With a Little Help From Our Friends: Advancing Disability Access Through Collaboration

Contributor: Poppy Fitch, Ed.D., Dean, San Diego Community College District

As I reflect on 50 years of CAPED’s advocacy and support for students with disabilities in higher education, one truth is clear: collaboration is at the heart of advancing disability access. Moving the work beyond compliance and toward solidarity with our students and one another has long been our aim, but this work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Our ability to make meaningful progress depends on working together across place, space, and perspectives. Indeed coalition building is an early and key stage in the change process (Kotter, 1996).

Judith Heumann, a pioneering advocate for disability rights, embodied this power of coalition building. In Paul Grossman’s keynote last year, he shared a poignant story of Heumann’s relentless efforts to ensure that every voice was heard, even when opinions differed and especially when the capacity for communication was challenging. Whether it was advocating for the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or working alongside civil rights leaders, Heumann knew that real progress required everyone to have a seat at the table. Her commitment to collaboration reminds us that engaging diverse voices is key to finding solutions that work for all.

More recently, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) convened the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Taskforce. It was part of the process of reviewing definitions embedded into the work of the taskforce that Region E colleagues (and perhaps others!) identified disability as a crucial missing piece in the work. Thanks to the advocacy of our Region E DSPS colleagues, "access" became a key part of the DEI conversation and the DEI Taskforce became the DEIA Taskforce, ensuring that disability was recognized, not just as a matter of compliance, but as an essential part of identity in discussions of diversity and equity. This success is a great example of how working together can ensure that disability is included in broader conversations about diversity. Without the collective voice advocating for this inclusion, disability access might have been left out entirely.

Locally, at the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD), we’re working on a faculty empowerment model that encourages faculty to lead on accessibility in online classrooms. Beyond mere compliance, this initiative aims to create inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive. Through collaboration between faculty, disability services, and instructional design teams, we’ve provided faculty with the mentorship and tools they need to embed accessibility in their courses. By making accessibility a shared responsibility, we’re helping to create a culture where access is built into the fabric of teaching and learning.

Disability support professionals can take specific steps to increase collaboration and build coalitions to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Importantly, we identify key stakeholders across our colleges to form diverse teams with a shared commitment to accessibility. Next, we create spaces for dialogue where all voices, especially students with disabilities, are prioritized, ensuring that solutions reflect the needs of the community. Finally, we cultivate sustained partnerships. This might take the shape of regular meetings and collaborative projects, professional presentations to share the work, or nurturing workplace relationships that move beyond transactional and toward intentional, mutual support. In each of these examples, we prioritize accountability and progress tracking to foster long-term systemic change. By embracing these strategies, we can work together to drive meaningful improvements in access and inclusion for all students. Whether it's embodying the power of a coalition as Heumann did, working at the policy level with the CCCCO, or creating change locally at SDCCD, success comes from working with allies. When we come together, we’re able to make a broader impact and drive systemic, sustainable change.

Our collective work to support students (and colleagues) with disabilities is about recognizing our inherent worth and ensuring we all have the resources we need to succeed.

We have only to reflect backward at the incredible progress our elders advanced to know that when we work together, we push the boundaries of what’s possible. As we reflect on the past 50 years of CAPED’s advocacy and action, it’s clear that finding and working with the right people is essential for advancing access. What will the next 50 years hold? I’m not sure, but I know we’ll get there with a little help from our friends.

About the Author:

Poppy Fitch, leads with love as a counselor, professor, and administrator, and serves as the Dean of Wellness and Disability Support Programs and Services at the San Diego Community College District and is a lecturer in a Doctoral program in Postsecondary Educational Leadership at San Diego State University. Committed to access and outcomes equity, Poppy advocates for students to achieve their fullest potential through the transformative power of education to change lives. She is a strengths-based leader fostering spaces of authenticity and belonging.

A published author, Poppy co-authored A Guide to Leadership and Management in Higher Education and How to Engage in Difficult Conversations on Identity, Race, and Politics in Higher Education. She holds a doctorate in Post-Secondary/Community College Educational Leadership and a master's in Education with a specialization in Multicultural Counseling both from SDSU. A former foster youth, her research focuses on foster youth who persist to degree completion. Poppy demonstrates a strong commitment to social justice through involvement in organizations like CAPED and as a former Commissioner for the San Diego Commission on Police Practices.