SEAHO Report - Summer 2024 - 32

Opening Accessible Doors:
The Florida State University
Champions for Disabilities
By Clair Bailey, Florida State University
College is one of the first major transitions for young adults. For many, this is the first time being out on
their own, seeking education, professional experiences, and lasting social partnerships. The excitement is
palpable, while the anxiety is sometimes high as well, as students are waiting to move in on campus and start
a new academic journey. It's a memory that many of us share; the experience of moving into a new home.
Yet, some of the residence halls where students live present challenges to those with disabilities. While these
issues are hardly at the forefront of people's minds when planning to move in, many accessibility issues cause
on-campus residents and the student body as a whole to miss out on an otherwise studious and sociable
experience.
Florida State University (FSU) prides itself on its gorgeous historic buildings, while also understanding the
need for modernization of residence halls. Many of our student staff have shared experiences of difficulty
living within these historic halls. Some staff members discussed various shortcomings of residence hall ADA
accessible rooms. Other staff members noted that residents would have temporary need for accommodations
which would not be accounted for in residence hall accessibility. All of these, along with our own experiences,
led to the want and need to create a group for our student staff members to voice their concerns and create
accessible communities for individuals with disabilities who live on-campus at FSU. The issue was noticed and
thought of, now it was time for making the vision a reality.
At FSU, student leader affinity groups help create supportive communities and advocate for various student
needs within the residence halls. This past academic year, we founded the Champions for Disabilities (CDs)
to support and amplify the voices of students with disabilities among our student staff. As we began to think
about the creation of this group, it was important to consider our reasoning, scope, and impact that this
group could have on not only the department, but the institution as a whole.
Dylan Hardisty, a 3rd Year Resident Assistant, noted the importance of creating an affinity group for the
disabled community, having faced challenges with accommodations himself. This led to our collaboration
to spearhead this initiative. Dylan and I met early in the fall semester to plan the groundwork for this group.
The first step necessary was to develop strong and representative mission and value statements. Our
mission for the Champions for Disabilities, " to empower and inspire student staff, enhancing their overall
residential experience through advocacy and educational efforts for students with disabilities and their
peers, " allows for various opportunities for our student staff members to learn about disability accessibility
at FSU within our department. This model includes everyone in discussions on creating accessible spaces
within our department, regardless of past challenges, while educating everyone on accessible marketing and
programming, so they could educate their peers.
By mid-fall semester our group had assembled an executive board of 4 student leadership positions with
two advisors from University Housing. From here, a monthly newsletter would be produced and sent to
student staff to highlight the awareness month, upcoming awareness days, as well as a logo for the group.
The newsletter would spotlight accessible programming, event flyers, and invitations to group programs. CD
hosted monthly events pertaining to aspects of disability awareness and accessibility on campus were planned
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SEAHO Report - Summer 2024

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