Inclusivity for all students means all students

By Liv Dunleavy Editorial Staff Disabilities include the people you see with hearing aids, cochlear implants, wheelchairs, crutches, or with white canes. Those disabilities, while they are just as important, are usually thought of first when it comes to disabled people. Your friend who struggles to make it to class every day, someone who may take longer to order at Dunkin’ because of a speech impediment, the person in class who never speaks up or the person who always speaks up a little too much - these are all examples of people with disabilities you may not see at a glance. Disabilities come in every shape and form. There’s no blueprint for any person on how their disability affects them either. Many people you know may have a disability you are unaware of. Every disabled person deserves the same access to campus as everyone else. But recently, I can’t help but think our access has been getting more and more limited. According to a report by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in 2024-25, disabled students make up 20.6% of the student population in Massachusetts’ schools. That’s about one-fifth of the student body. As a disabled student myself, I have seen firsthand how different schools treat disabilities. When I was younger I had what’s called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a document that outlined my needs and the accommodations I’d need put in place to achieve academic success. I carried this with me throughout all of elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. I support myself now with Disabilities Services on campus. Many K-12 schools I attended were very accommodating, and helped me grow in so many ways. Having a special-education or disabilities program that helps integrate disabled students instead of separating them is much more effective when teaching special-education skills. While K-12 accommodations were helpful for me, they do not always work for every student. Many students dislike special education programs or do not have good experiences with them. Now that I’ve been in college for a few years, I have noticed many students don’t even know about the disability resources offered on campus. They might not be aware of it as students have to reach out to Disabilities Services on their own, because IEPs and 504 plans do not transfer over after K-12. To apply for accommodations for each class you have to register individually after meeting with Disabilities Services to set up accommodations. I encourage students of any major and year to sit down with the Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA) and see if FSU’s disabilities center is able to help out with your college experience. Many students I have met who do know about Disabilities Services or other colleges’ versions of accessibility centers refuse to utilize Disabilities Services and struggle greatly throughout their time in higher education. I understand the want to do it on your own or not get help, but sometimes we all need a little help. It is important to know that if you want to try your first semester or year on your own, you can always go to the Disabilities Services later and get accommodations or aid. There’s no time limit, and it’s never too late to ask for help. CASA and Disabilities Services are able to provide accommodations such as note takers, extended time on assignments and tests, permission to house emotional support animals, accommodated housing, and many more, based on your disabilities and needs. Not every accommodation is perfect at Disabilities Services, but just trying to get aid with your college career can greatly help struggling students. It is important for students to know that CASA is a resource - even if you are not disabled. For the services to be able to grow and push for more opportunities, people need to utilize them. CASA is helpful for many students, but could be improved greatly with help from the Framingham State community. I have talked to a few students about their experiences being disabled at FSU. It was important for me to understand how they are being treated by FSU’s population including staff, faculty, and other students. But I also pondered how their own experiences just being disabled on our campus - from broken elevators, icy walkways, class expectations, uneven pavement, unaccommodating environments, inviting spaces, involvement, and more - have impacted their lives while attending this school. One student mentioned that while they utilize CASA for accommodations such as private testing, they wish there was more intervention when students experience a class that isn’t neurodivergent-friendly, and suggested CASA could meet with professors who are exhibiting ableist behaviors for intervention. This student also stated they would love for CASA or FSU to have more events focused around disabled people so that there could be more connection between the disabled population on campus. They said they would like to attend yoga classes and work out in the gym - but are intimidated going alone - and think having connections with people with disabilities would help them support each other.22 An accommodation another student brought up was the use of elevators and ramps on campus to aid their physical disability as they are unable to use the stairs. “I also utilize CASA and note takers through CASA, although not as often as [elevators and ramps]. They are instrumental to my time here with my mental issues,” the student said. They said within CASA they mostly utilize the private testing area. They mentioned that even with these accommodations they still find themself struggling to get by. Note takers are either unavailable due to no one signing up, or unclear due to illegible writing and incomplete notes. And on top of everything else, the elevators in May Hall and the Henry Whittemore Library - crucial academic buildings - being out of service frequently has caused them to miss multiple days of classes. This student also stated the ramps leading to and from buildings are incredibly inconvenient, and they believe there is room for improvement with these accommodations. Communication about out-of-order elevators and other modes of accessibility is really important to this student, as just making it to class exerts a large amount of energy. Showing up to a building just to find out an elevator is out of service is a waste of their time, money, and energy, considering they can no longer attend class. Another student I interviewed gave me insight about housing accommodations, which I have also struggled with immensely, and how their difficulties in sharing a space with another person caused a need for a single room. They stressed that there was a lengthy process in receiving a single room due to a back and forth with Residence Life over their own disability. “I went back and forth with Residence Life for at least a month before I came back to school in order to get that in order. I did explain my disability and had a letter from my therapist that basically explained my predicament and even with that the school still attempted to force me to forget my accommodations. It took multiple forces in order for them to actually consider [the accommodation],” the student said. They said that if they can’t register quick enough and all of the singles are taken, they would have to “fight for their life” to get accommodated housing in a building like Larned or West Hall. They stated that it really shouldn’t be this hard to fight to prove a disability. They feel the school should be more than willing to be accommodating than they are currently. This student also said Residence Life continued to ignore their pleas for accommodations and brushed them off. “It seems like we are more of an annoyance to them than a part of the community, and that can feel very isolating and can make people with disabilities not want to come here anymore,” the student said. It all comes down to what matters in the end. If FSU wants to show they care for all of their students equally, I don’t know if they’re doing it right. If you want your students to utilize a disabilities service and accommodations - make your services actually accessible. Students want to feel supported not only by their friends but also their professors and faculty. I’ve been appalled by the ableist behavior exhibited by staff and faculty, professors outing students’ disabilities and staff making snide ableist commentary - there’s incredible need for reform within our community. From my perspective, FSU has a lot of work to do if they want to really truly be accommodating to their disabled students. I’d probably start by having working elevators. I wish I could see a future where any disabled person can attend FSU without fear or worry, but currently we are at a point where many improvements need to be made.