https://youtu.be/JNt1k3ohkbs?si=7PqUMRZS32itSPf1

When you run into an accessibility barrier (like an online portal you can’t use), the key is to keep things moving step-by-step instead of stopping at the obstacle. What worked for me: 1. I made the initial records request. 2. I clearly stated I needed a disability accommodation for the portal. 3. I accepted an alternate method (email instead). 4. When they sent a PDF I couldn’t use, I didn’t restart the process—I just requested another accessible option (in-person signing + pickup). Lesson: don’t drop the request when a barrier shows up. Just identify the barrier and ask for the next workable step. It keeps your request active and creates a clear record of accommodation needs.

One thing I will always appreciate about California State University, Northridge was how visible and respected the Deaf community was on campus. 🧏📚 In my first semester, I took Chemistry for Biology Majors, and there was a Deaf student in the class with an interpreter. One day they asked if I would be willing to be a note-taker for her. They gave me this special carbon-copy style paper so that when I took notes, it automatically created a duplicate set for the student. I remember feeling genuinely honored that they trusted me to help support access in the classroom. And honestly, I also remember thinking her interpreter was really cute 😂 — but what stood out even more was how incredibly kind, professional, and competent he was while working with her. Watching the interpreter and student communicate so fluidly was actually fascinating to me and gave me a much deeper appreciation for accessibility and ASL interpretation as a skill. That experience stuck with me because it showed me that accommodations are not about “getting advantages.” They are about making sure everyone can participate fully and equally in education. It also made me proud of CSUN for having such a strong Deaf community and disability access culture. Seeing interpreters around campus regularly normalized accessibility in a really powerful way. ✨ Cool trivia fact:CSUN is known for having one of the largest Deaf and hard-of-hearing student populations of any university in the United States! The university has long been recognized for its Deaf studies programs, interpreting programs, and accessibility resources. Sometimes accessibility is not just policies and paperwork — sometimes it is one student helping another student succeed. 💙 #DisabilityAccess #DeafCommunity #CollegeAccessibility #MyAccessBuddy #CSUN

One of the most powerful disability justice films I’ve ever seen isn’t technically called a disability film. Madame Rosa is about an elderly Jewish Holocaust survivor and a young Arab/Muslim boy building a family together in Paris. The film deals with trauma, aging, mental health, poverty, dignity, institutional fear, and caring for people society ignores. What I love most is that it shows Jews and Arabs loving each other as human beings — protecting each other instead of fearing each other. To me, that spirit of compassion across difference is part of what accessibility and disability justice should mean.

Have you ever watched a movie and realized it’s about WAY more than people think? The 2002 film Pumpkin is often remembered as a weird dark comedy or awkward romance — but underneath all of that, it quietly exposes how society treats disabled people. Pumpkin isn’t just a character. He represents what happens when disabled people are:• infantilized• treated as inspiration instead of humans• spoken about instead of to• excluded from real relationships and decision-making The film also shows how uncomfortable society becomes when disability enters spaces like love, sexuality, sports, and status. One thing that stood out to me is how people around Pumpkin constantly try to control the narrative for him — instead of asking what HE wants. That happens in real life all the time with disabled students, patients, and community members. Disability rights is not only about ramps and paperwork.It’s also about:🟡 dignity🟡 autonomy🟡 being believed🟡 access to relationships and community🟡 being seen as fully human Movies like Pumpkin can open conversations about ableism, even when they’re messy or uncomfortable. Have you seen it? What disability-related movies or shows made you think differently about access and inclusion?