1/23 A Discussion on Power, Policy, and Disability in Higher Education

To begin the semester, we’re returning to our conversation on SDAO accommodations: who holds the power to decide what “access” means — and what happens when students have to negotiate for the basic tools they need to learn. With many of you sending you accommodation letters to professors this week this conversation seems important to keep returning to at the beginning of each semester.

Drawing on research from MDPI’s study on staff knowledge, attitudes, and power dynamics in disability accommodations, we’ll unpack how accessibility in higher education too often depends on the goodwill, knowledge, or flexibility of professors and administrators — rather than being built into the system itself.

We’ll discuss:

• How power and perception shape whether accommodations are granted or respected

• Why disclosure and advocacy are emotional labor — especially for neurodivergent and chronically ill students

• The difference between accommodation and inclusion

• Real stories from Duke students on when accessibility worked — and when it didn’t

• What true equity would look like if access weren’t up for debate

As always we will meet in Rueben Cooke, Rm 207 @ 7PM.