that the presence of a disability requires some form of treatment or an ultimate pursuit of a panacea."Prior to the opening of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcburney.wisc.edu/dcc/">Disability Cultural Center</a> (DCC) in the McBurney Disability Resource Center in 2023, disabled students reported feeling isolated on campus, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/news/campus/2022/10/01/disability-cultural-center-celebrates-physical-meeting-space-with-speaker-adaptive-bowling/">according to</a> The Badger Herald. The Badger Herald also <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/news/campus/2022/09/15/stem-students-with-disabilities-face-extra-barriers-in-earning-degree/">reported that</a> disabled students pursuing STEM fields at UW–Madison not only encounter physical barriers in labs that were not designed to meet their needs, but are also held back by ableist attitudes that disabled people are "not cut out to work in medicine or work in research or be involved in science." Students <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/07/uw-program-administrators-unenroll-disabled-student-from-study-program-spark-calls-for-accommodations-reform">told</a> The Daily Cardinal that they formed the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/uwdisabledstudentunion/">Disabled Students Union</a> (DSU) last year, after some members "considered dropping out of UW–Madison because they felt alone navigating rigid and ableist learning environments and were 'constantly having to be forced to be activists.'"Disabled students also express dissatisfaction with the supports on campus, noting that they barely go above the level of ADA compliance. In 2023, The Daily Cardinal <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2023/09/damaged-wheelchairs-delayed-rides-accessible-transit-an-ongoing-challenge-at-uw-madison">reported</a> widespread dissatisfaction with paratransit and shuttle services at UW–Madison, with students reporting drivers being late, causing students to miss classes; instances of wheelchairs being improperly handled; and an inconvenient booking system that constrains disabled students' schedules. Students also <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/07/uw-program-administrators-unenroll-disabled-student-from-study-program-spark-calls-for-accommodations-reform">report</a> often having to negotiate accommodations directly with professors, and when professors deny students' accommodations, students say there is a lack of communication and support from McBurney. (UW–Madison launched a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://accessible.wisc.edu/training/">Disability and Ableism Awareness Training</a> for faculty and staff in 2021, but the training is not mandatory.)The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcburney.wisc.edu/about/">McBurney Disability Resource Center</a> has 1,600 students registered for supports for ADHD, making ADHD the second largest diagnostic category for which students seek accommodations at UW–Madison. In addition to providing extra time on exams, McBurney provides workshops, pairing services to match students with study partners for mirroring, as well as one-to-one study skills <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcburney.wisc.edu/student-resources/#slss">training sessions</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/10/students-with-adhd-struggle-to-focus-mcburney-helps-them-find-a-way">according to</a> The Daily Cardinal.Other sources of disability community and support on and around campus include <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.disabilitypridemadison.org/home">Disability Pride Madison</a>, a cross-disability organization that hosts the annual <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.disabilitypridemadison.org/festival-2025">Disability Pride Festival</a> in Madison. UW–Madison also hosts the annual <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://diversityforum.wisc.edu/">Diversity Forum</a>, which always includes disabled speakers and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://diversityforum.wisc.edu/session/the-evolution-of-disability-justice/">panels</a> on disability.While UW–Madison has become a hub of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.disabilitypridemadison.org/madison-based-disability-scholars">disability scholarship</a> and disability activism, it is important to acknowledge which communities continue to be disproportionately excluded from campus. According to a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2022/06/02/university-wisconsin-madison-struggles-recruit-black-students/7171091001/">2022 article</a> in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "the percentage of students who identify as Black alone at UW-Madison has never surpassed 3% of the student body" although Black people account for approximately <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P1?g=040XX00US55&amp;tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1">6.4</a>% of the population. In a 2018 survey conducted by University Health Services, 43.6% of Black students at UW–Madison reported considering leaving, because of the racial climate on campus, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2022/06/02/university-wisconsin-madison-struggles-recruit-black-students/7171091001/">reported</a> the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Badger Herald <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/opinion/column/2024/04/24/state-legislature-attacks-on-dei-threaten-education-equity-in-uw-system/">notes</a> that "The state’s declining financial support for the UW System is rooted in its opposition to the universities’ diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Created to support minority students in their academic and professional endeavors, DEI programs are crucial to help students from underrepresented backgrounds feel less isolated on campus."UW–Madison is currently ranked 39th among national universities by U.S. News. It was ranked 35th in 2024.

Remote learning can be requested as part of one's accommodations, though a student tells us that lectures are not normally recorded. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/features/2022/02/28/equity-not-equality-uw-disability-community-mobilizes-for-more-equitable-accommodation-access-campus-climate/">The Badger Herald reports,</a> "[The Director of the McBurney Disability Resource Center] said remote learning has been a popular accommodation request for both students and faculty since the start of the pandemic. The process for students requesting remote learning is the same as other accommodations, but it does require more documentation to fully understand the barriers presented by in-person instruction."

Note: UW–Madison has two student newspapers. This list of articles from 2024 combines output from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/">The Badger Herald</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/">The Daily Cardinal</a>.<ul><li>UW announces Winter Commencement speaker, by Margaret Shreiner, October 30, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/10/conversations-around-disability-reigned-as-go-big-read-author-visited-campus-students-hope-it-can-stay-this-way">Conversations around disability reigned as Go Big Read author visited campus. Students hope it can stay this way</a>, by Bryna Goeking, October 18, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/10/students-with-adhd-struggle-to-focus-mcburney-helps-them-find-a-way">Students with ADHD struggle to focus, McBurney helps them find a way</a>, by John Ernst, October 10, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/09/go-big-read-book-promotes-disability-advocacy-as-uw-reckons-with-past">Go Big Read book promotes disability advocacy as UW reckons with past</a>, by Bryna Goeking, September 10, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/07/uw-program-administrators-unenroll-disabled-student-from-study-program-spark-calls-for-accommodations-reform">UW program administrators unenroll disabled student from study program, spark calls for accommodations reform</a>, by Gavin Escott and Noe Goldhaber, July 25, 2024</li><li>An 'academic rat race': How students navigate the mental health maze at UW-Madison, by Lucia Gadau, June 7, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/news/campus/2024/05/02/runway-of-dreams-hosts-first-independent-adaptive-runway-show/">Runway of Dreams hosts first independent Adaptive Runway Show</a>, by Aiden Mellon, May 2, 2024</li><li>‘The Colors on My Mind’ art exhibition displays vibrance, positivity, by Julia Vetsch, April 30, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/04/at-uw-madison-autistic-students-navigate-personal-classroom-obstacles">At UW-Madison, autistic students navigate personal, classroom obstacles</a>, by Tomer Ronen, April 23, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/opinion/column/2024/03/21/uw-must-reconcile-past-let-community-rename-van-hise-hall/">UW must reconcile past, let community rename Van Hise Hall</a>, by Charles Zumbrunnen, March 21, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/news/campus/2024/02/20/neurodivergent-u-ranks-uw-fourth-best-campus-for-students-with-disabilities/">UW ranked fourth-best campus for students with disabilities, but room for improvement remains</a>, by Margaret Shreiner, February 20, 2024</li><li>Study on travel experience reveals flaws in transportation accessibility, by Hannah Herbst, February 7, 2024</li></ul>

UW-Madison offers many <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.wisc.edu/courses/">courses in Disability Studies</a>, but no formal curriculum.

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rpse.education.wisc.edu/">Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education</a> in the School of Education at UW–Madison has programs that lean heavily on the side of the medical/rehabilitative model of disability. The department does offer a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://guide.wisc.edu/undergraduate/education/rehabilitation-psychology-special-education/disability-rights-services-certificate/">certificate</a> in Disability Rights and Services. The core courses are RP &amp; SE 100, Disability and Society; and RP &amp; SE 300, Individuals with Disabilities.Outside the Department of Rehabilitation, UW–Madison has offered a variety of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://public.enroll.wisc.edu/search?term=0000&amp;keywords=disability">courses</a> on disability throughout the year, including <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.wisc.edu/crip-tactics/">ART HIST 431</a>, Crip Tactics; ENGL 543, Discourses of Disability, Antiquity to 1800; GEN&amp;WS 370, Disability and Gender; and HIST SCI 250, Disability, Med, &amp; the Body.The UW <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilitystudies.wisc.edu/">Disability Studies Initiative</a> is "a transdisciplinary program dedicated to advancing knowledge by, about, and for people with disabilities."

The Badger Herald <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/features/2025/03/04/speak-up-take-action-uw-navigates-dei-breakdown/">reports</a>, "The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents passed a deal in December 2023 agreeing to eliminate various diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in exchange for the release of employee pay raises and funding for dorm renovations and a new engineering building." As part of a budget deal with the state Legislature, "UW was required to reshape one-third of DEI service positions as 'student success' roles and cut the Target of Opportunity program, UW’s faculty diversity initiative" in exchange for $800 million in funding, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/features/2025/03/04/speak-up-take-action-uw-navigates-dei-breakdown/">according to</a> The Badger Herald.

University of Wisconsin–Madison

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcburney.wisc.edu/dcc/">Disability Cultural Center</a> (DCC) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/news/2023/02/10/disability-cultural-center-unveils-new-community-space-in-mcburney-center/">opened</a> in 2023. However, the DCC is housed inside the McBurney Disability Resource Center, and is not recognized on the Multicultural Student Center <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://msc.wisc.edu/cultural-centers/">website</a> as one of the campus cultural centers. As The Badger Herald <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/news/2023/02/10/disability-cultural-center-unveils-new-community-space-in-mcburney-center/">article</a> notes, the DCC is a community space for disabled students, not a true cultural center.The UW–Madison <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/uwdisabledstudentunion/">Disabled Students Union</a> (DSU) formed in 2024.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/disabilityjustice.uwmad/">Disability Justice Society</a> may not be a currently active <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://win.wisc.edu/organization/djs_uwmad">campus group</a>, nor the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://win.wisc.edu/organization/sada">Students for Accessibility, Disability, and Accommodation</a>. UW–Madison also has a campus chapter of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dreamcollegedisability.org/dream-campus-chapters--affiliates.html">Disability Rights, Education, Activism and Mentoring</a> (DREAM) that was formed <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://badgerherald.com/news/campus/2022/05/05/disability-rights-student-organizations-announce-merger/">in 2022</a>.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://recwell.wisc.edu/badgersadapt/">University Recreation &amp; Wellbeing</a> offers occasional educational programs on adaptive sports, but does not organize clubs or teams.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bsnwisco.org/">Badger Support Network</a> is a peer support program supervised by University Health Services that offers peer support groups, craft nights, and peer-led workshops.

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2023/03/uw-housing-plans-renovation-of-kronshage-humphrey-jorns-residence-halls">The Daily Cardinal reports</a>, "One of many updates to Kronshage, Humphrey and Jorns residence halls includes increased elevator access. It will be added to the Gilman, Mack and Chamberlin Houses in Kronshage, making more than half of Kronshage dorms 'ADA accessible' — a goal set by UW Housing."When we're thinking about campus infrastructure, which is very much the bare minimum of accessibility on a campus, we have all these infrastructure problems, and we don't have a great way of working around them,' said Emmett Lockwood, a university house fellow and former resident of Phillips Residence Hall."

PBS Wisconsin <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/madison-cares-strives-to-provide-relief-to-people-in-mental-health-crises/">reports</a> that "The city’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community Alternative Response Emergency Services program</a>, called CARES, was founded in 2021 to reduce direct police responses to mental health crises, replacing officers with trained crisis workers and community paramedics." <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/emergency-medical-services/community-alternative-response-emergency-services-cares">CARES</a> is an alternative-to-police response system, "modeled after successful patient-centered programs like STAR in Denver, Colorado and CAHOOTS in Eugene, Oregon." Madison residents can request a CARES team by calling 9-1-1.However, UW–Madison does not have a mobile crisis response unit. Therefore, University Health Services will likely dispatch UW–Madison Police for students <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/call-for-help/">on campus</a> who call 911. University Health Services does run a 24/7 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/mental-health/24-hour-crisis-services/">crisis line</a>.

NAGPRA: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Department of Anthropology still holds the remains of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://projects.propublica.org/repatriation-nagpra-database/institution/university-wisconsin-madison-department-anthropology/">7 Native Americans</a>.Face recognition: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://facerec.ece.wisc.edu/">https://facerec.ece.wisc.edu/</a>&nbsp;

https://doso.students.wisc.edu/report-an-issue/report-a-student-of-concern/

On May 31, 2020, the Office of the Chancellor <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chancellor.wisc.edu/blog/a-message-to-our-community-3/">released a statement</a>, which said, "To our Black and Brown students, staff and faculty, I want to say unambiguously: You belong here, you are important to this campus, your lives matter and I am committed to your safety."

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<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/02/the-university-is-constantly-lagging-in-accessibility">An editorial</a> last year in The Justice, Brandeis' student newspaper, is titled "The University is constantly lagging in accessibility." The Justice Editorial Board writes, "The University has been slow to implement more accessibility renovations and to staff the Student Accessibility Support Office. This board believes that helping students with disabilities thrive on campus needs to be a higher priority for the administration. Brandeis often advertises itself as an institution that champions social justice and fosters a diverse student body. However, an inaccessible campus demonstrates that more progress is needed in order to honor these values."Some of the accessibility problems cited include a lack of elevators in multistory buildings, and a lack of push buttons near building entrances. In 2023, students <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2023/04/new-ramp-to-be-added-to-counseling-center-brandeis">called out</a> Brandeis Counseling Center for lacking a ramp at its entrance, essentially creating a barrier to disabled students seeking mental health care on campus, and even causing injuries on several occasions to disabled students attempting to access the center.A year earlier, in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2023/02/brandeis-is-failing-to-accommodate-students">an editorial</a> titled, "Brandeis is failing to accommodate students," The Justice Editorial Board criticized the widespread lack of enforcement around students' accommodation letters. "According to board members’ experiences," they wrote, "several professors resist, or flat-out refuse, to accept accommodations, leaving students to struggle as though they never received accommodation letters in the first place." A stigma against disability and an ableist belief that students who need accommodations are "less than" their nondisabled peers is pervasive on campus, according to The Editorial Board.In <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2023/04/dcl-fails-to-fulfill-housing-accommodations-brandeis">an article</a> from 2023 titled "DCL fails to fulfill housing accommodations," students <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2023/04/dcl-fails-to-fulfill-housing-accommodations-brandeis">decried</a> the lack of accessible housing for disabled students who want to live on campus. “A lot of recent [issues] have disabled students feeling like they’re no longer welcome on Brandeis’ campus," <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2023/04/dcl-fails-to-fulfill-housing-accommodations-brandeis">said</a> one student to The Justice. "It feels like Brandeis is doing everything possible to push disabled people away, as if they don’t deserve a full college experience just because they happen to have a disability."Brandeis University is ranked 63rd among national universities by U.S. News. It was ranked 60th in 2024.

<ul><li>I guess the joke’s on me: ‘Joker’ sequel goes mad, but not in a good way, by Tibria Brown, October 22, 2024</li><li>Letter to the Editor, Re: The Judge Rotenberg Center, by Elisa Hunt, September 10, 2024</li><li>“<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/04/they-havent-done-their-homework">They Haven’t Done Their Homework</a>,” by Lin Lin Hutchinson, April 2, 2024</li><li>Panel discussion sheds light on healthcare injustice in prisons, by Diane Meyer, April 2, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/03/robin-wilson-beattie-awarded-carrie-buck-fellowship-award">Robin Wilson-Beattie awarded Carrie Buck Fellowship Award</a>, by Diane Meyer, March 12, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/03/disability-inclusion-equity-and-accessibility-month">Disability Inclusion, Equity and Accessibility Month</a>, by Momoca Mairaj, March 12, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/02/the-university-is-constantly-lagging-in-accessibility">The University is constantly lagging in accessibility</a>, by The Justice Editorial Board, February 13, 2024</li><li>The National Organization on Disability holds a panel on disability equity, by Amanda Chen, February 6, 2024</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/01/justice-one-class-at-a-time-the-biology-departments-fight-to-revolutionize-assessments-in-stem">Justice, one class at a time: The biology department’s fight to revolutionize assessments in STEM</a>, by Zoe Zachary, January 30, 2024</li></ul>

Brandeis offers a few <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://registrar-prod.unet.brandeis.edu/registrar/schedule/search">courses</a> on disability every semester, such as HSSP 128A, Disability Policy; HSSP 192B, Sociology of Disability; and WGS 109A, Sick, Fat, Ugly, Useless: Disability, Fat Studies, and the Politics of the Body.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://heller.brandeis.edu/lurie/">Lurie Institute for Disability Policy</a> "conducts multidisciplinary research on the needs, experiences, and policy priorities of people with disabilities."

On March 4, 2025, The Justice <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thejustice.org/article/2025/03/president-levine-responds-to-concerns">reported</a> that "[Interim President Arthur Levine] addressed Trump’s campaign to ban diversity, equity and inclusion policies by reassuring students that Brandeis is committed to preserving DEI in its curiculum and values. Levine asserted that Brandeis exists as a college because of such policies, even before they were called DEI."

Brandeis Counseling Center's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.brandeis.edu/counseling/urgent-concerns/help/faculty-guide.html">guidance</a> for "Assisting the Emotionally Distressed Student" does a good job of not stigmatizing mental health conditions. However, I did find the personas that they created of distressed student types (e.g., The Anxious Student, The Depressed Student, The Suicidal Student, The Suspicious Student, etc.) to be reductive. With mental health conditions, as with disability more broadly, the goal should be to think of the individual first, not the diagnoses.

Brandeis University

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/dsnbrandeis/">DIsabled Students' Network</a> (DSN) "provides a space for disabled students to cultivate disability pride and culture and to learn and practice advocacy while centering values originating from the Disability Justice Framework like intersectionality and cross-disability solidarity."The Brandeis chapter of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/diabeteslinkbrandeis/">Diabetes Link</a> is "a safe and supportive community for students with diabetes to share stories, ask questions, and make connections."The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.brandeis.edu/accessibility/cac.html">Brandeis Campus Accessibility Committee </a>is "an interdisciplinary group of students, staff, and faculty from all over the University who work together to identify and address accessibility concerns."

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.brandeis.edu/bemco/index.html">Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps</a> (BEMCo) is "Brandeis’ student-run volunteer emergency medical service." The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.brandeis.edu/bemco/public-safety.html">website</a> notes that "Campus Police accompany BEMCo on calls to assist the EMTs." Therefore, this is co-response, not an alternative-to-police response unit.

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Rutgers University–Newark's official student newspaper, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rutgersnewark.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/rutgersnewarkobserver">The Observer</a>, is either defunct or does not publish online. Hence there is a missing record of any recent disability advocacy on campus. It also suggests that the campus is under-resourced.Nevertheless, there are some exciting developments happening around disability scholarship and activism on campus. The new Disability Studies Program was founded <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sasn.rutgers.edu/disability-studies-minor">in 2021</a>, by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sasn.rutgers.edu/lauren-shallish">Dr. Lauren Shallish</a>, and offers a minor in Critical Disability Studies. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-newark-awards-grants-collaborate-across-difference">This year</a>, the Chancellor's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (IDEA) Innovation Grants Program awarded $5,000 to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sasn.rutgers.edu/alison-howell">Professor Alison Howell</a> and the Disability Justice Coalition (DJC) to complete a full accessibility audit of the Newark campus and to help remove barriers in bringing the campus disability community together.In 2024, the Disability Studies Program hosted <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sasn.rutgers.edu/event/liberating-disability-stories-our-past-present-and-future">Liberating Disability: Stories From Our Past, Present, and Future</a> -- "a series of workshops, speakers, and performances to explore the role of disability in movements for justice and liberation."Rutgers University–Newark is ranked 80th among national universities by U.S. News. It was ranked 82nd last year.

Rutgers–Newark's Disability Studies Program is housed in the Department of Urban Education in the School of Arts and Sciences. The program offers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sasn.rutgers.edu/disability-studies-minor">a minor</a> in Disability Studies. The core courses are Disability Studies (21:988:306/21:300:306) and either Inclusive and Social Justice Pedagogies (21:300:230) or Inclusive Education and Disability Advocacy (21:300:298).

No changes to its DEI programs have been reported.

Rutgers University–Newark

The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://linktr.ee/DisabilityJusticeCoalition_RUN?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeHLlE-jicNNcoEjLKj6OPzJci3BmkeFHW9FqUg_iNGNAwIfBRDOi3b2uB5PQ_aem_v0OgTX0A-kJ9FXNroCmDqA">Disability Justice Coalition</a> (DJC) is "a student-led group collectively representing the diverse interests and cultures of disabled students at Rutgers University–Newark. This group is guided by principles of disability justice, including intersectional organizing and leadership by the most impacted. The group opens space for students to explore disability identity and allyship, and embraces an ethos of questioning and critical curiosity about disability."

<div class="text-base content py-6">Rutgers Health <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ubhc.rutgers.edu/">University Behavioral Health Care</a>'s (UBHC) "Alternative Responses to Reduce Instance of Violence and Escalation" (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rutgershealth.org/news/rutgers-health-partners-law-enforcement-expand-mental-health-crisis-response">ARRIVE Together</a>) program is actually a misnomer, because contrary to what the website <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-health-partners-law-enforcement-expand-mental-health-crisis-response">claims</a>, ARRIVE Together is not an alternative-to-police response program. As Rutgers Today <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-health-partners-law-enforcement-expand-mental-health-crisis-response">notes</a>, the unit dispatches police with mental health specialists to respond to 911 crisis calls, so it is actually a co-response model. Co-response is a co-opted version of alternative-to-police response.</div>

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