老司机福利网

Imagine going somewhere with friends. They give a password and are granted access. When you give the same password, you鈥檙e told it鈥檚 wrong. That鈥檚 the feeling disability rights activist Emily Ladau wants to impart.

鈥淔rustrating, right? But that鈥檚 often the reality of being disabled. We鈥檙e shut out or excluded because the world was not designed for us,鈥� she said, reading an excerpt from her book 鈥淒emystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally.鈥�

Ladau shared her experiences alongside 鈥淎 Face for Picasso鈥� author and Pacific alumna Ariel Henley 鈥�19 during 老司机福利网鈥檚 virtual event 鈥淯npacking Ableism鈥� held Nov. 9.

Dr. Rhonda Bryant, associate vice president of student well-being and dean of students, moderated the conversation hosted by the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). 

From shame to advocacy

It鈥檚 a conversation Ladau has been having for most of her life. She was born with Larsen syndrome, a genetic physical disability.

鈥淚 was the only kid in my mainstream public school who had a visible, physical disability,鈥� Ladau shared.

It wasn鈥檛 until she was older and spent time with other disability advocates that her perception changed. 鈥淥h, you mean I have permission to be proud of who I am?鈥� she remembers thinking.

Henley鈥檚 experiences go back to birth as well. She grew up with a facial disfigurement due to a rare disorder called Crouzon syndrome which caused bones in her face to fuse prematurely.

鈥淏y the time I graduated from high school I had over 60 surgical procedures,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome of it was medically necessary; some of it was simply because I wanted to look more normal.鈥�

The surgeries were only part of the challenge. Henley remembers being marked down in school for missing class due to medical procedures.

鈥淲hat colleges would I have gotten into, or what scholarships could I maybe have been eligible for had my grades not been impacted by me having to miss school?鈥� she wondered. 

Like Ladau, meeting other people with disabilities and writing about her experiences changed her mindset and sparked a passion to promote disability rights and accessibility.

Overcoming ableism

Ladau says she wants people to understand that every issue is a disability issue and accessibility can take many forms: quiet rooms, Braille materials, flexible work hours, and sign language interpreters (live captioning and ASL interpreters were provided for the virtual event.)

鈥淲hen disabled people can fully use and experience a product or service, that鈥檚 accessibility,鈥� Ladau explains.

Both women say they don鈥檛 need sympathy; they need people to see them as a whole person, not just someone with a disability, and to have a little understanding.

鈥淚f a professor provides an accommodation without questioning me, without making me feel guilty for it by saying, 鈥業 hear you, I see you, and I know that I can do this to support you,鈥� to me, that's what empathy looks like,鈥� said Ladau.

鈥淟isten to people. Listen to what they say they need. Just trust that people know what's best for themselves,鈥� Henley added.

Ladau hopes the books and conversations are a starting point that will lead to no longer needing a secret password to access everyday experiences.