In the lawsuit filed in the D.C. Superior Court on April 30, Hande Müge Aksu, who is representing herself in the case, argued the University failed to provide reasonable accommodation after she underwent brain surgery in 2003 and coerced her into signing a agreement withdrawing her from the University and barring her from returning.
Stephanie Cawthon, the executive director of the National Disability Center for Student Success, said all students, even those without accommodations, can benefit from the increase in students registered to receive accommodations because it incentivized faculty to restructure courses in a more accessible way for all students, like permitting flexible seating arrangements.
The Student Government Association held a joint town hall with various disability-focused student organizations Tuesday night, where students voiced concerns to officials about accessibility compliance across the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses.
The probe into GW’s DEI practices in admissions comes after students in November reported rollbacks of several DEI initiatives since Trump launched a national crackdown on campus diversity programs, coupled with officials omitting diversity-related terminology in communications — a move students said indicates the University is yielding to federal pressure.
“Whenever any of these fascists come to any campus to speak, there needs to be wave-upon-wave of students and others coming out,” Hernandez said. “It needs to build the kind of movement where there’s a political earthquake from below, where Trump is not able to implement his fascist program day after day.”
“A majority of the problem and the frustration comes from the fact that students who face mental health issues, who are impacted by mental health policies, are often not included in the discussion in mental health advocacy,” Holla said.
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.
Take the quiz: Check Your Ableism!
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