This Pitt program equips students with the skills to be impactful disability advocates

More than a year into studying at Pitt's School of Nursing, Lynn Priestley had to switch gears due to disability-related health complications. With a desire to advocate for increased disability awareness on campus and learn transferable skills for their post-graduation pursuits, Priestley became the first student to complete Pitt's Disability Studies Certificate.

"Disability should be a consideration in how we communicate, share and test knowledge in academia, since with enough time, most - if not all - of us will experience disability, temporarily or permanently because of birth, age, illness or injury," said Priestley, a native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The 18-credit-hour certificate, a joint venture between the College of General Studies and the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences' Writing Institute, became available to students in 2022 after the institute received a grant from PNC to develop programming that supports disability awareness and disabled community members.

The result is coursework that enables any Pitt undergraduate to explore and incorporate disability studies into their respective field. As they move through the program, students learn to advocate for people with disabilities and ethically represent them in media, identify barriers to access for people with disabilities and develop strategies for increasing accessibility in various settings.

"It allowed me to develop a nuanced approach to accessibility that isn't often taught in professional design accessibility programs and explore complexities, like designing with rather than for disabled people, and how we think about bodies and minds through our use of language," said Priestley, who is now a freelance digital designer. "I graduated with my passion for accessibility fueled for the future."

The program has also been transformative for students without disabilities.

Senior Marilyn Warren arrived at Pitt during the COVID-19 pandemic to study exercise science, led by a passion for health care policy. After taking an introductory disability studies course in her first year, she began working part-time at UPMC as a rehab aide.

"Working with insurance companies, I saw what people could and couldn't do because of what they could afford, and I noticed that people couldn't necessarily get the care they needed," Warren recalled. "It was a bit frustrating."

She also saw how assumptions often negatively impact care for people with disabilities. "If a patient has a bad experience - someone at the front desk is rude, assumes something or judges them based on their disability - they may not return and won't receive care that could benefit them," she said.

Warren said the certificate has expanded her horizons by teaching her about the relatively recent progress towards accessibility. It's also helped students like her and Priestley understand why ensuring accessibility is imperative to fostering a culture of inclusion.

Breaking down stigma

Though the Disability Studies certificate has had an evident impact, Director Sam Pittman is already envisioning ways to better it, including proactively collaborating with Pitt faculty to design classes that address disability rather than retrofit courses to fit.

"Engineering, pre-med, SHRS, PT and OT students get great preparation for their fields, but ultimately, there remains an asterisk for inclusion and diversity," he said. "The certificate ensures this isn't a one-day lecture, and helps you understand this is a group of people akin to racial groups, with a culture of its own that is important to understand, uplift and support."

Programs like the School of Nursing have begun creating pathways for students to simultaneously complete the certification and general education requirements. Pittman said these efforts have spurred the growing demand for the program, which has seen a 175% increase in student enrollment since its inception - 33 students are currently declared, and six have graduated.

Additionally, he's seeking more strategic partnerships like one with the Woodlands Foundation, a year-round summer camp-type program for people with disabilities that offers internships to students in Pitt's certificate program.

"Reading texts and watching films about the disability community can help us shift our thinking," said Pittman. "But interacting with disabled folks and learning from them as experts in their own experiences is where the most significant change happens."

Even during its evolution, the program is working to increase awareness and build support for the community on campus and in Pittsburgh. Such advocacy often includes encouraging people to consider disability with a non-rehabilitative mindset.

"Medical professionals are not insignificant in the world of disabled folks, but the thrust of the certification is to give a cultural and social lens to disability versus applying a medical model," said Pittman.

Failing to do so leads to othering and isolating members of the disabled community, said alum Lynn Priestley.

"Not every condition requires a cure. Mobility aids aren't always viewed as something you're 'confined to' but tools for freedom," they said. "For many, it is more than just a medical condition and involves identity and community. It is a matter of centering disabled voices rather than acting on behalf of disabled students."

For them, the certificate and programs like it will make a clear difference.

"Once we start engaging with programs like the Disability Studies Certificate to understand disability is everywhere, a fact of life, and make space for it accordingly, it doesn't have to be such a scary or stigmatized thing."

Photography by Tom Altany

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