Overcoming ableism: what you don't know as an able-bodied person | Naty Rico | TEDxUCIrvine
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0:16 - 0:20It was September of 2011
when I sat in the yellow room -
0:20 - 0:24with walls full of
college brochures and flyers. -
0:25 - 0:26I sat in front of the computer
-
0:26 - 0:30while staff helped other students
in other parts of the room. -
0:30 - 0:33I began to fill out the UC application
-
0:33 - 0:36and referred to a thick binder
I had in front of me. -
0:36 - 0:41It had my transcripts, volunteer hours,
awards and test scores. -
0:42 - 0:44As I fill everything out,
-
0:44 - 0:48I began to check all of the boxes
that pertain to me and my identities. -
0:49 - 0:50While scrolling,
-
0:50 - 0:55I check the box for first generation
Chicano Latino, woman -
0:55 - 0:57and my socioeconomic status.
-
0:58 - 1:00One thing I notice, though,
-
1:00 - 1:04is that my ability status
wasn't asked in that category. -
1:06 - 1:11I started thinking about how schools
would find out about my disability. -
1:11 - 1:15They had to find out somehow;
I need resources and guidance. -
1:16 - 1:20I worried about how I would
navigate campus and live on my own. -
1:22 - 1:24My diverse ability,
-
1:24 - 1:27a term used to embrace
talents and abilities -
1:27 - 1:30rather than to highlight inabilities,
-
1:30 - 1:34was not recognized as a form of identity
-
1:34 - 1:36mainly because people simply view it
-
1:36 - 1:39as an unfortunate situation
that people go through. -
1:40 - 1:42Although my other identities
were accounted for -
1:42 - 1:45because of the boxes that I checked,
-
1:45 - 1:50I realized my other identity as a person
with a diverse ability was being ignored. -
1:51 - 1:53It was in this moment when I realized
-
1:53 - 1:56that not all intersectionalities
are being accounted for, -
1:56 - 2:00and in doing so, we prevent
certain people from thriving. -
2:01 - 2:05To me, intersectionality
boils down to acknowledging -
2:05 - 2:08all of the identities
that make up a person together -
2:08 - 2:10rather than independently.
-
2:13 - 2:15Because of my identity
as a diversable person -
2:15 - 2:17was not being accounted for,
-
2:17 - 2:20I had a lot of words of what my life
was going to look like -
2:20 - 2:22for the next four years.
-
2:22 - 2:25Now, I'm not ignoring my other identities.
-
2:25 - 2:27I do identify
-
2:27 - 2:31as a first generation, low income,
Latina woman with a diverse ability. -
2:32 - 2:36Today though, I'd like to share
with you my journey at UCI -
2:36 - 2:37through my diverse ability
-
2:37 - 2:39and how much it has taught me
-
2:39 - 2:42about the importance
of acknowledging intersectionalities. -
2:44 - 2:48My first year was
a roller coaster of emotions. -
2:49 - 2:52I feared not having what it takes
to graduate from UCI -
2:52 - 2:54because of my background
as a low income Latina, -
2:54 - 2:57but nevertheless,
I try to make the best of it. -
2:58 - 3:01I was also excited about starting my life.
-
3:02 - 3:05This excitement quickly turned into fear
-
3:05 - 3:10when I realized that I was having
a hard time navigating through campus. -
3:11 - 3:14I had a hard time carrying
my tray with food at Commons, -
3:14 - 3:16our dining hall,
-
3:16 - 3:20and the excruciating pain
I felt on my back when I did laundry -
3:20 - 3:22made me want to drop out.
-
3:24 - 3:27The worst was when I would trip
on cracks on the floors, -
3:27 - 3:29especially walking uphill,
-
3:30 - 3:35and the pain I felt on my knee
every time I would reopen the wound - -
3:35 - 3:38it really made me want to drop out.
-
3:39 - 3:40Until that point,
-
3:40 - 3:46my disability had never gotten in the way
of anything that I wanted to accomplish. -
3:47 - 3:49I never thought
I'd even make it into a UC, -
3:49 - 3:54and now my standing was being jeopardized
because of my diverse ability. -
3:55 - 3:59It wasn't until the organization
that I'm a member of back home, -
3:59 - 4:01called Kid City Hope Place -
-
4:01 - 4:04which has nothing to do with helping
people with diverse abilities - -
4:04 - 4:06was able to outreach to their networks
-
4:06 - 4:10and found a power scooter
that a family was willing to donate. -
4:12 - 4:16This was the year I began advocating
for the diversable community, -
4:16 - 4:19thanks to the help
of upperclassman mentors. -
4:19 - 4:23It was because of them that I realized
the power of student voices, -
4:23 - 4:26and I ended that year in hopeful terms
of what the future could bring. -
4:29 - 4:32Now, despite the challenges
I faced my first year, -
4:32 - 4:37my second year has actually been
the worst year of my undergraduate career. -
4:38 - 4:40School at that point was very demanding,
-
4:40 - 4:43and I didn't realize I was experiencing
mental health problems -
4:43 - 4:46until much later in the year.
-
4:46 - 4:51I was on academic probation,
and my living conditions were a challenge. -
4:52 - 4:55I hated my daily commute
on my scooter to campus, -
4:55 - 4:58which was approximately
one and a half miles, -
4:58 - 5:03but when it was cold and raining,
that's when the struggle was real. -
5:04 - 5:07Unfortunately, I couldn't
ride the shuttles -
5:07 - 5:10because of the inaccessibility
with their ramps -
5:10 - 5:11and the size of my power scooter
-
5:11 - 5:13being too big.
-
5:14 - 5:18It's through these struggles
that I became more aware of ableism, -
5:18 - 5:22which is the way society is structured
to favor able-bodied people, -
5:22 - 5:25therefore excluding
those with diverse abilities. -
5:26 - 5:30Not only is it reflected
in our physical environment -
5:30 - 5:34but also in our interactions
with those with diverse abilities. -
5:34 - 5:38It's reflective in the way
people interact towards me. -
5:40 - 5:41I had people joke around
-
5:41 - 5:44and ask me for a ride on my scooter
while commuting home, -
5:44 - 5:48and it's remarks like these
that affected my whole week. -
5:49 - 5:53I had a very hard time
pulling through that year. -
5:55 - 5:58Before my third year even started,
-
5:58 - 6:00I had doubts of returning to UCI
-
6:00 - 6:03since I wasn't having
a favorable experience. -
6:04 - 6:07I had a hard time finding affordable
and accessible housing. -
6:07 - 6:13And when I was given my apartment,
it had a six-inch front doorstep. -
6:13 - 6:16It basically served
as a wall for a wheelchair. -
6:17 - 6:21Regardless of that,
I made it work and I returned. -
6:23 - 6:26The first week,
while at an event at our gym, -
6:26 - 6:30I had the pleasant experience of hearing
a girl riding the elevator with me -
6:30 - 6:34as she questioned the existence
of an elevator at the gym, -
6:34 - 6:39since, in her words, the point of the gym
was to workout and take the stairs. -
6:39 - 6:43And I guess if you can't take the stairs,
you don't have the ability to work out. -
6:44 - 6:47She said this all while
she was inside of the elevator -
6:47 - 6:50while watching me in there with my crutch.
-
6:51 - 6:56At that point, I wonder
what helped me decide to return, -
6:56 - 7:00and I realized it was
the community that I had here. -
7:01 - 7:05It was with their help
that I began to see changes on campus. -
7:05 - 7:08Together, we worked
on the Bus Love referendum -
7:08 - 7:12that has increased the cart services
offered by the Disability Service Center. -
7:13 - 7:18I've also been invited to give workshops
on ableism all throughout campus. -
7:19 - 7:22I even auditioned
to give a TEDxUCIrvine talk, -
7:22 - 7:25and we all know how that turned out.
-
7:25 - 7:26(Laughter)
-
7:27 - 7:29I still have some time here, though,
-
7:29 - 7:33and I know I can do more
for the diversable community. -
7:35 - 7:39The strength I have to push through
with everything I experienced, -
7:39 - 7:41I owe it all to my parents,
-
7:41 - 7:44who struggled to get me where I am.
-
7:45 - 7:47In fifth grade,
-
7:47 - 7:50I remember my mom struggling
to help me with my homework. -
7:51 - 7:54If she couldn't help me
with my fifth grade homework, -
7:54 - 7:58there was no way she'd be able
to help me with college preparation. -
7:59 - 8:01She would go around
the whole neighborhood, -
8:01 - 8:04looking for people to help me
with my math homework. -
8:05 - 8:10Even though she was unable to help me,
that did not mean she didn't support me. -
8:10 - 8:14My parents' support is what got me
through accepting myself -
8:14 - 8:17in pushing forward with my education,
-
8:17 - 8:20support that I often
failed to see elsewhere. -
8:22 - 8:23When I was younger,
-
8:23 - 8:26I also remember her
pushing my wheelchair down the street -
8:26 - 8:28while taking my brother in a baby backpack
-
8:28 - 8:31to take the public bus every other day
-
8:31 - 8:34just so we could make it
to physical therapy appointments. -
8:35 - 8:39Had she not done that,
I would have remained wheelchair bound. -
8:40 - 8:44Despite the inner-city struggles
we were victims of, -
8:44 - 8:47the lack of resources they were unaware of
-
8:48 - 8:51and their foreign concept
of higher education, -
8:51 - 8:54the acceptance, hard work
and tenacity my parents showed -
8:54 - 8:58is what pushed me to continue
through this very day. -
9:00 - 9:04Living with a diverse ability has come
with its fair share of challenges, -
9:04 - 9:05and the fact
-
9:05 - 9:07that I'm a first generation,
low income Latina -
9:07 - 9:08also play a role
-
9:08 - 9:12in the experiences and struggles
I've gone throughout my life. -
9:14 - 9:17These experiences and struggles
are not unique to who I am -
9:17 - 9:20but also prevalent in the lives of people
-
9:20 - 9:23with diverse abilities
and intersectionalities. -
9:24 - 9:26This is why we as a society
should recognize -
9:26 - 9:29that all intersectionality
should be accounted for -
9:29 - 9:32and not one more so than the other.
-
9:33 - 9:37I know at this point, perhaps some of you
may be feeling sorry for me -
9:37 - 9:40and the struggles that I've endured,
-
9:40 - 9:43but feeling sorry
won't solve these issues. -
9:43 - 9:45Awareness and advocacy are the key,
-
9:45 - 9:48from being considerate
of push buttons on the doors, -
9:48 - 9:52saving seats in the edge of class
for people with diverse abilities, -
9:52 - 9:55or if you want to go bigger,
-
9:56 - 9:59bringing awareness campaigns
to your campuses or workforce -
9:59 - 10:02in order to create more inclusive spaces.
-
10:04 - 10:06Before I leave UCI,
-
10:06 - 10:09I hope to continue bringing
enough awareness about this -
10:09 - 10:11to show that we need to increase
the number of people -
10:11 - 10:14with diverse abilities in higher education
-
10:15 - 10:16and take into consideration
-
10:16 - 10:20of how intersectionalities
affect the members in our communities. -
10:21 - 10:25One year ago, I was
on the brink of dropping out -
10:25 - 10:26with the frustrations,
-
10:26 - 10:30helplessness and loneliness
that I felt through ableism. -
10:31 - 10:35Now, I stand before you,
or in this case, sit before you, -
10:35 - 10:37stronger than ever before,
-
10:37 - 10:42with the hopes of paving the bumps
and the cracks on the floors -
10:42 - 10:46to provide a smoother ride
for future generations. -
10:46 - 10:48Thank you.
-
10:48 - 10:50(Applause) (Cheers)
- Title:
- Overcoming ableism: what you don't know as an able-bodied person | Naty Rico | TEDxUCIrvine
- Description:
-
Naty Rico shares her story of struggles at UC Irvine over the past three years and the hopes she has for the future.
Naty Rico is a third year sociology and education double major. She was born and raised in South Los Angeles to parents who immigrated here from Mexico. As a first generation Latina woman with a physical disability, Naty managed to get accepted and enroll into UCI in 2012 with the help of her community back home.
While her three years at UCI have not been easy, Naty has managed to overcome structural barriers and has become an advocate for the differently abled community. After she graduates and receives her Bachelors from UCI, Naty hopes to enroll in grad school and continue doing work focused on the differently able community. She plans on obtaining a Ph.D. in sociology or education, with an emphasis in disability studies, and giving back to the community that helped her get to where she is and is supportive of where she's headed.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 10:59