Conference Sessions

Beyond Accommodation, Toward Access

Disability is widely assumed to be a defect requiring mitigation. The prevailing ableist rhetoric posits able-bodiedness as normal and disability or sickness as abnormal. Higher education regards illness and disability no differently. Institutions are designed to meet the needs of able-bodied students while sick and disabled students must request accommodations in order to be fully included. As the number of sick and disabled students grows, rethinking how access and disability are perceived in higher education is essential. Using disability justice and Universal Design for Learning, we confront the entrenched ableism in higher education influencing how sick and disabled students are treated and providing tools for improving access.

Presenters

Sophie Lemus Kristensen

Sophie Lemus Kristensen (they/ she/ elle/ ella) is a sick and disabled Xicane (pronounced she-khan-ae) artist and educator from Portland, Oregon. They recently earned their Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy through the Postsecondary, Adult, and Continuing Education program at Portland State University. She is now working at Portland Community College in a variety of roles within the Theatre Arts Department and as a first-term academic advisor through New Student Programming. As an undergraduate, Sophie studied mathematics, engineering, and theatre arts and graduated from PSU with a BS in Mathematics in 2019. They are passionate about ensuring access for sick and disabled college students, particularly within STEM learning environments. Sophie’s areas of scholarly interest are in teaching and learning, critical disability studies, and chronic illness identity development. 

Sophie Lemus Kristensen
(they/them/she/her/elle/ella)

Katy Kaszubinski

Katy Kaszubinski (she/they) is a graduate student, Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy through the Postsecondary and Adult Continuing Education program with a certificate in Student Affairs, at Portland State University. Katy works at PSU for the Disability Resource Center as a Student Engagement Intern as well as the Learning Center as a STEM Academic Coach. Katy has low vision (is legally blind), has a Bachelors in Exercise Science from Willamette University, and a background in STEM research. Those experiences fuel her desire to serve and increase accessibility for students with disabilities pursuing STEM degrees.


Katy Kaszubinski
(she/her/they/them)