1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 My name is Natalia Rivera. I'm a doctoral student. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,000 And, well, doctoral graduate actually. And in the Department of Hispanic 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,730 Languages and Literature at the University of Pittsburgh. 4 00:00:10,730 --> 00:00:15,790 I'm also a Spanish Instructor and I specialize in Latin American and 5 00:00:15,790 --> 00:00:19,400 [inaudible] literature and critical disability studies. 6 00:00:20,202 --> 00:00:24,602 So my interests, my academic interests are intimately tied to my personal 7 00:00:24,602 --> 00:00:29,642 experience as a student and now instructor with 8 00:00:29,901 --> 00:00:33,611 a learning disability and co-occurring anxiety. 9 00:00:33,691 --> 00:00:38,361 So, the first memory that I remember, just on a personal level, 10 00:00:38,361 --> 00:00:42,501 recognizing that there was some access issues or some degree of 11 00:00:44,101 --> 00:00:49,111 especially in the high school level, some degree of 12 00:00:50,729 --> 00:00:54,619 a lack of knowledge, really, of different types of learning styles 13 00:00:54,759 --> 00:00:58,559 and different types of processing speeds because of my diagnosis of attention 14 00:00:58,559 --> 00:01:02,519 deficit disorder. One of the key components of how that, 15 00:01:02,519 --> 00:01:06,519 you know, how ADD affects me is that I have a slower processing speed. 16 00:01:06,519 --> 00:01:11,256 So, while my reading comprehension is strong, 17 00:01:13,002 --> 00:01:16,151 my processing speed affects my writing speed so I'm not always 18 00:01:16,151 --> 00:01:20,151 able to produce a paragraph in a timely manner. So, we often 19 00:01:20,151 --> 00:01:24,151 had problems in English class. This was in tenth grade and 20 00:01:24,151 --> 00:01:28,651 the expectation was that we would be able to write a paragraph in half-hour. 21 00:01:28,802 --> 00:01:32,802 And often times I would need double amount of time. I would need an hour. 22 00:01:32,802 --> 00:01:36,292 And sometimes I wouldn't even be able to finish one simple paragraph 23 00:01:36,292 --> 00:01:37,492 in an hour. 24 00:01:38,263 --> 00:01:42,263 And I remember my English instructor, at the time, 25 00:01:43,023 --> 00:01:45,925 after class when I sort of approached her and said, 26 00:01:45,925 --> 00:01:49,275 "Uhm, hey. Not withstanding the additional time. I wasn't 27 00:01:49,275 --> 00:01:52,861 really able to finish my paragraph." And I remember she looked at me 28 00:01:52,861 --> 00:01:57,682 incredulous and said to me, "I mean, if you can't even write a paragraph, 29 00:01:57,682 --> 00:02:01,682 a simple paragraph in one hour, I don't know what to tell you." 30 00:02:02,899 --> 00:02:08,449 So, I remember that moment. I also remember later on 31 00:02:08,449 --> 00:02:12,449 when I was preparing for AP Exams. This also happened in high school. 32 00:02:12,449 --> 00:02:17,899 This was my junior year. I was taking an AP World History class 33 00:02:18,864 --> 00:02:23,464 And I remember that I approached my instructor, already knowing on my own 34 00:02:23,464 --> 00:02:27,334 because I had already had plenty of experience advocating for myself since 35 00:02:27,334 --> 00:02:31,684 I was a child. I already knew that all standardized testing 36 00:02:31,738 --> 00:02:35,258 had a process for requesting accommodations. 37 00:02:35,258 --> 00:02:39,458 So, I remember approaching my AP World History Exam and- 38 00:02:39,458 --> 00:02:43,548 I meant, my AP World History teacher and explaining to him 39 00:02:43,548 --> 00:02:49,028 that I was registered with disability resources, that I had a documented 40 00:02:49,028 --> 00:02:53,028 disability and that these were the particular accommodations I needed 41 00:02:53,028 --> 00:02:55,568 time and a half. It was a very common accommodation. 42 00:02:57,074 --> 00:03:01,074 And I remember him telling me, "I don't have a problem providing you 43 00:03:01,074 --> 00:03:05,274 classroom accommodations. I'm just not sure that 44 00:03:06,644 --> 00:03:10,644 that extended time is provided on the AP Exam." And I was just 45 00:03:10,644 --> 00:03:14,644 flabbergasted that an instructor would actively misinform me that way 46 00:03:14,644 --> 00:03:18,644 because even I knew at the tender age of, I don't know, sixteen, 47 00:03:19,340 --> 00:03:23,340 that ATS always provided a process for requesting 48 00:03:23,340 --> 00:03:27,340 accommodation. So, I was stunned that an adult felt that he could 49 00:03:27,340 --> 00:03:31,340 just misinform me that way. And I know 50 00:03:31,340 --> 00:03:35,340 that misinforming me not necessarily with a negative intent, but he 51 00:03:35,354 --> 00:03:39,354 genuinely had no notion of the process. And 52 00:03:40,017 --> 00:03:44,017 yeah. So, it's un-willful misinformation, but 53 00:03:45,123 --> 00:03:49,123 the effect is similar. Because imagine had he said something like that 54 00:03:49,123 --> 00:03:53,123 to a student who had no idea how to request accommodations. 55 00:03:53,337 --> 00:03:58,337 You know, how to attain an evaluation needed to substantiate 56 00:03:58,337 --> 00:04:02,337 the need for accommodations. So it's just a lot of misinformation 57 00:04:05,736 --> 00:04:09,346 enabled with ignorance and not so much malice. 58 00:04:09,346 --> 00:04:13,266 But, just the complete lack of information out there just really compromises 59 00:04:13,266 --> 00:04:16,376 student's ability to advocate for themselves. 60 00:04:18,595 --> 00:04:22,595 In my personal work with the disability rights 61 00:04:22,595 --> 00:04:26,035 community because I worked two and a half years at a disability 62 00:04:26,035 --> 00:04:28,875 rights organization called Autistic Self Advocacy Network 63 00:04:29,417 --> 00:04:33,417 and meeting a lot of people my age 64 00:04:34,693 --> 00:04:38,343 a lot of students don't find out that they have a diagnosis until much later 65 00:04:38,343 --> 00:04:42,343 in life. Once they start picking up on their own symptoms, they seek 66 00:04:42,343 --> 00:04:46,343 out individually supports. So I 67 00:04:46,343 --> 00:04:50,343 certainly, on a personal level, I benefited from my 68 00:04:50,343 --> 00:04:53,603 mother's knowledge and from her experiences as a parent advocate. 69 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:58,955 I think my awareness of a level of discrimination 70 00:04:59,141 --> 00:05:02,971 even if it was kind of on the level of microaggression, 71 00:05:02,971 --> 00:05:06,971 I think I had more awareness of discrimination at the high school level 72 00:05:07,007 --> 00:05:10,831 but, my initial exposure to advocacy really happened when I was young 73 00:05:10,831 --> 00:05:14,831 and I remember going... There were some days off from school 74 00:05:14,831 --> 00:05:18,831 and I remember going to the office with my mom. And I remember meeting 75 00:05:18,831 --> 00:05:22,831 other moms and seeing her work part time at 76 00:05:22,831 --> 00:05:26,831 this parent advocacy group for parents with disabilities 77 00:05:26,831 --> 00:05:30,831 so I thank my mother for, you know, introducing me 78 00:05:30,831 --> 00:05:34,831 to the concept of self advocacy and for empowering me 79 00:05:34,831 --> 00:05:38,831 to use it in every aspect of my life and at a professional level 80 00:05:38,831 --> 00:05:42,321 and an academic level, as well. 81 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,920 So, I don't really remember the day of the Americans with Disabilities Act 82 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,920 'cause I was just a couple of months old. 83 00:05:51,651 --> 00:05:55,651 But, the impact on me, basically I sincerely 84 00:05:55,651 --> 00:05:59,651 doubt had I been born, I don't know, forty years ago 85 00:05:59,651 --> 00:06:03,261 as opposed to thirty years ago, there's a possibility that I would not have 86 00:06:03,261 --> 00:06:06,291 attended college. And even if I had attended college, 87 00:06:06,291 --> 00:06:10,291 I just sort of feel that I would have never considered doing a 88 00:06:10,291 --> 00:06:14,718 PhD, if it hadn't been for the Americans with Disabilities Act. 89 00:06:15,197 --> 00:06:19,197 Because graduate school, the level of support at the undergraduate level, 90 00:06:19,197 --> 00:06:22,727 at least at a liberal arts college, 91 00:06:22,727 --> 00:06:26,477 that tends to be more supportive is radically different from graduate school 92 00:06:26,477 --> 00:06:30,477 where the level of support is practically non-existent, I feel 93 00:06:30,477 --> 00:06:33,187 and I think a lot of graduate students feel the same way. 94 00:06:33,187 --> 00:06:37,187 So without the ADA, I'm not even sure I would have been fortunate enough 95 00:06:37,187 --> 00:06:41,187 to attend college so I think that it offered me 96 00:06:41,187 --> 00:06:45,187 the protections that I needed to go beyond what my 97 00:06:45,187 --> 00:06:49,187 wildest dreams, right? So I feel like... 98 00:06:50,595 --> 00:06:54,595 I've had a very privileged life and I'm grateful for my academic 99 00:06:54,595 --> 00:06:58,368 opportunities that I know there are so many deserving students 100 00:06:58,595 --> 00:07:02,595 who didn't have the opportunities that I had and I'm not only grateful to my family 101 00:07:02,595 --> 00:07:06,595 for their unyielding dedication 102 00:07:06,595 --> 00:07:10,595 to advocacy and also very 103 00:07:10,595 --> 00:07:14,595 grateful for the ADA as well. I mean, disabilities definitely run in my family 104 00:07:14,595 --> 00:07:18,505 neuro-developmental disabilities, learning disabilities. I do have a cousin who 105 00:07:18,505 --> 00:07:22,505 was on the autism spectrum and 106 00:07:22,505 --> 00:07:26,505 I don't think, by no means, benefited 107 00:07:28,552 --> 00:07:32,552 by the protections offered by the Americans with Disabilities Act in the 108 00:07:32,552 --> 00:07:35,809 same degree that I did. I think unfortunately because I think there 109 00:07:35,809 --> 00:07:38,072 still cultural stigma 110 00:07:38,722 --> 00:07:42,722 particularly if an autism spectrum disorder 111 00:07:42,722 --> 00:07:46,722 co-occurs with a intellectual disability, but he 112 00:07:46,722 --> 00:07:50,722 finished his associate's degree with minimal supports. 113 00:07:50,722 --> 00:07:54,722 I think because the ADA empowered me, I feel like 114 00:07:54,722 --> 00:07:58,722 I'm prepared as an instructor to offer support 115 00:07:58,722 --> 00:08:02,722 to students with other disabilities. I have 116 00:08:02,722 --> 00:08:06,722 students with documented disabilities and I feel that because 117 00:08:06,722 --> 00:08:10,722 of my personal experience as a student 118 00:08:10,722 --> 00:08:14,722 with disability, I feel much more prepared to work with 119 00:08:14,722 --> 00:08:18,722 a wider range of students who need different needs and I'm prepared 120 00:08:18,722 --> 00:08:22,722 to be accommodating and I'm prepared to 121 00:08:23,537 --> 00:08:27,537 at least endeavored to make students feel like they're valuable members of 122 00:08:27,537 --> 00:08:31,537 my classroom. I'm not a perfect instructor. I still have a lot to learn 123 00:08:31,585 --> 00:08:35,585 but, I think that level of 124 00:08:36,187 --> 00:08:41,047 humanity, I think, that speaks to a lot of students and I think that I'm 125 00:08:41,047 --> 00:08:45,047 better able to connect to connect with my students. So, 126 00:08:45,047 --> 00:08:49,047 the ADA allowed me to be useful as an instructor, basically. But, I 127 00:08:49,047 --> 00:08:53,047 remember one interview I did with a student on the 128 00:08:53,047 --> 00:08:57,047 autism spectrum, who was attending a 129 00:08:57,047 --> 00:09:01,047 college specifically for students with learning disabilities. 130 00:09:03,258 --> 00:09:08,708 And she made a very astute observation about 131 00:09:10,749 --> 00:09:14,749 learning disabilities under colleges and sort of their 132 00:09:15,586 --> 00:09:19,986 focus on vocational training as opposed to academic training and 133 00:09:20,174 --> 00:09:24,174 this was a smart girl who wanted to 134 00:09:25,263 --> 00:09:29,263 pursue a degree in the humanities and she was doing an Interdisciplinary Liberal 135 00:09:29,263 --> 00:09:33,263 Arts degree, but she couldn't take philosophy, for instance. Or 136 00:09:33,263 --> 00:09:37,263 she couldn't do a major in history. And I think the way 137 00:09:37,263 --> 00:09:41,263 the classes, the course work, the curriculum... 138 00:09:41,263 --> 00:09:45,263 just how all the academic options were structured in this particular college 139 00:09:45,903 --> 00:09:49,903 it sort of reinforced this idea that traditional academic 140 00:09:49,903 --> 00:09:53,903 disciplines are somehow out of reach for a student who 141 00:09:53,903 --> 00:09:57,903 reads as having an intellectual disability or who reads as having 142 00:09:59,485 --> 00:10:03,485 potential learning difficulties and she lamented and I 143 00:10:03,485 --> 00:10:07,485 wholeheartedly agreed with her appraisal. She lamented the fact that she couldn't 144 00:10:07,922 --> 00:10:11,922 pursue a traditional discipline she would have wanted. She wanted to be a historian. 145 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,640 So I think that in a way, people wouldn't really read the legislation 146 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:22,640 very carefully. I guess in their attempt 147 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:27,180 to sort of include people, they're inadvertently limiting the options 148 00:10:27,180 --> 00:10:31,180 for a lot of students because there are students who may need to 149 00:10:31,180 --> 00:10:35,180 do- There are students who may want to pursue 150 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:39,679 physics, right? But they need a longer timeline to complete 151 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:43,679 their coursework, but it's just in a traditional four-year 152 00:10:44,129 --> 00:10:48,129 college. Those mechanisms just aren't in place to provide 153 00:10:48,129 --> 00:10:52,129 that support system for a student who needs additional support, but 154 00:10:52,129 --> 00:10:55,769 who wants to pursue a traditional academic discipline. So, I think in that 155 00:10:55,769 --> 00:10:59,769 regard, even though the spirit of the ADA, you definitely get the sense 156 00:10:59,769 --> 00:11:03,769 with the wording of the legislation that it's intended to 157 00:11:03,769 --> 00:11:07,769 sort of correct that kind of 158 00:11:08,687 --> 00:11:12,687 societal exclusion and academic exclusion of students who want to pursue traditional 159 00:11:12,687 --> 00:11:16,687 disciplines, but I think in that regard, the level of 160 00:11:19,754 --> 00:11:23,754 enforcement I think is still very differential. I think another thing 161 00:11:23,754 --> 00:11:27,754 that I do want to add, just for my personal 162 00:11:28,605 --> 00:11:31,345 observations as an instructor, 163 00:11:32,355 --> 00:11:36,355 the regular enforcement of the 2009 Amendment - 164 00:11:36,355 --> 00:11:40,355 which was critical in the sense that it broadened the category of disability 165 00:11:40,355 --> 00:11:44,355 to include vary proteins. And by "protein", I mean, 166 00:11:45,658 --> 00:11:49,658 very inconsistent disabilities. For instance, 167 00:11:49,658 --> 00:11:53,658 something like cancer or a auto- immune disorder 168 00:11:54,315 --> 00:11:58,315 finally was incorporated into this broader category of disabilities, so it wasn't 169 00:11:58,315 --> 00:12:02,315 just- So, that 2009 Amendment was critical because 170 00:12:02,315 --> 00:12:06,315 it rendered clear that disability did not have to be 171 00:12:06,315 --> 00:12:10,315 "stable". It did not have to be a "consistent" 172 00:12:10,315 --> 00:12:14,315 you know, "putatively consistent" physical disability to qualify 173 00:12:15,138 --> 00:12:19,478 as a disability under the legislation. So, this included 174 00:12:21,469 --> 00:12:25,949 disabilities, whether somatic or cognitive disabilities 175 00:12:27,805 --> 00:12:32,145 that were either inconsistent in nature or went through periods of 176 00:12:32,145 --> 00:12:34,795 remission. So, something like bipolar disorder, right? 177 00:12:34,795 --> 00:12:38,795 So, the 2008 Amendment, what was great about it was that it made clear that 178 00:12:39,220 --> 00:12:43,220 not withstanding the point through which you're sort of going 179 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,961 sort of like thinking something like bipolar disorder where you're going 180 00:12:47,961 --> 00:12:51,961 through sort of a manic depressive episode that at a institutional 181 00:12:51,961 --> 00:12:55,961 level there was still a responsibility to provide out of supports to that person 182 00:12:55,961 --> 00:12:59,961 who was experiencing cyclical changes. And what I've noticed 183 00:12:59,961 --> 00:13:03,961 at the university level, especially with science programs, 184 00:13:05,859 --> 00:13:09,859 that they include a tidbit that actually seems very almost 185 00:13:09,859 --> 00:13:13,569 unlawful to me. You look at the 186 00:13:15,025 --> 00:13:18,705 graduate handbooks and the undergraduate handbooks as well 187 00:13:18,705 --> 00:13:22,505 they have this very strange policy that you're supposed to 188 00:13:22,705 --> 00:13:26,705 let your professors know about your disability. That you 189 00:13:26,705 --> 00:13:30,705 must tell your professors within the first two weeks of the semester 190 00:13:31,506 --> 00:13:35,506 that you have documented disability. The problem is that a lot of 191 00:13:35,506 --> 00:13:39,506 disabilities don't work that way. There are moments where you're 192 00:13:39,506 --> 00:13:43,056 "functional". You know, relatively functional and there are moments where 193 00:13:43,056 --> 00:13:47,616 you are not functional in socially understood terms, right? 194 00:13:48,850 --> 00:13:52,850 And especially for students, this is not unusual for students who 195 00:13:52,850 --> 00:13:56,640 receive a diagnosis later in life when they're just commencing college 196 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:00,760 which is a transitional period, so it makes sense that certain symptoms 197 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,660 that were not disabling in other contexts, suddenly become disabling 198 00:14:04,660 --> 00:14:08,850 when you enter college. And that policy 199 00:14:08,850 --> 00:14:10,500 basically 200 00:14:11,955 --> 00:14:15,955 basically misinforms students into 201 00:14:15,955 --> 00:14:19,955 thinking that they are not able 202 00:14:19,955 --> 00:14:23,955 to request supports when they've reached a point where their 203 00:14:23,955 --> 00:14:27,955 condition has become so disabling that they can't necessarily meet 204 00:14:27,955 --> 00:14:31,715 requirements at the expected time frame. So, it's almost as if there's like a 205 00:14:31,715 --> 00:14:35,715 mechanism in place to give the 206 00:14:35,715 --> 00:14:39,715 false impression that you're not able to receive supports 207 00:14:39,715 --> 00:14:43,715 later in the semester. So, I think in that sense it's more like 208 00:14:43,715 --> 00:14:47,715 even if there are protections in place, institutional ignorance 209 00:14:47,715 --> 00:14:51,715 and the regular enforcement continue to be a problem. So, if I could pick one 210 00:14:51,715 --> 00:14:55,365 thing that needs to change in terms of access... 211 00:14:55,963 --> 00:14:59,863 I'm gonna start a little bit abstract and then I'm gonna try to clarify what I mean 212 00:14:59,863 --> 00:15:03,863 I think we sort of overcome this concept of 213 00:15:03,863 --> 00:15:07,863 autonomy. What do I mean by that? And I think a lot of 214 00:15:07,863 --> 00:15:11,863 disability rights activists, when we think about advocacy, they do think about 215 00:15:11,863 --> 00:15:15,863 in terms of no collective grassroots movement, so there is an 216 00:15:15,863 --> 00:15:19,863 emphasis on relationality, there's an emphasis on mutual support. 217 00:15:20,666 --> 00:15:24,666 And I think traditionally in 218 00:15:24,666 --> 00:15:27,546 Occidental culture, in Western culture, 219 00:15:28,598 --> 00:15:32,598 the responsibility for seeking social accommodations for disabilities, 220 00:15:32,598 --> 00:15:36,598 largely incumbent upon the individual and not society. 221 00:15:37,391 --> 00:15:41,231 I think the ADA certainly 222 00:15:41,231 --> 00:15:45,231 gives the impression that social 223 00:15:45,231 --> 00:15:49,231 accommodation is in fact, what the terms or the phrase suggests, 224 00:15:49,231 --> 00:15:53,231 "a social responsibility", but in practice it's not treated like a 225 00:15:53,231 --> 00:15:57,231 collective responsibility and I see this a lot in the university in administration 226 00:15:57,231 --> 00:16:01,231 level. So when a student begins 227 00:16:01,231 --> 00:16:05,726 college, not only are you responsible for time management, 228 00:16:05,726 --> 00:16:09,726 for learning how to live independently for the first time, if that's the case, 229 00:16:09,726 --> 00:16:13,726 learning to live with roommates, which may not actually be accessible for you 230 00:16:13,726 --> 00:16:17,726 if you're a student with a disability. You are also responsible for coordinating your 231 00:16:17,726 --> 00:16:21,726 own accommodations and depending on the kinds of 232 00:16:21,726 --> 00:16:25,726 accommodations that you need, I think at the undergraduate level - in my case - 233 00:16:26,146 --> 00:16:30,146 it wasn't so overwhelming, I could still manage it, but at the graduate level 234 00:16:30,146 --> 00:16:34,146 to try to request new accommodations, based on the new needs that you 235 00:16:34,146 --> 00:16:38,146 develop because of the shifting levels of work and 236 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:44,500 sort of in the overall. It's just your coursework is just more demanding 237 00:16:44,500 --> 00:16:46,090 at the graduate level. 238 00:16:46,730 --> 00:16:50,730 There needs to be a way for social accommodation, 239 00:16:50,730 --> 00:16:53,970 academic accommodations to be- 240 00:16:55,722 --> 00:16:59,302 it needs to be re-thought of as a collective responsibility, but at the 241 00:16:59,302 --> 00:17:02,832 administrative level there is a responsibility at the administrative level 242 00:17:02,832 --> 00:17:06,832 for the student to succeed and that it is not merely 243 00:17:06,832 --> 00:17:10,832 an autonomous burden, it is a collective responsibility. 244 00:17:10,832 --> 00:17:13,482 It is a collective duty. 245 00:17:13,482 --> 00:17:17,482 I do think that we as community members can take on the 246 00:17:17,482 --> 00:17:21,482 responsibility to sort of identify those disabilities rights organizations that 247 00:17:21,482 --> 00:17:25,482 are actively working towards providing 248 00:17:25,482 --> 00:17:28,392 supports and services 249 00:17:29,834 --> 00:17:34,024 and not focusing on the cure aspect because the cure aspect is not 250 00:17:34,828 --> 00:17:38,828 allowing us to address the immediate societal needs. 251 00:17:39,984 --> 00:17:43,984 So, I think organizations like the 252 00:17:43,984 --> 00:17:47,984 Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the one that I worked for, 253 00:17:48,525 --> 00:17:53,349 they have these wonderful advocacy center programs. They really work on 254 00:17:55,081 --> 00:17:59,081 providing cognitively accessible resources for political 255 00:17:59,081 --> 00:18:03,081 advocacy, for instance. And they empower 256 00:18:03,081 --> 00:18:07,081 students to think of ways 257 00:18:07,081 --> 00:18:11,081 for advocating for supports on college campuses. 258 00:18:12,486 --> 00:18:16,486 So, looking at organizations that 259 00:18:16,486 --> 00:18:20,486 empower people to advocate for themselves with the skills that they 260 00:18:20,486 --> 00:18:24,486 have to feel that their lives are worth 261 00:18:24,486 --> 00:18:25,963 living as they are.