The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/disability/)
During Student Empowerment Day on Feb. 8, Cornellians advocated for state funding for university students with disabilities at the New York State Legislative Office in Albany.
Largely virtual classes and work increases accessibility for some Cornell students with disabilities while posing new challenges for others.
As a result of the diverse conditions and needs of disabled students, accommodations may or may not change when classes become digital, depending on each given student.
“Motherless Brooklyn” is a satisfactory read with a worthy ending that forces readers to challenge the way they view individuals with neurological disorders.
Conan Gillis ’21 is one of many math majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is also one of many residents in the Flora Rose House on West Campus. What distinguishes him from most of his peers, however, is that he is one of fewer than 20 Cornell students who require a wheelchair for their daily life.
“Differences, specifically impairments, only become disabilities when faced with a society [not] appropriately configured to their specific situations,” Gillis said, noting that Cornell’s natural and built environment can often pose unique challenges to those who are physically impaired.
The assembly passed a resolution, 9-2-0, opposing the proposed idea of merging ILR and Human Ecology, which was sponsored by Joseph Anderson ’20, chair of the U.A. Campus Welfare Committee.
“I was not destined to break my neck,” she said. “Necessity is not the consort of history.”
I am a student at an Ivy League university, where I plan to major in mathematics with a possible double major in government. I earned an A+ for my first college math class, Theoretical Calculus II, and have advocated in front of three New York State senators, the lieutenant governor and the state comptroller. I have actively participated in the sport of fencing for more than five years, and hope to one day become a certified referee. I have a rare congenital disorder called Larsen’s Syndrome which affects my muscular-skeletal system and has left me unable to walk. I require 24/7 nursing care, and assistance with many activities such as showering, preparing meals and transferring onto the toilet.
The University launched an awareness campaign in January that uses social media and on-campus posters to raise awareness about disabilities and help create an inclusive environment on campus for individuals with disabilities.