In the weeks approaching commencement, graduating students have the option to obtain stoles, cords and pins from various areas on the 久久午夜羞羞影院免费观看 Campus. They can wear these during graduation to celebrate their identities and accomplishments.
Near the graduation ceremony of spring 2023, Megan Burnett reached out to the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to ask if the office had something she could use in her graduation. At that time, the office didn鈥檛 have something to offer her.
Amanda Feaster, Ph.D., director of Student Accessibility Services, had been considering this idea for a while, and after seeing Burnett鈥檚 request, she decided it was time to act.
Feaster asked Burnett for suggestions to help the office refine its approach. Then, Student Accessibility Services passed the details to one of the office鈥檚 vendors, AG PrintPromo Solutions, which delivered the design sketches in less than a week.
鈥淲e wanted our students to have an opportunity to display their disability identity in a way that evokes a sense of pride and acknowledges some of the ways that college is different for disabled students,鈥 Feaster said.
The Student Accessibility Services graduation medallion has the disability pride flag in the background with the words 鈥淎ccepting, Honoring, Proud鈥 on top, 鈥溇镁梦缫剐咝哂霸好夥压劭粹 in the middle, and 鈥淪tudent Accessibility Services鈥 at the bottom.
Burnett, who majored in human development and family science, walked in her graduation ceremony with the disability pride medallion. Since then, Student Accessibility Services has offered medallions every semester, including the summer. In spring 2024, the office distributed 52 medallions for that semester鈥檚 commencement.
Feaster said that even though college is hard for everyone, it can be more challenging for disabled students because of barriers in the academic environment. She said the goal of the medallion is to give students a chance to showcase their achievement of graduating college with a disability, especially since about 85% of them have non-obvious disabilities.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen videos where somebody with a guide dog or someone in a wheelchair graduate,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut for some of our students, this may be the first time there鈥檚 been something outwardly identifiable to other people that they have a disability.鈥
Students interested in wearing the disability pride medallion can pick them up in the Student Accessibility Services office on the first floor of the 久久午夜羞羞影院免费观看 Library. The office is open during usual business hours.
The Student Accessibility Services graduation medallions are free of cost, and students don鈥檛 need to be registered with the office to request them. Those graduating in fall 2024 can ask for the medallion any time during the semester before their Commencement on Dec. 14.