My Privilege to Learn: Accessibility and Empowerment at UC Irvine School of Law

Sandile, a ten-year-old boy who lives in South Africa, has a daily schedule that is very different from other children: On Monday afternoons he is not on the playground with friends, his Wednesday nights are not occupied with reading or arithmetic. Sandile has never been to school. He is deaf and has a visual impairment, and he is kept out of the classroom, away from his peers, because stigma and lack of access to inclusive education deprive him the human right to learn.

Like Sandile, I also have a disability. Unlike him, I start graduate school at UC Irvine School of Law today. As a student with a disability in the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislation have provided the legal protections to ensure I receive the reasonable accommodations I need to excel. These include handouts in larger font, a front row seat, and other modifications that do not impose a burden in the classroom, but instead help me to understand the material and keep up with the coursework. Practices like these have followed me since early childhood in elementary school. Yet it was not until I contacted the Law School a few weeks ago that I felt so invited and empowered to accept them.

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