A Force to be Reckoned With!

The AccessAbility center in Hunter College is a department that that tends to the matters of students with disabilities. Interning at the AccessAbility Center in Hunter College has been self-gratifying for me and has opened my eyes to the world of disabilities. I find myself assisting many students with anxiety related towards computer usage, and class work, but my main objective interning with the AccessAbility center is to create a periodical. My position as an intern has given me the ability to work with a group within the AccessAbility center called the PossAbilities club. My project is to combine student’s writings on topics of disabilities and problems they encounter while living in the grand city of New York. Many students have responded positively to this periodical project and feel that it can relay their voices within the Hunter community. This gives students creative leeway to express themselves and be heard.

I feel that working with the AccessAbility center has made me in to a disabilities awareness advocate. The plethora of students with disabilities and concerns has really given me a genuine idea of their academic lives. Students in many schools might not know this but it is quite possible that they attend classes with other student with learning disabilities. Now lets get this straight… a disability is not always physically noticeable. I feel that people can sometimes stereotypically categorize disabilities with people who have physical challenges, and that’s not always the case. Disabilities include and are not restricted to, medical, physiological, and neurological conditions. For example, Cancer, HIV-AIDS, Depression, Schizophrenia are all examples of disabilities beyond the typical notion that a person is only disabled if they are blind or in a wheelchair.

So far it has been difficult to find students who can add to the publication. Due to this difficulty I am starting to advertise within Hunter community for students who want to add to the periodical. A student does not have to be disabled to contribute to the publication. As of yet I have had some students that are registered with the AccessAbility center wanting to artistically draw out interpretations of their obstacles. I greatly encourage the students to be creative when adding to the periodical because this can attract readers. I love that this publication can be a multidimensional piece because this can be eye-catching. We want to reach out and communicate to create a relationship among all student body groups. The support from Hunters student body can help change negative ideals on disabilities.

My experience with the AccessAbility center has been very good. I have learned many things about individuals with disabilities, and how to approach a problem. Not all disabilities are the same, and it is important to learn the different kinds of disabilities to understand this group. Discrimination towards this group of people is still prevalent because people are not educated on laws such as the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. These laws help protect people with disabilities but unfortunately people with disabilities are still being discriminated. Ultimately I feel that this periodical is a great way to show that people with disabilities have a right to be heard and can accomplish many admirable things. It can also show that people with disabilities are a force to be reckoned with!

If any one would like to add to the AccessAbility periodical please feel free to contact me through here. Thank you!