Emory University community members are pushing to establish a disability identity space to give neurodivergent and disabled students a relaxing space to decompress and build community on campus. Students are still developing ideas for the space, with Caroline Quan (24C) and Chloe Wegrzynowicz (24C) recently releasing an interest form to anonymously collect student input on what the space should look like and how it should function if it is created.
The University debuted a new identity space center at the beginning of this fall semester on the third floor of Cox Hall. A disability identity space was not included.
This is not the first time that students have proposed a disability identity space to the University. Emory Autism Advocacy Organization President Sabrina Schoenborn (24C) has been working on the initiative since her sophomore year but stated that the Department of Accessibility Services (DAS) did not take action after the Autism Advocacy Organization submitted a proposal for a disability identity space in partnership with Emory Oaks one year ago. The groups initially gave the proposal to Emory’s Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which then passed it onto DAS, according to Schoenborn.
"This administrative stagnation, to us, demonstrates a lack of care and consideration towards the neurodivergent student population at Emory,” Schoenborn wrote in an email to The Emory Wheel.
When asked, Rashad Morgan, Director and ADA Compliance Officer for the Department of Accessibility Services, wrote in an email that the department is in “full support” of a Disability Identity Space. He did not address questions regarding what DAS did after receiving the proposal.
“We are happy to consult with others regarding any next steps needed to support this project,” Morgan wrote.
While Schoenborn said that she was glad to see the new Belonging and Community Justice Identity Spaces, she said she wishes that the University had a more accessible campus with a designated space for disabled and neurodivergent students.
Other students have previously reported accessibility difficulties at Emory. Wegrzynowicz said the University asked her to prove that she was disabled to receive accommodations, which she felt to be “very ableist.”
“As Emory claims to be a place that is full of diversity and inclusivity, then you shouldn't have to prove that a minority identity exists, especially if you want to encourage students to come to Emory,” Wegrzynowicz said.
The process of renewing documentation can also take up to multiple years, according to Schoenborn, which she says discourages students from applying for disability accommodations in the first place.
The Department of Education allows each institution to make its own documentation rules, with Emory currently requiring students to provide documentation that is “recent, relevant, comprehensive, and where appropriate, contain test scores and interpretations,” according to Emory’s DAS website. The website also states that less apparent disabilities typically require more paperwork to be allowed accommodations.
“DAS is responsible for compliance with disability laws and regulations,” Morgan wrote. “A Disability Identity Space is very different than accommodations or compliance efforts.”
Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Belonging, Engagement and Community Kristina Odejimi wrote in an email to the Wheel that a space for students with disabilities already exists in DAS and is located on the Clairmont campus. The center is primarily a housing space for Emory College of Arts and Sciences upperclassmen and University graduate students.
“Director Morgan has initiated conversations with students, and is interested in continued exploration, about enhancing that space,” Odejimi wrote.
However, Abby Furey (23Ox, 25C), the creator of Oxford College’s Best Buddies chapter and an Emory Autism Center research assistant, wrote that she was not aware of this space’s existence.
“I didn’t know that even existed, but perhaps that’s the problem?” Furey wrote in an email to the Wheel.
Emory Autism Advocacy Organization (AAO) Events Coordinator Thomas Pharr (23Ox, 25C) added that nobody in AAO was aware that a space for people with disabilities existed at DAS, and when they investigated the Clairmont location, he wrote that they only found “a locked door."
“The current space doesn't seem to actually exist, and a space that is at Clairmont instead of [the Atlanta campus] is less useful to both first and second-year students and other students who are on campus for classes,” Pharr wrote.
Without this space, Furey said Emory is unable to properly acknowledge or appreciate people with disabilities on campus.
“In terms of social resources that are driven by a neurodivergent perspective or run by neurodivergent people, we just don't have those,” Furey said. “That's kind of where the importance of a neurodivergent-friendly or a disability-friendly affinity space or identity space comes from.”
Ella Day (26C), a neurodivergent student who advocates for people with disabilities, stressed the importance of a safe and accessible space for students with disabilities amid Emory’s hectic college atmosphere.
“A lot of times in academia and careers, I feel like there's almost this stigma of not talking about neurodivergence or disabilities,” Day said. “I would love to see this place be encouraged as a safe place to go to … I would love to see more people at Emory become connected to spaces like that.”
Additionally, Pharr said that while the needs of every neurodivergent student vary, he specifically wants the space to have less music and no fluorescent lights to alleviate sensory difficulties students may experience.
“I would appreciate a space with just less sensory issues, more of a space where people can just feel like they're welcomed and it's accessible and that they can exist regardless of their disability,” Pharr said.
Schoenborn acknowledged she will likely not see the space before she graduates, but said that she hopes the initiative will continue beyond her years at the University.
“I really do hope that that space exists,” Schoenborn said. “And I know it will exist because we're going to keep fighting for it and after I'm gone, the fight will keep going.”
