Disability Alliance: Disabled Students at UC Santa Cruz

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The officers of the Disability Alliance put in long hours and a great deal of work to improve the experience of disabled students on the UCSC campus. They come from varied backgrounds and deal with very different disabilites and yet they find community and support through their volunteer work.

Meet our officers:

			I'm Scott the president of the Disability Alliance. First off I want everyone to know that there is no way this club would be running without the officers and they are owed a lot of thanks. I am an original officer of the club, which was started two years ago. I wanted to help this club because I wanted to de-stigmatize learning disabilities. When I found out I had learning disabilities and I became part of the disabled community, I was shocked to see that no one else wanted to talk about it, in fear of some form of discrimination. I know that this is not needed. I have never been met with an discrimination, and I want everyone out there to be comfortable and strong about themselves and their disability. That is the best way to see that what makes you different from your peers, wether it is a learning or physical disability, makes your character just that much stronger. I am a junior here at UCSC in the earth sciences. I am trying to pursue a career in paleontology, the study of past life and evolution... think dinosaurs. So basically I get to play in the dirt with fossils. Can't get any better than that. I have a neurological condition that has a tendency to manifest itself as cognitive disabilities. I am also on two sport teams, the UCSC cross country and tennis clubs.

			Hello. I'm Janelle.

			Hello, my name is Zach. I am a Santa Cruz local who transferred to UCSC after obtaining my associates degree in political science at Cabrillo College. In November of 2000, I suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a minor skateboarding accident. That and an accident has left me paralyzed from the chest down, so I use a motorized wheelchair to get me around campus. I noticed immediately that UCSC was going to pose some serious challenges in regards to my particular disability, so I joined up with the other folks in the Disability Alliance in an effort to try and create a more accessible environment at the University. As an officer of the disability alliance, I make sure to faithfully represent the community of disabled students at UCSC in several different capacities. I hold meetings with administrators, speak to prospective students, and advocate for disabled students by sitting on various committees. In addition, I'm also working on a field study to put together an accessibility survey of campus. It's my hope that this survey will help by alerting the administration of the places on campus that need the most attention for renovation. While at UCSC I am pursuing a degree in Politics with a minor in Legal Studies. My goal is to eventually attend law school after graduation. As for now, I like to stay involved in the community and have fun in our beautiful small town.

			Hi everyone, I'm Katie. I am an Anthropology major and a Junior. I transferred to UCSC in the Fall of 2007 after a very long stint at Sacramento City College where my focus included Women's Studies and Art History. I have been diagnosed with both physical and psychiatric disabilities. I suffer from a disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis, a degenerative spinal condition. I also deal with depression and anxiety disorders which are only further challenged by the chronic pain I experience. But these disabilities are just part of my life. With some simple accommodations and a lot of self-care, I can gain the same education as any non disabled person. And that's my plan. My role in the club includes working as our web developer. I am also very interested in doing outreach and recruitment for the club. I also work with the Disability Resource Center in their new peer mentoring program. I feel very strongly about the importance of a unified disabled community - providing support and awareness to each other as we deal with the additional challenges that disabilities can bring to our lives. Lastly, I am very excited about a long term research project I am planning to begin next year involving ethnographic interviews with disabled students. I hope that my research will provide our administration with a better understanding of our collective and varied needs.