Disability Caucus Transition Document 2023-2024

Official Transition Document of the 2023-2024 Student Government Association Committee on Disability Caucus (110th Senate)

Author: Raven McCoy & Vedanti Bhargava

Attach all under this line to future iterations of the Disability Caucus transition document.

2023-2024 Disability Caucus Composition • Chair: Raven McCoy (rmccoy25@jh.edu) • Vice-Chair: Vedanti Bhargava (vbharga3@jhu.edu)

Position Overviews As per section §4.1.3.2.1.2 of the bylaws (of September 2023), the Disability Caucus Chair’s responsibilities include the following:

4.1.3.2.1.2.1 The Chair shall serve as the chief executive officer of the caucus.
4.1.3.2.1.2.2 The Chair shall be the official spokesperson of the caucus.
4.1.3.2.1.2.3 The Chair shall preside at and lead all meetings of the caucus and shall prepare the meeting agendas and questions at the end of each meeting minutes document to facilitate asynchronous participation.
4.1.3.2.1.2.4 The Chair shall organize a caucus meeting at least once a month during the academic year.
4.1.3.2.1.2.5 The Chair shall be responsible for overseeing all administrative duties for the caucus.
4.1.3.2.1.2.6 The Chair shall also be responsible for ensuring that there is a Caucus page on the SGA website that contains leadership information and all meeting minutes.

As per §4.1.3.2.1.3 of the bylaws (of September 2023), the Disability Caucus Vice Chair’s responsibilities include the following:

4.1.3.2.1.3.1 Record detailed minutes at all meetings for the caucus and shall keep them on file.
4.1.3.2.1.3.2 The Vice Chair shall manage any and all internal and external organizational correspondence, as requested by the Chair.
4.1.3.2.1.3.3 The Vice Chair shall maintain all membership records for the caucus, including updating the roster and member attendance sheet.
4.1.3.2.1.3.4 In the event that the Chair is unable to lead meetings or fulfill other administrative responsibilities, the Vice Chair shall step in momentarily as their proxy.

Caucus Meetings

Meeting Structure All meetings were held on Zoom through JHU’s Zoom Suite to ensure an accessible format. This included having the option for captions turned on by default in each of the meetings and ensuring any other accessibility measures were enabled in the meeting (either as needed or by default). Meetings were scheduled on the last Saturday of each month typically at 4:00pm. Minutes were taken on a shared Google document within the Disability Caucus SGA Google Drive Folder, and the Vice Chair holds the role of taking minutes.
Typical Agenda Items At meetings, we discussed the meetings with administration we held throughout the previous month as well as any student feedback we’d received and additionally prepared for any upcoming administration meetings we would have in the following few weeks.

Meetings Held and Goals Achieved (as of writing this document on 4/13/24)

Four Meetings with SDS (Cathie Axe and/or Nicole Wilson) from 1/25/24 to 4/3/24
- Meeting 1 Notes - 1/25/24
  - What do the current accommodations regarding students with auditory impairments look like (how is closed captioning implemented)? Is it feasible to make it a standard within the majority if not all of classrooms in which professors use Powerpoint lecture slides to require live captioning (already built into Microsoft Powerpoint)? If this isn’t feasible on a large scale, can this be made an accommodation or is it already an available accommodation? (Not only does this address and accommodate students with hearing loss but also those with auditory processing concerns)
    - Sounds good systemically
    - Make professors aware of it
    - Currently use AI captioning sometimes for students that need little support
    - Give students access to OtterAI (non dependent on professor)
    - And have in person captioning by person
    - Like systemic changes
    - Work with Kathy Cahill (make sure courses in general are accessible) → work to make sure it can be done uniformly
  - What is being done to address the inconsistency in room reservation during finals season? Can we find more permanent spaces for overflow of multiple students taking the same class final with accommodations? Was also informed about a lack of clocks present in testing rooms just during this past semester in rooms like Remsen (Orgo lab: Remsen 347; Orgo midterm: Remsen 140). Can this issue be addressed as well (providing proctors with a digital clock for SDS proctored finals/exams not in Shaffer)?
    - Faculty accommodate students and direct spaces, SDS not involved in that (overflow)
    - Push out more information to faculty on how to properly accommodate students (types of classrooms that they were reserving)
      - Be clearer about best practices
      - Make sure that they can get larger space or two spaces
    - They can get proctors from SDS (or they can use their own since they can get
    - They should write time on board if there isn’t a clock
    - More carols going into sds room in place for finals
    - Moving people that proctor live out of space to keep as quiet as possible
    - Change timer system that don’t have noise (working on this) - might update at end of the year
    - Testing upstairs provides clocks - confirm spot and location
  - Are there any resources that SDS provides soon-to-be graduates about how they can access disability services/accommodations in their post-grad plans? If not, is this something that can be worked on?
    - Transition to different graduate school’s process
    - SDS transfers documentation (some students may have seamless process however for those with more complex accommodations, they will reach out to next school’s department to make sure they can properly accommodate)
    - Can put something on website regarding this to talk with SDS advisor
  - What steps does SDS take to accommodate students with conditions that cause situationally dependent flare ups that make it hard for them to do things like take an exam or complete major assignments? Is there a procedure for emergency accommodations in the event students are not fully set up within the accommodation process/system so that if they do face a medical emergency and/or flare up that they don’t have full accommodations for, they aren’t penalized for their situation? (Is there a way to go about this without creating an SOS case which may take longer than the deadline the student has to complete the major assignment/exam?)
    - Follow-up: Improve the process of getting accommodations so students can receive them potentially more quickly
    - Additional follow-up: what does the process of getting accommodations look like for students with undiagnosed disabilities (maybe due to the complexities of unsolved chronic illness, etc.)?
      - Encourage students to get affiliated with SDS earlier as opposed to later
        Can decide when to put accommodations in place
      - Have provisional accommodations for students (process)
      - Connect back with advisor if things get worse (to reach out with professor to inform if they will be out for __ days to let them know)
      - Students have been connecting with SOS instead of SDS
      - Augmenting team with additional SDS advisor in next few months to improve advisor availability
      - Adding accommodations happens a lot
  - Agreed to schedule monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month
- Meeting 2 Notes - 2/7/24
  - How to create more awareness regarding SDS and how they can help a lot of students facing mental and physical health challenges
    - There is an overall lack of awareness that students have access to such a helpful resource
    - more can be done/collaborative
    - where are students going to get information and how can students pass on info as well (SDS puts it in standard pages and have website, where are students going to get resource information and how can they promote it?)
    - went to resource fairs & orientation fairs and health and wellbeing
    - ask students how would like to get information and what would they attend
    - want to be more on orientation sphere and do open house (used to do it but not attended)
    - FYM training
  - Connection with Dr. Bonnie Swenor!! - mention to cathie
    - Research center is part of school of nursing now
    - Will put me in touch with her
    - Involved in wide array of programming
  - Are there any updates on the development of the JHU Accessibility App?
    - How do we know if an accessibility feature (i.e. door opener) is not functioning and who do we contact to fix this? — Reporting inaccessible route/aspect/etc.
    - is there a way to report inaccessible parts on campus?
    - due to release this spring (haven’t had meeting) — exact date not known
      - knowledge from facilities team — probably later
    - they just have work to do
    - testing will happen at some point will reach out about that
  - What steps does SDS currently take to make acquiring accommodations surrounding housing a more streamlined and stress free process for students? Can communication between SDS and Housing Operations be improved so that students aren’t placed in random housing placement due to their unrelated accommodation when this isn’t what they wanted?
    - assistant director in SDS who’s new and forging relationships with housing and had a few meetings and scheduled tour of resident facilities
    - students using accommodation can only pull in 1 person, usually won’t be living with ppl in their own room, i’m referring to broader suite issues, which is where issue occurs
    - explore whether or not there’s a better place to land with that
    - they’re looking at student needs
    - understand what went wrong or if it was just uncomfort so bringing in larger group gets into equity of whole process
    - how to effectively accommodate and not undermine system
    - they don’t reserve rooms (only with ADA accessible rooms likely)
    - requests are matched to assigned spaces (can’t assign every group to two to double)
      - managing balance
  - In what ways is SDS working to improve the current campus infrastructure to better accommodate students with mobility impairments including but not limited to improving the absence of proper/completed ramping around campus (& generally working to find a solution to the lack of accessible pathways in certain areas around Homewood)?
    - partner with ADA compliance advisor and work with facilities to resolve it or ongoing access concern
    - also working on overarching plan
    - institute for human center design came on campus in 2021 and surveyed everything
      - provided data going into app and recommendations to improve access
      - student center will be huge for providing access
      - advocate for all four entrances to access different levels of campus!!
      - know where all the building accessible entrances are (they need to look into that)
      - there are some places that it’s impossible to make fully accessible (what’s feasible where?)
      - keep posted on working group for physical accessibility group in aftermath of creation of digital accessibility group (stay tuned!)
      - there are a lot of places with old railings that aren’t compliant (shape required has updated over the years and they haven’t updated everywhere, committee recommended they work on those)
      - committee had them regrade ramps and also work on signage
      - If we have specific requests (pain and pressure point) and they can feed back to being worked on (useful and specific communication) what’s priority for the students
  - What is the procedure on making sure that actions like snow plowing doesn’t impact disabled students' access to things like ramps and dropped curbs on campus? “she was talking to me the other day abt how the snowplows cheerfully pushed snow in front of a lot of the dropped curbs and ramps on campus, so she's struggling to get around campus and get to classes on time”
    - There were reports about the snow removal team (they heard about this)
    - Routes that were usable where harder to use
    - If they hear about it they’ll immediately report and move the snow
    - The city often works across paths with SDS which messes up the plowing that’s being sown (town vs university issue that’s been going on for ages)
    - when snow is a constant, more practice occurs (which doesn’t happen here)
    - Want to work on this to make sure it’s better coordinated so they don’t get reports of issues
    - Maintaining accessibility (facilities cleared it and the city piled up back where it wasn’t supposed to be)
    - Issue with communication between city and facilities
    - Since we don’t get frequent snow, less practice and might occasionally get something more unmanageable
      - Identify priority groups to give facilities heads up
    - Identify other students with issues (students that are also blind/low vision)
    - In New England they had day specific regular routes mapped out
    - Tell places they go regularly
  - Some students expressed concerns about the communication between SDS and the counseling center and streamlining the communication between these two departments so that students going to the counseling center are more aware of the opportunity to seek out accommodations
    - What steps does SDS take to make sure that students who may be facing various mental health or other concerns are aware of your services in this space?
    - Information awareness, what steps does student needs to take
    - Possibility of putting in place temporary provision accommodations based on narrative and allowing for documentation to be obtained by student
    - Working with mental health services (new name across campuses) to make sure barriers are open for students
    - Had adhd working group that make recommendations for testing and exec function support
    - Maintained lists of up to date providers and some with sliding scale and being up financial aid award for evaluation cost issues
    - Working with students just getting started at counseling center (they work to establish with counseling center or outside provider)
    - Establish ongoing accommodations
    - Landed at a good place to provide immediate things
    - What would be helpful in this space and what are appropriate accommodations to give students the best level of support?
    - To ensure students are using wealth of support services, in addition to accommodations what support services is the student using to help them if concern is impacting them academically (connecting to resources)
    - Work on increasing awareness on what occupational therapists do
      - SGA and DC can share this resource and increase awareness
- Meeting 3 Notes - 3/6/24
  - Cathie unable to make meeting due to hospital visit with friend; Nicole is taking notes to relay to Cathie
What resources and training are given to RA’s (mentioned FYM training that takes place) but could this same training be given to RA to equip them on how to best support disabled Hopkins students and where to direct them for various resources (is this already done?)
- follow up with housing to see what info they’re given so far and supplement
Is there any knowledge about the current accessibility issues with the Charles Commons entrance in that non-Commons residents often cannot get access and thus have to use the Insomnia entrance on the other side of the building? Is this access issue easily solvable? Does facilities (jeffrey) have to be involved in solving this?
- taking note of it
- will follow up with it
- the more they can document service tickets the more they can see
Brainstorming what work can be done to further educate (or even train) professors when it comes to how to accommodate disabled students within their capability and establish better preparedness (based on student feedback) beyond simply receiving an email on what they’re required to do by SDS to help support their student
- thinking in terms of access vs accommodations
- letter states the accommodations need to be put in place by faculty
- want them to do what’s on the letter as it says
- maybe talking about universal design tips
- they refer to SDS to help support direct accommodations
Follow-up Notes
will follow up with cathie to see if anything was done related to this
What do the current accommodations regarding students with auditory impairments look like (how is closed captioning implemented)? Is it feasible to make it a standard within the majority if not all of classrooms in which professors use Powerpoint lecture slides to require live captioning (already built into Microsoft Powerpoint)? If this isn’t feasible on a large scale, can this be made an accommodation or is it already an available accommodation? (Not only does this address and accommodate students with hearing loss but also those with auditory processing concerns)
- Sounds good systemically
- Make professors aware of it
- Currently use AI captioning sometimes for students that need little support
- Give students access to OtterAI (non dependent on professor)
- And have in person captioning by person
- Like systemic changes
- Work with Kathy Cahill (make sure courses in general are accessible) → work to make sure it can be done uniformly
Nicole had follow up question about tabling and the best way to get students engaged with SDS

emails are helpful
tabling is also helpful to get students engaged
caveat is there’s a stigma as far as stopping by the “Student Disability” table
way to address this: provide free goodies/merch to mitigate awkwardness
Can SDS table at RSO fairs or something similar/larger to make students aware (is this a thing?)
haven’t seen any other “support services” but departments might have been there (maybe CDI was there)
contact tim about potentially tabling at major fair
tabling in 3 locations: breezeway, brody, and hopkins cafe
How to make sure that students are getting information and next steps

Meeting 4 Notes - 4/3/24
- updates on facilities/maintenance issue with the charles commons door
  - submitted a work order - have students also submit work order
  - jhfre.jhu.edu
    - submit a service request
    - ADA request
    - “student card swiping service is not working on a consistent basis” “works periodically… etc”
    - it is the accessible entrance
- Digital Accessibility Events
  - Security Violation
- Cathy Cahill potentially come to GBM with digital working group to educate on accessibility to SGA members (this month) ATC Staff
- any updates on digital accessibility for admissions etc
  - Cahill and Jason Schnell working on digital accessibility with courses and campus accessibility in general
- student org digital accessibility rules as well as events
  - potentially team up with student hopkins group managers to post something on hopkins groups (required?)
  - Posting and Hosting Accessible Events
  - getting ahead of having a good initial design; thinking about nature of events (everyone being invited → event should be accessible)
  - AHEAD Conference - ahead.org
- SDS is working on a student handbook
  - gain feedback on that (especially over summer)
  - surveying on what topics do ppl want to be included
    - looking at drafts and respond
    - will be a live document forever
    - told about climate action/sustainability plan platform
      - might use google docs, just made an account for SDS
- let them know if they have any ideas for places to intersect with groups

Two meeting with DiSCO (Jenna Grissom and Katelyn Martinez)
- Meeting 1 Notes - 2/1/24
  - Planning for LPC Neurodivergent in the Latine Community Event
    - Katelyn is going to the meeting tonight at 8pm
    - Can provide $500 for catering!
    - Mateo from Peabody coming to event
  - Talk with SDS about social org concerns
    - ableism issues
    - orgs that do tryouts
    - Bring up to Cathy and Nicole who you can talk to about this (maybe OIE person, Erin?)
    - figuring out training for student orgs? does that exist?
      - DiSCO does training
        Could potentially do large training
        Typically do specific orgs, curtailed to each
        Largest group done is 50
        Make available to student orgs to let them know they can sign up
        do two different dates & times?
        I can look at template and provide feedback for training
  - 8 or 9 events in March for early Disability Pride Events
    - Mural club collaboration?
    - Painting Blue jay sign
    - tabling
  - Planning surrounding Digital Accessibility Month in April
  - Council Meetings the second Thursday of each month in front lounge - 12 to 1pm
    - Have lunch for theme of the month
  - Support group posed by Alexandria Grimes
    - focused on chronic illness
    - Julius Culker was also interested for caretakers
  - SDS Honors Society - DAPi (it exists! not a lot of info/promotion about it)
    - maybe expand to grad students
    - they have a whole inauguration
    - DiSCO wants to do that equivalent of Lavender event but for disabled students
  - DASO org?
  - SGA Disability Caucus Social collab with Disco
  - Disco has connections to MINDS - Mentoring …. graduate students
  - Disability Studies Minor
    - Disability Studies Minor Info Gathering
  - Nathan’s role works with faculty and disco with students, no one with academic side
    - maybe bring up with SDS?
    - Wants to make a series events at all campuses
    - Do more than static DIAC with meetings with Nathan
  - Disco and CDI have funding
    - First meeting on 8th
    - t-shirt designs due tomorrow!
  - Meredith Harris - Peabody SDS coordinator
    - split on multiple campuses only there once a week
    - bring up with OIE?
    - DiSCO can help along in the process (CCing in emails, coming to meetings, etc.)
    - change policies with elevator issues or provide headphones for concerts (noise incident)
    - Make students aware of Peabody accessibility issues? - Bring up with Nathan!
  - DC/SGA meetings can be held in CDI given library closing
    - Working on access to building in general
    - If we need to use space, I (Raven) have access to building
  - Schedule meeting with DiSCO again for the end of February to discuss March events!
- Meeting 2 Notes - 2/29/24
  - Nyiso - new grad student with DiSCO; 1st (almost 2nd) year master program at peabody
  - March 1 - Tabling and giveaways at Kickoff - spray painting statue for DPAM
  - Thursday, March 7 - second tabling during multicultural affairs event (goes until food runs out) - two canvas similar to t-shirt desgin and people add to it with thumbprint in color of disability - collective celebratory mural (mainly educational and collaborative)
  - Start get ppl aware CDI office is a study space they can go to while library is closed and mural will be in front lounge
  - March 14th event - Council Meeting - with doctoral interns at counseling center (mental health services)
  - Partnership with religious and spiritual life (crafternoon) - decorate ceramic pot
  - 14th is also grand opening of CDI library (will send link to me afterwards)
  - book source (classroom) - almost done configuring this
  - students requested fiction books with disabled main characters (they have about a dozen) - since library had none
  - Future collabs in July or October (April is also digital accessibility - workshop on how to do this?)
  - End of year celebration potentially - similar to lavender
  - if we’re interested next year on collabing on
  - Meal for Latine event?? Communicate with Leyra
  - Tomorrow starting social media campaign - spotlighting different resources on campus and in baltimore area - Share these
  - Nathan has ideas for events for next year!! - throughout campuses
  - what me and vedanti’s vision is small or university wise (considering he has power across campuses)
  - if there’s additional input from students bring that up (flesh out ideas)
  - shared his strategic plan with Katelyn
  - what’s realistic that we can accomplish in semester to 2 years
  - Schedule meeting with Jenna on online accessibility - make how to sheet to send to orgs
3 Meetings with LPC to collaborate on creating the Neurodivergence in the Latine Community - Cultura y Cerebro on April 19th throughout February-April
Meeting with Nathan Stenberg to discuss Disability Studies Minor Proposal - 3/6/24
- Carey Business School working to promote DEI in infrastructure
- Disability Studies Minor
  - first higher ed job primarily coming from consultant and policy standpoint and not administrative
  - immediate priority largely oversees faculty and staff and not students like initially intended
    - hoping once they accomplish goal of more diversity within admin they can work more with students
  - still working towards Disability and Aging minor; critical disability studies background
  - thinks it needs to be humanities and employ critical disabilities studies
  - has to gain administrative power (can’t host classes yet)
    - currently exploring options
    - would love to harness STEM work from critical disability studies (CDS) perspective
    - trying to get involved within various departments to see what classes are already being taught
    - hopefully can teach a class of his own and see what enrollment is like and go from there (like a pilot launching the program)
      - start with minor and go from there long term
    - Didn’t know administration couldn’t teach
  - Office of 1 with limited budget; trying not to lead with ableist norms
  - what might critical disability studies book club look like? there’s an entire discipline that hasn’t been explored yet at Hopkins
  - have seen some interactions with orgs and interest in disability related studies in mental health masters program
  - value model of disability - we bring value and also bringing value to others (eg. care assistant)
- What capabilities does the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and specifically your role have in assisting students in various areas …. disability related?
  - has a lot of power and no power simultaneously
    - hopkins is a decentralized environment
    - no one is aware of position and what he can do (leveraging that and foundation for what the position will do and become)
    - wants to make JHU world leader in disability - research, policy, medicine, etc
    - set that conversation so that it’s leading proactively and not reactively
    - working on new toolkit starting within his office and hopefully broaden out university wide about accessible meeting planning
      - conversations over checklists
    - hoping to leverage more policy - president and provost talk about disability and why it matters - holding people accountable via policy
    - previously worked on the Hill job in White House in STEM - replaced by NIH unpaid person - sees self as a disability strategist more than anything else - using disability to harness constituent group - 27% of population
    - submitted NEXUS grant with Bonnie Swenor Jan 2025 in DC Bloomberg center disability policy conference!
- Disability OUTList
  - familiar with it and likes the idea
  - potentially far off in regards of timeline for completion; appears superficially as relatively easy successes
  - so many stories about discrimination fear and stigma; and understands on personal level experiencing an incredible amount of discrimination
  - has chosen to lead with identity despite the cost involved in that
  - more robust urgency and understanding of disability within undergrads and less so grad students and faculty
  - going to take a while to do outlist because of getting faculty and grad students to be exposed and essentially out themselves given the stigma - underlying culture of ableism that will take time to solve
  - it might small but can still be started - building cultural growth and acceptance around disability
  - leveraging the fact that there’s less desire to put up with stigma and discrimination
- Available to help students to succeed in whatever way possible - hasn’t had a disabled mentor before - will listen, write letters of support, etc.
- Will the Disability Cultural Center be in the student building?
  - hasn’t heard any info about this being created
  - in his strategic plan that was neutrally received it included a disability cultural center (wasn’t opposed but was hit with feedback of it’ll take 20 years)
  - Part of Millen grant for disability studies program at University of Minnesota
- recommends securing time with new provost - redeveloping provost office - previous one was very committed to DEI work but the current one hasn’t announced any plans related to disability
  - approach with list of commands, etc to get them prepared
- everyone at hopkins is so data driven but that’s not the end all be all and can be weaponized
  - 16 million identify as disabled, 28% of JHU affiliates identify as disabled - massive population and as a national constituent what is Johns Hopkins doing about this and what guarantees do you have to give me to address this and show that you care
- Ideas for events for next year!! - throughout campuses
disability employment awareness month in October event related to that (not big on months but can be important for networking among students and staff)
2025 NEXUS event
Digital Accessibility event in April
July 2025 35th anniversary event for ADA law
Helped conduct interviews for various SDS positions

Lessons Learned & Future Goals for 2024-25

In the 2023-24 school year, we successfully reached our main goal of receiving and compiling student feedback through surveying and one-on-one communication with disabled students on campus.
Additionally we communicated the needs students expressed with administration to promote responsive actions to address them.
Thus in the school year of 2024-25, we plan to hold administration accountable in making sure that in the aftermath of providing useful feedback from students, the communicated concerns and suggestions will be addressed by changes in current classroom policy, additions to the general accessibility of classes to students, improvements to SDS, etc.
In 2024-25, prioritizing bringing together the disabled student body on campus for collaborative events (continuing to collaborate with DiSCO) as well as holding speaker events on topics students and others are interested in are various areas we are interested in exploring and working on. Statistically speaking, there is a large numerical number of disabled students on campus, so the main goal is uniting us so that we are better able to improve the student experience and build community.

Useful Contacts

Nicole Hoke Wilson: Senior Director of SDS Homewood
Cathie Axe: Executive Director of SDS
Nathan Stenberg: Director of Disability, Culture, & Inclusion (ODI)
Kathy Cahill: Digital Accessibility Coordinator
Jenna Grissom & Katelyn Martinez: Leaders of DiSCO (Disabled Student Community Outreach - CDI)
Connie Weng: Social Media/Communications within SGA