Fill out our Daily Orange reader survey to make our paper better


Student Association

SA plans to make SU campus more accessible to students with disabilities

Annabelle Gordon | Asst. Photo Editor

SA also held elections to appoint new Assembly members.

By Kailey Norusisstaff writer

Syracuse University’s Student Association is working with the university’s Center for Disability Resources on several initiatives to make campus more accessible to students with disabilities, SA President Justine Hastings said at Monday’s Assembly meeting. 

The new initiatives include incorporating American Sign Language as a recognized language in SU’s curriculum and cooperating with Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer, to ensure that all on-campus buildings are accessible.

Paula Possenti-Perez, director of the CDR, urged members at the meeting to work toward accessibility and inclusion on campus. While ensuring that SU students have access to disability resources is paramount, there are several issues with how students can access them, Possenti-Perez said.

“The Student Association unequivocally supports students with disabilities,” Hastings said. “We are working with Paula and the Center for Disability Resources to widely disseminate information about their role in supporting students, accommodations, and disability-related housing needs.”



In order for students to have access to disability resources, they must reach out to CDR and report their disabilities. Possenti-Perez expressed concern that white students at SU feel more comfortable than students of color in reporting their disabilities.

“There is a lot of history around disability and whiteness, so that’s problematic,” Possenti-Perez said. “And then we have an under-representation, if we look at the international population. Our representation should represent the overall population.”

Hastings said SA is working closely with the School of Education as well as the College of Arts and Sciences to incorporate ASL as a recognized language. While the School of Education currently teaches ASL, the College of Arts and Sciences still has to approve the course to incorporate ASL as a recognized language, she said. 

Other Business:

  • SA held elections to appoint members to the University Senate, Finance Board, Judicial Review Board, as well as Assembly members for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Falk College, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the College of Arts and Sciences.





Top Stories