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Establishing the Disability Cultural Center (DCC) at Conn College

The first Disability Cultural Center opened in 1991 at the University of Minnesota. The newly established Disabled Students Cultural Center (DSCC) provided a dedicated space to celebrate disability culture and pride both within the disabled community and across the broader campus. For nearly two decades, Minnesota’s center stood alone, until other institutions began to follow its lead.

Syracuse University opened its Disability Cultural Center, and the University of Washington established the D-Center, both designed to foster inclusive, accessible communities for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Within a year, four more universities made headlines with the launch of their own centers: the University of Illinois-Chicago, Miami University of Ohio, the University of Arizona, and UNC-Asheville.

It was around this time, in 2012, that Lillian Leibenthal, Program Coordinator for Connecticut College’s Student Accessibility Services (SAS) Office, read an article about the growing movement. Inspired, she envisioned a similar space at Conn: one where students with disabilities could gather, thrive, and find community. Over the next decade, she shared her ideas with various SAS directors, holding onto her hopes for innovative ways the College could better support disabled students.

While early efforts didn’t take root, progress came during the 2022–2023 academic year, when Lillian partnered with SAS Student Fellow Aleks Eikinas ’26. Together, they enhanced the SAS website and created inclusive spaces across campus. SAS reserved locations and secured resources for events, while Aleks took the lead in marketing and hosting them. From this collaboration, the Disability Affinity Club was born.

In Spring 2023, a group of students: Aleks Eikinas (‘26), Minnie Madden (‘25), Anna Vredevoogd (‘25), Owyn Ledina (‘25), and Adrien Landon (‘25) advocated for the establishment of a Disability Cultural Center at Connecticut College. That fall, Dr. Jill Heilman joined the College as the new Director of Student Accessibility Services, having already envisioned creating both a pre-orientation program and a cultural center for disabled students, unaware that the groundwork was already being laid.

Within a year, these collective efforts came to fruition. In Fall 2024, Conn hosted its first annual Helix Pre-Orientation program for students registered with SAS. By Spring 2025, the College celebrated the Grand Opening of its Disability Cultural Center on April 1st.

Since its opening, the DCC has welcomed a steady flow of students through its doors. The space continues to serve as a safe, inclusive, and accessible hub for disabled, chronically ill, and neurodiverse students. It fosters exploration of disability identity and culture, celebrates disability pride, offers social and cultural programming, and promotes collaboration with other cultural centers and the broader disability community. The DCC also provides resources and education for students, faculty, and staff—both with and without disabilities—reflecting a growing culture of accessibility and belonging at Connecticut College.