A new club offers a community for disabled students at Binghamton University.
The Disabled Student Union (DSU) was established to bring awareness to disabilities and provide support for disabled students at BU. At their meetings, currently hosted on Zoom, members inform attendees of the services available to them on campus, discuss the accessibility of locations on campus, host disabled panel discussions and suggest ways the University can improve the campus for disabled students. All disabilities are welcome, and allies without disabilities are also encouraged to join and learn from their disabled peers. Members can become a part of the DSU by joining their GroupMe, provided by a linktree in their Instagram bio.
Jesse La Scala, founder of the DSU and a sophomore double-majoring in English and environmental studies, said the inspiration for starting the club at BU came after seeing a similar organization at the University of California, Los Angeles. After collaborating with other students who shared his frustration and experiences, action to create the club began in the fall of 2022.
“I was very thankful there were many people who were passionate about it in the same way I was,” La Scala said. “Because of our frustrations with campus and the pushbacks we have in classes and just our everyday experiences.”
La Scala said the DSU discussed attendees’ experiences with ableism and inaccessibility on campus at recent meetings. Ableism is defined as “discrimination against disabled people” according to dictionary.com.
The club is hoping to receive a Student Association charter in order to more easily increase their membership and secure funding, and is in the process of writing their constitution. La Scala shared his goals for the impact of the DSU on BU’s disabled community.
“My main goal I want to be accomplished is to have more awareness and acceptance of disability inside and outside the classroom,” La Scala said. “I want to build a sense of community to know that people aren’t alone in their same struggles and they are validated whether they have a diagnosis or not.”
According to La Scala, disabled students have to work “10 times harder” than their able-bodied and neurotypical peers. Neurotypical is defined as “not having, or not associated with, a brain condition, especially autism, that is often considered as different from what is usual,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary. La Scala expressed hope that — through the DSU — the disabled community can increase recognition of this, accomplish their goals more effectively and get professors to talk more about disabilities in their classes and be more accepting.
Cassidy Taylor, a junior majoring in linguistics, explained the reason she joined the club.
“I’m passionate about activism and hope to make lasting changes while I’m at this school, but I know it’s not something I can do alone,” Taylor wrote in an email. “I hope this group leads to more disability education and sensitivity training on campus to really make BU a safe place for everyone.”
La Scala explained that the turnout for their meetings have been around seven-to-10 members, depending on the week, with the number of students growing each meeting. The group consists of only undergraduate students of all majors.
Emma Tonelli, a junior majoring in linguistics, cited their personal experiences as their motivation to join DSU.
“I joined the DSU as I have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and depression, so I thought joining a group that supports people with all disabilities — visible or invisible — would help me feel seen, safe and supported, and that I’d maybe even find others like me,” Tonelli wrote in an email.