By Gwynne Dulaney, Co-Editor-in-Chief
In our last print edition, we spoke with Justine Stiftel ‘20 and Miriam Berstein ‘21 to discuss their hugely popular zine, “Interrogated: Stories About Accessibility and Disability at Bryn Mawr.” This zine brought to light the deeply-rooted issues of discrimination and mistrust within Bryn Mawr’s Access Service department and the changes that must be made in order to be more accessible to students. Although the zine has since been taken down, it initiated a line of communication between students and administration to address these issues. This way, both students and administration can work towards a solution so that all students feel comfortable requesting accommodations on campus. Since this article was published, Mawrtyrs for Access—the new official name of the group—has begun a number of promising projects. I recently caught up with Stiftel to see what new and exciting projects Access Services is planning for the future.
The most obvious change is the name of the group. Mawrtyrs for Access (Twitter handle: @Mawrtyrs4Access) has been named such in order to eliminate confusion with the actual Access Services department at Bryn Mawr.
Mawrtyrs for Access will be hosting a CDL (Community Day of Learning) discussion. They will be discussing issues brought up in the zine and beyond, as well as first steps in resolving these issues. All are welcome to attend and participate. Says Stiftel, “We hope students [who attend the meeting] will gain:
- A knowledge of the current affairs and progress relating to accessibility.
- The opportunity to add input into the discussion of solutions.
- An opportunity to meet with others who are invested in this issue.” Keep an eye out for specific dates and times.
Mawrtyrs for Access member Miriam Bernstein is organizing a project to create accessibility guides for buildings across campus. “The idea is to go building-by-building, cataloging the way that buildings and classrooms are/aren’t accessible,” says Stiftel. The final document will be posted on the Access Services website. If you would like to be involved, please contact Miriam Berstein through Twitter @Mawrtyrs4Access.
Stiftel is compiling an advice document for students seeking accommodations. This document will include “a breakdown of the process, FAQs, words of advice from students who have been through it, etc.” explains Stiftel. It will eventually be available on the Access Services website as well as be distributed to first years. If you have advice that you would like to share for this, please contact Justine Stiftel through Twitter @Mawrtyrs4Access.
Mawrtyrs for Access has a new member of the Leadership Committee. Liz Gregory ‘21 (she/her) is an English major who is eager to represent every kind of disability on campus. Says Liz, “I don’t want to only represent physical mobility issues to the committee, I want to present them with as broad a spectrum of considerations as possible, and, to do that, I need to hear from as broad a variety of students as possible.” She encourages students to get in touch with any concerns or ideas about what is needed for accessibility. When discussing the Access Service committee, Gregory says that “They [the committee] are very well-intentioned and sincere and they ARE trying, even if it doesn’t feel like it. That said, I want to demand from them that they push further.” In order to bring these issues to light, Gregory hopes that others will contact her with thoughts and ideas. “The only way we can actually make change is if we make people WANT to change, if we make people consider these things a high enough priority. Accessibility issues are URGENT.” If you would like to provide input on this topic, please contact Gregory @Mawrtyrs4Access.
Finally, SGA is working to update their website in order to make it more accessible to students.
If there are any questions or would like to get involved, be sure to tweet @Mawrtyrs4Access or email mawrytrsforaccess@gmail.com for further information.
Image credit: @Mawrtyrs4Access, Twitter
