Overcoming ableism: what you don't know as an able-bodied person | Naty Rico | TEDxUCIrvine

Naty Rico shares her story of struggles over the past 3 years at UCIrvine 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 able community. After she graduates and receives her Bachelors from UCI, Naty hopes to enroll into 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

[MUSIC PLAYING]

It was September of 2011
when I sat in the yellow room

with walls full of college
brochures and flyers.

I sat in front of the
computer while staff

helped other students in
other parts of the room.

I began to fill out
the UC application

and referred to a thick
binder I had in front of me.

It had my transcripts, volunteer
hours, awards, and test scores.

As I fill everything
out, I began

to check all of the
boxes that pertain

to me and my identities.

While scrolling,
I checked the box

for first generation
Chicano Latino, woman,

and my socioeconomic status.

One thing I noticed, though,
is that my ability status

wasn't asked in that category.

I started thinking about
how schools would find out

about my disability.

They had to find out somehow
I need resources and guidance.

I worried about how I would
navigate campus and live

on my own.

My diverse ability, a term
used to embrace talents

and abilities rather than
to highlight inabilities,

was not recognized
as a form of identity

mainly because
people simply view it

as an unfortunate situation
that people go through.

Although my other identities
were accounted for because

of the boxes that I checked,
I realized my other identity

as a person with a diverse
ability was being ignored.

It was in this moment
when I realized

that not all intersectionalities
are being accounted

for and in doing so we prevent
certain people from thriving.

To me, intersectionality
boils down

to acknowledging all
of the identities that

make up a person together
rather than independently.

Because of my identity
as a diversable person

was not being
accounted for, I had

a lot of words of what
my life was going to look

like for the next four years.

Now I'm not ignoring
my other identities.

I do identify as a first
generation, low income, Latina

woman with a diverse ability.

Today though, I'd like to share
with you my journey at UCI

through my diverse ability
and how much it has taught me

about the importance
of acknowledging

intersectionalities.

My first year was a roller
coaster of emotions.

I feared not having
what it takes

to graduate from UCI, because
of my background as a low income

Latina but nevertheless I
tried to make the best of it.

I was also excited
about starting my life.

This excitement quickly
turned into fear

when I realized that I was
having a hard time navigating

through campus.

I had a hard time carrying
my tray with food at Commons,

our dining hall, and
the excruciating pain

I felt on my back
when I did laundry

made me want to drop out.

The worst was when I would
trip on cracks on the floors,

especially walking uphill,
and the pain I felt on my knee

every time I would
reopen the wound,

it really made me
want to drop out.

Until that point, my
disability had never

gotten in the way of anything
that I wanted to accomplish.

I never thought I'd
even make it into a UC

and now my standing
was being jeopardized

because of my diverse ability.

It wasn't until the
organization that I'm

a member of back home called Kid
City Place, which has nothing

to do with helping people
with diverse abilities,

was able to outreach
to their networks

and found a power
scooter that a family was

able-- was willing to donate.

This was the year
I began advocating

for the diversable
community thanks

to the help of
upperclassman mentors.

It was because of them that I
realized the power of students

voices, and I ended that
year in hopeful terms

of what the future could bring.

Now despite the challenges
I faced my first year,

my second year has actually
been the worst year

of my undergraduate career.

School at that point
was very demanding,

and I didn't realize I was
experiencing mental health

problems until much
later in the year.

I was on academic probation,
and my living conditions

were a challenge.

I hated my daily
commute on my scooter

to campus, which was
approximately one and half

miles, but when it was cold
and raining that's when

the struggle was real.

Unfortunately, I couldn't
ride the shuttles

because of the inaccessibility
with their ramps

and the size of my power
scooter being too big.

It's through these struggles
that I became more aware

of ablism, which is the
way society is structured

to favor able-bodied
people, therefore,

excluding those with
diverse abilities.

Not only is it reflected in
our physical environment,

but also in our
interactions with those

with diverse abilities.

It's reflective in the way
people interact towards me.

I had people joke around and
ask me for a ride on my scooter

while commuting
home, and its remarks

like these that
affected my whole week.

I had a very hard time
pulling through that year.

Before my third
year even started,

I had doubts of returning
the UCI since I wasn't

having a favorable experience.

I had a hard time finding
affordable and accessible

housing.

And when I was
given my apartment,

it had a six inch
front door step.

It basically served as
a wall for a wheelchair.

Regardless of that, I made
it work and I returned.

The first week while
at an event at our gym,

I had the pleasant experience
of hearing a girl riding

the elevator with
me as she questioned

the existence of an elevator
at the gym, since in her words

the point of the gym was to
workout and take the stairs.

And I guess if you
can't take the stairs,

you don't have the
ability to work out.

She said this all while she
was inside of the elevator,

while watching me in
there with my crutch.

At that point, I wonder what
helped me decide to return,

and I realized it was the
community that I had here.

It was with their help that I
began to see changes on campus.

Together, we worked on
the bus love referendum

that has increased the
cart services offered

by the Disability
Service Center.

I've also been invited to
give workshops on ablism

all throughout campus.

I even auditioned to give
a TedC UC Irvine talk,

and we all know how
that turned out.

I still have some
time here, though,

and I know I can do more for
the diversable community.

The strength I have
to push through

with everything I experienced,
I owe it all to my parents

who struggled to
get me where I am.

In fifth grade, I
remember my mom struggling

to help me with my homework.

If she couldn't help me with
my fifth grade homework,

there was no way she'd
be able to help me

with college preparation.

She would go around the whole
neighborhood looking for people

to help me with
my math homework.

Even though she was
unable to help me,

that did not mean she
didn't support me.

My parents support
is what got me

through accepting myself
and pushing forward

with my education, support that
I often fail to see elsewhere.

When I was younger,
I also remember

her pushing my wheelchair
down the street

while taking my
brother in a baby

backpack to take the
public bus every other day

just so we could make it to
physical therapy appointments.

Had she not done that, I would
have remained wheelchair bound.

Despite the inner city
struggles we were victims of,

the lack of resources
they were unaware of,

and their foreign concept
of higher education,

the acceptance, hard work,
and tenacity my parents showed

is what pushed me to continue
through this very day.

Living with a
diverse ability has

come with its fair
share of challenges,

and the fact that I'm
a first generation,

low income Latina also play
a role in the experiences

and struggles I've gone
throughout my life.

These experiences
and struggles are not

unique to who I am,
but also prevalent

in the lives of people
with diverse abilities

and intersectionalities.

This is why we as a
society should recognize

that all intersectionality
should be accounted for and not

one more so than the other.

I know at this point,
perhaps, some of you

may be feeling
sorry for me and the

struggles that I've
endured, but feeling sorry

won't solve these issues.

Awareness and
advocacy are the key

from being considerate of
push buttons on the doors,

saving seats in the
edge of class for people

with diverse abilities, or
if you want to go bigger,

bringing awareness campaigns
to your campuses or workforce

in order to create
more inclusive spaces.

Before I leave you
UCI, I hope to continue

bringing enough
awareness about this

to show that we need to
increase the number of people

with diverse abilities
in higher education

and take into consideration of
how intersectionalities affect

the members in our communities.

One year ago, I was on
the brink of dropping out

with the frustrations,
helplessness, and loneliness

that I felt through ablism.

Now I stand before
you, or in this case

sit before you, stronger than
ever before with the hopes

of paving the bumps and
the cracks on the floors

to provide a smoother ride
for future generations.

Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]