Petition
Template

Campus Access Petition Template

Disabled experiences are all too often forgotten, overlooked, or misrepresented. This leaves us in a world where our needs are unmet, our struggles are ignored, and our abilities and contributions are undervalued. We have a long way to go when it comes to appropriately supporting disabled people with regards to healthcare, employment, and even basic respect.

These problems manifest in all aspects of society, including higher education. Professors teach classes with old and ableist viewpoints, adding to the harm disabled people face. Campuses are cluttered with outdated infrastructure that physically exclude disabled students from classrooms, university services, and public gatherings.

19% of undergraduates are disabled, yet, disabled people experience an 18.1% dropout rate compared to the 6.1% overall dropout rate. This is fostered by the existence of unwelcoming spaces and ableist culture. If we want a glimpse of the true potential disabled individuals have in academia, we must first acknowledge and meet the access needs of all students.

There are many definitions of accessibility, but here we have put forward our own. First, bare minimum ADA standards do not always translate to accessibility. Accessibility implies ease of access and convenience. Disabled students have a right to equal access, which MUST be convenient and easy.

Next, accessibility ensures that students with disabilities are not denied their civil rights as defined in the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), but accessibility also enriches the daily lives of ALL students. Accessible campuses built around the principles of universal design benefit everyone and make campuses better, more diverse, places.

Finally, accessibility must be proactive. It cannot afford to be reactionary. Students with disabilities have a constitutional right to equal access on their campuses. This includes the right to focus on their studies without having to file accessibility grievances. Universities must solve their infrastructure issues BEFORE students meet those barriers to access, otherwise those universities have failed to uphold their students' basic civil rights.

It is important to recognize that access barriers and a lack of equity in the treatment of disabled individuals is a global issue. The fulfillment of access needs are, when considered at all, an afterthought, which needs to change.

(We kindly ask that you keep the petition, up until this point, unchanged.)

As students of (INSERT SCHOOL) we request the following with the understanding that change is needed everywhere.

• Improve infrastructure so all students experience equity in physical access to campus spaces

• Educate faculty, staff, and students on disabled experiences and disability rights (specifically in the scope of education)

• Create and enforce policy surrounding disability on campus to ensure a truly inclusive and equitable college experience for all students, especially those of us with disabilities

(These points in bold and purple can be kept as is or modified to be specific requests for a college/university.)

You matter at UMass, disabled or not, so let’s be revolutionary and become the number one campus for accessibility and inclusion!

(Make your own school specific tagline if you want. The UMass tagline is left here in blue for an example of what to write.)

Please sign and share this petition to support disabled students. A better future IS ahead of us!