On April 1, President of Smith, Kathleen McCartney, hosted a Presidential Colloquium on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Joining her were two disability rights activists, Judy Heumann and Tom Hehir.
The ADA is a comprehensive antidiscrimination law that guarantees equal access to everything from government services to employment for people with disabilities. In 1990, when the ADA was signed into law by President Bush, Americans with disabilities were protected and supported by legislation in their fight for equality.
30 years later, Smith College and its Office of Disability Services (ODS) celebrated the anniversary of the ADA’s establishment with a belated Presidential Colloquium. Laura Rauscher, the director of the ODS, excitedly welcomed Heumann and Hehir to help the college commemorate its work in making Smith equally accessible to people with disabilities. The ADA’s impact on the Smith community can be seen all over campus and in the academic experience. Specially noted by Rauscher was the path down to Paradise Pond, allowing people who use wheelchairs to enjoy the campus’s beauty too.
Heumann and Hehir discussed how the ADA and other legislation (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504) impacts people with disabilities in academic settings. The special education programs in public K-12 schools were of particular concern for the speakers, both having worked at the U.S. Department of Education. Heumann noted the inadequate teacher training and lack of funding as significant issues in special education programs across the country. Hehir and Heumann added that this exacerbates racial inequities and increases rates of suspension, expulsion, and admittance to juvenile facilities for students with disabilities.
The speakers at the colloquium and the director of the ODS emphasized that in all conversations about disability rights, the intersectionality of the identities of people with disabilities must be considered. Rauscher highlighted Smith’s commitment to racial justice as deeply related to its efforts in increasing accessibility to people with disabilities.
Both guest speakers also shared their concerns about the impact of the COVID pandemic on individuals with disabilities. Nursing homes and other congregate living communities for people with disabilities have been hit hard by COVID, and students with disabilities are struggling in remote learning.
But Hehir found reason to be optimistic about increasing accessibility in education, as educators have pivoted to technology for remote learning. Hehir suggested that integrating the technology used for remote learning into typical, in-person classrooms has the potential to support students with disabilities who would otherwise be held back in their education. Rauscher also found this applicable to Smith classrooms and hopes that remote learning will amplify different methods of teaching and learning, allowing them to become part of the “new normal.”
As Rauscher put it, the College’s commitment to inclusion for the right reasons works hand-in-hand with the laws that ensure these efforts are taken seriously. Heumann and Hehir concluded with the importance of reducing the stigma around disabilities, giving Smith the goal to make its community not only accessible, but also welcoming to those who have disabilities.
[Image: Photos of Judy Heumann and Tom Hehir. (Photo credit: smith.edu)]
Three cheers for Smith and Meschertson. Great article, well-written by freshman journalist.