When universities construct academic environments so punishing that neurotypical students feel they cannot survive without extended time, the problem is not the student seeking relief. The problem is instead built into the way that institutions measure intelligence under a metric of speed.
“Sometimes when I tell people that I have accommodations, they’re like, ‘It’s so unfair that you get extra time,’” McAdams said. “I don’t think saying it’s unfair is necessarily true, but more just leveling out the playing fields instead of giving people an advantage.”
Following the trauma I had endured that day on campus, I obtained medical accommodations to teach and work remotely during the past fall semester. But, it is one thing to have a global pandemic or catastrophic climate event confine me to online teaching. It is quite another to do so because the leaders of our university have made me feel unsafe on this campus.
The U.S. capitalist system must undergo significant structural reform to address the root of mental struggles and solve the nation’s collective mental health crisis, beginning with decentering productivity at all levels of the workforce. Without reform, the mental health crisis will persist despite efforts to promote self-care.
The presence of officers increased rates of suspension by 62% — disproportionately of Black students, boys and disabled students — thus creating the uneasiness and tense environments that can exacerbate the mental health challenges of vulnerable individuals.
Emory University community members are pushing to establish a disability identity space to give neurodivergent and disabled students a relaxing space to decompress and build community on campus.
June 9, 2019. Ali Stroker wins Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. An actor, singer, and wheelchair user, Ali Stroker has been a trailblazer for disability representation on the stage. She was the first wheelchair user to graduate from the Tisch School of the Arts Drama Department at New York University. In 2015, she was the first wheelchair user to appear on Broadway, starring as Anna in the musical, Spring Awakening. For her performance as Ado Annie Carnes in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma!, Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony Award in 2019.
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