ACCESS
ACCESS is a fairly new student group that has formed to meet the needs and concerns of students with all types of disabilities at Vassar, including but not limited to: learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, mobility impairments, sensory disabilities, and chronic health impairments. ACCESS hopes to provide a community space for students with disabilities and allies, as well as promote awareness of disability issues on campus.
Student says: I am so glad I decided to get involved with ACCESS. I began attending ACCESS at the beginning of my freshman year. The group was welcoming and I felt like I had finally found a group of people who shared similar experiences to my own. Not only did I find people who faced similar challenges to those that I faced, but I found a group of people who wanted to work towards eliminating those challenges for future Vassar students.
ACCESS was particularly helpful to me as a freshman. I had no idea where to start when it came to the process of accommodations and the upperclassmen of ACCESS were a valuable resource. I received advice on the advantages and disadvantages of disclosing, on how to talk to professors about my disability, and on much more.
For more information on why ACCESS was founded, check out this article from the Misc that was written by ACCESS’s founding member and alumnus.
Disabled students need social, non-medical spaces
The Listening Center
The Listening Center (TLC) is a confidential, peer-run, 24-hour hotline that provides a safe space for Vassar students to work through their struggles. TLC listeners are trained to handle a variety of issues including but not limited to academic stress, anxiety and depression, relationships, and identity concerns. This group of students is committed to providing non-judgmental, confidential, peer counseling to the Vassar student body. (845)-235-2062
Other Activities
Eye-To-Eye
The Vassar College chapter of Eye-To-Eye matches Vassar students with learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder with school age students with similar disabilities. Vassar students serve as mentors and role models for their students, aiming to foster hope and self-esteem within them. Mentors help their students learn more about themselves, develop metacognitive skills, and gain skills of self-emowerment and self-advocacy. In addition, mentors work with their student’s family and teachers.
Chapter Coordinators Contact Info: Hadiya Shire and Brandon Greene. hashire@vassar.edu
Committee on Disability Issues (CODI)
CODI is an advisory committee consisting of faculty, administration, and staff. Meetings are open to anyone in the Vassar community with an interest in disability issues at Vassar. CODI hopes to promote awareness of disability issues through education, to identify areas of concern within the Vassar community, and to serve in an advisory capacity to AEO. In addition, CODI hopes to provide information to aid in understanding the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, their purpose, and the benefits of adhering to those standards. CODI is chaired by the director of AEO.