The Student Advisory Committee, directed by Bryn Mawr Director of Access Services Deb Alder, met Wednesday, February 15. Six students attended the meeting, though as Alder noted, this was a notable increase from last semester’s meeting attendance of zero.
What is the student advisory committee?
Alder explained that the Student Advisory Committee is an extension of sorts of the Accessibility Leadership Committee, which includes various departments within the college — among others, Dining Services, Residential Life and Library Information Technology Services.
Meetings for the Accessibility Leadership Committee are usually held at about 3-4 in the afternoon. Student Advisory Committee meetings, in contrast, typically start at about 4:15 PM because that’s after most classes are over, so more students can attend.
Alder described the meeting as a way “to give students a voice” and to explain “what they’re encountering” in terms of access on campus. She stated that “I’m not in the classrooms, so I really like to hear about how that’s being experienced.”
The committee also has an ostensible mission of reform. Alder explained, “It’s an opportunity for students to talk about how things could be better.” Sometimes speakers from various departments of the college attend meetings to talk about topics of access and disability in their department.
What did students say?
Several students raised concerns they had about their own experiences with acquiring accommodations for disabilities. Alder explained that sometimes there are limits on the accommodations that it’s possible to provide; for example, many students in high school receive teachers’ lesson plans beforehand, but professors are not required to create any such document, and therefore it’s not always possible to grant students a similar accommodation at the college level.
Several students concurred that having a list of possible accommodations might be helpful, as it was hard for them to know what options one might have as an incoming and/or newly diagnosed student; Alder equivocated on the possibility of such an list, and expressed a concern that providing this list might limit students’ thinking, because many accommodations come from the intake conversation and subsequent communication she has with a student.
Access Vs. Success
She also clarified that having a diagnosis for a medical condition doesn’t equal accommodations, citing the difference between access and success. Access as defined by Bryn Mawr Access Services is something that the College can provide by removing a barrier, whereas success seemed to be defined as a personal responsibility.
A palpable tension emerged at times during the meeting between Alder and the students present, particularly surrounding the terminology “access” and “success,” with students arguing that having access naturally can lead to student success. Students sought clarity in several points of the accommodations process, but ultimately seemed to come away dissatisfied with the results.
Other students asked about common accommodations for specific diagnoses, and about which documents are sufficient proof of disability. Alder stressed in both cases that each individual student is different, regardless of the labels they are assigned, and that her conversations with students determine what accommodations are possible.
Deb Alder stated that “the law sets the floor for accommodation. It’s up to Bryn Mawr to set the ceiling.” Is our ceiling high enough?
Feature image via Bi-Co News graphic designer Kendall Phillips
