‘Disabled is not a bad word’
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Alexia Paunescu / The Daily Princetonian
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In June 2022, the Daily Princetonian spoke to several students about their experiences as disabled students on a campus that wasn’t designed with their needs in mind. Students acknowledged the increasing support that the Office of Disability Services (ODS) has provided over time but also emphasized the need for continued support. In late 2022, Contributing Columnist Kabir Singh echoed the sentiment, writing, “Princeton has made some reasonable efforts, but there should be more widespread assistance regarding accessibility for those who experience disabilities, whether permanent or temporary.”
In this special issue, the Daily Princetonian aims to celebrate and center disability. There are stories from disabled voices, such as Naomi Hess’ reflection on an encounter with ableism on campus, or Michael Barnes’ thoughts on how his own experience with disability influences his work as the inaugural Director of Campus Accessibility, while other stories are told from a non-disabled perspective, such as Sophie Glaser’s profile remembering recently-deceased disability rights activist Judy Heumann.
READ THE SPECIAL ISSUE →
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The exterior of the Office of Disability Services in Frist Campus Center.
Naomi Hess / The Daily Princetonian
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Update on inaugural director of campus accessibility: Director of Campus Accessibility Michael Barnes told the ‘Prince,’ “As a student with a disability, I relied heavily on my university's disability support office and credit this experience with my career trajectory.” With the University’s eleven major ongoing construction projects, Barnes’ hiring coincides with a time of extensive disruptions to physical accessibility. While celebrating the progress the University has made in accessibility, Barnes also notes, “By acknowledging the challenges and keeping them in front of mind, Princeton will become a more accessible place every semester.”
READ THE STORY →
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A student signing ASL, the abbreviation for American Sign Language.
Candace Do / The Daily Princetonian
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First full ASL-proficient class is happening this semester: This semester marks the first time students can fulfill the language requirement using American Sign Language. For students, ASL is a new learning experience both culturally and linguistically. “ASL is created by the hands, body movement, and facial expressions, and I thought that was absolutely amazing,” said Veronica Zhang ’25. As the University continues to expand its focus on disability and accessibility, according to Maier, taking an ASL course is one way for students to become more aware of “how ableism has come to influence much of our perceptions about language and culture.”
READ THE STORY →
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Naomi Hess with Judy Heumann in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Naomi Hess.
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Remembering activist Judy Heumann: Princeton community members commemorate the passing of lifelong disability rights activist Judy Heumann, who passed away in early March. Heumann was known as the “mother of the disability rights movement” and rose to prominence as an activist in the 1970s. Naomi Hess ’22 described connecting with Heumann through an internship and eventually forming a personal relationship with her. “It’s really not often that you get to meet one of your heroes, let alone befriend them,” Hess said. “I just feel so, so lucky to have known Judy these past couple years.”
READ THE STORY →
How students get accommodations: The ‘Prince’ reports on the experiences of students with disabilities at the University, exploring the effectiveness of accommodations provided by the Office of Disability Services (ODS). While the process can be challenging, students share how ODS has been supportive and instrumental in ensuring their needs are met. The article highlights the importance of continuous culture of improvement and collaboration between administrators, faculty, and students to create an accessible and inclusive environment for everyone.
READ THE STORY →
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AccessAbility Center Grand Opening, Frist Campus Center
Courtesy of the Office of Communications
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Let’s recognize autistic people with love and support: In a heartfelt and eye-opening guest contribution, Harper Chambers ’24 shares his journey as a Princeton student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Chambers remembers the challenges he faced in understanding and reconciling with ASD and reveals the misconceptions and lack of awareness within the University community. Through Chambers’s involvement with the AccessAbility Center, he finds a supportive space that embraces disability as a part of diversity. Chambers exhorts the wider Princeton community to educate ourselves on ASD and promote an inclusive environment for not only people diagnosed with ASD but also with other disabilities, so that they “can hear the word ‘love’ instead of ‘weird,’” he writes.
READ THE GUEST CONTRIBUTION →
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With no mandated weekly testing, the COVID-19 PCR test drop boxes have turned from a campus staple to a remnant of times past.
Angel Kuo / The Daily Princetonian
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Lack of COVID restrictions and immunocompromised people: Guest contributor Hannah Faughnan ’23 expresses her opinion on how the distinct struggle of immunocompromised individuals is often not considered when discussing topics such as measures surrounding COVID-19. Faughnan shares that for immunocompromised individuals, the choice to “mask or not” is not really a choice and being one of the only people who masks in her classes makes her feel like her “personal safety [is] constantly at risk.” In writing her piece, she brings attention to the “experience of a disabled person navigating what often feels like a minefield.”
READ THE PIECE HERE →
Office of Disability Services and significant progress in accessibility: Liz Erickson, who has served as the University’s director of disability services since 2016, wrote to the ‘Prince’ that the University hopes to continue helping students navigate academics, traverse campus, and participate in extracurricular activities. She reflects on the office’s support of different disabilities, including mental health, cognitive, physical, sensory, and medical disabilities, and their current work in making the construction of the new dormitories accessible. Erickson also promotes the AccessAbility Center’s program, “Allies for Access,” emphasizing the idea that “there is also a role for administrators, faculty, and students who, regardless of their ability, care deeply about making our campus accessible.”
READ THE COLUMN →
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Snyder (left) lost his eyesight in September 2011, and has since become a star athlete at the Paralympic games.
Courtesy of Brad Snyder
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The Remarkable Story of Brad Snyder: Since being blinded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in 2011 while deployed overseas, athlete and Princeton Ph.D. student Brad Snyder has won six gold medals across multiple Paralympic Games. Snyder is pursuing a Ph.D. at Princeton as part of his goal to become a professor at the Naval Academy. He is taking a break to focus on his academic work and “dad duties” and will not compete for a spot on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Team, but he hopes to compete for a spot on the Los Angeles team for the 2028 games, which will be his last go-around.
READ THE FEATURE→
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Declan Farmer ’20 skating at Hobey Baker Rink.
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Paralympian Declan Farmer ’20 on sled hockey and Princeton: Since joining the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team at just 14 years old, Declan Farmer ’20 has won three Paralympic gold medals, earning a Best Male Athlete with a Disability Award at the 2014 ESPYS in the process. He talks about the accommodations that Princeton provided as both a student-athlete and a disabled athlete. “We want to help the next generation of disabled athletes succeed, that’s our responsibility to them,” Farmer said about himself and the National Team.
READ THE PROFILE→
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Kerrie Liang / The Daily Princetonian
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Hidden between bookshelves, braille tells a story: Although individual students can ask for resources to be printed in Braille, it is a lengthy and difficult process, which is complicated when texts have anything beyond what is printed written in them, such as underlining. “Without braille texts — even with aid and technology — materials with graphs, mathematics, and tables become almost illegible.”
READ THE STORY→
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At your leisure
- PODCAST: In this episode of Daybreak, The Daily Princetonian’s daily news podcast, we sit down to talk with two current undergrad disability activists about their initiatives.
- DATA: In a data analysis of the accessibility of Princeton buildings, the ‘Prince’ found that nine out of the 17 inaccessible buildings are undergraduate residential halls.
- PHOTOS: The past few years at Princeton have brought increased accessibility in all forms of the word. See our photo essay to witness how navigating around campus has changed recently.
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If you have any feedback or concerns about today’s newsletter, please email managingeditor@dailyprincetonian.com
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Today’s newsletter was copy edited by Nathalie Verlinde. Thank you.
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