As students, we must manoeuvre a seemingly endless obstacle course of deadlines, cram sessions, and textbooks; add sleep deprivation and a substantial amount of debt and you’ve barely scratched the surface of the student experience.
This is a common thread for all students, this struggle that exists to obtain that glorified piece of paper, and it holds true regardless of the variation in perspectives and experiences we all bring with us to the classroom.
My issue is this: why do we add to the difficulty? We as students share a substantial common bond, yet there’s still discrimination being exercised against any and every visible minority. Specifically, I would like to address the actions I have witnessed and experienced as a student with a (dis)Ability.
Having needs ignored, not being taken seriously, dismissed, discredited, isolated, and ridiculed are but a small sampling of the bias that has overshadowed my experience as a postsecondary student.
My request is this: be aware of the injustice that exists. It’s so easy not to recognize the inequalities that run rampant through our schools, attitudes, and society as whole.
I invite you to challenge them and speak out against the everyday demonstrations of intolerance. No matter how many times you’ve heard them, take a moment to again consider the words of the renowned cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”