Guest Blog Post : Stop Making Us Prove We Belong: A Call to Teach Ableism in Higher Education - Jade Walleman

Introduction

Colleges often claim to value diversity. They require students to study racism, sexism, and other systems of oppression. But disability is rarely treated as culture. Instead, it’s reduced to ADA compliance and paperwork. That erasure sends a message: disabled students are not part of the campus identity. We are managed, not celebrated. That must change.

My Experience as a Disabled Student

I navigate a campus that wasn’t built for me. I’ve struggled with invisible barriers throughout campus. I’ve had to email, explain, and document my needs over and over. Even when schools offer more than ADA requires, it’s reactive. They wait for us to struggle before they respond.

The emotional toll of constantly proving you’re disabled is exhausting. I shouldn’t have to relive trauma or medical history to get equal access. I shouldn’t have to justify my needs to professors. That burden is placed on us, and it’s wrong.

Invisible Barriers and Cultural Erasure

Accessibility isn’t just ramps and captions. It’s culture. And most campuses don’t teach it. They don’t explore disability pride, disability history, or how ableism intersects with race, gender, and class. They treat disability as a liability, not a lived experience. They treat disabilities as problems to be managed, not communities to be empowered. That erasure is systemic. It’s time we reframed disability not as an exception, but as culture.

Invisible barriers are everywhere:

• A ramp with no signage

• Events with captions but no ASL

• Professors who resist sharing lecture notes

• Disability services that require new documentation every semester

These are not accidents. They are symptoms of a system that doesn’t understand disability as culture.

Disability Vulturing

Some institutions use disabled students as props. They put our stories in brochures. They highlight our “grit” while ignoring our calls for change. They invite us to panels but don’t fund our projects. That’s disability vulturing—benefiting from our image without making structural change.

Solutions and Actionable Takeaways

True inclusion requires integrating disability into core curricula. Colleges must teach about ableism as a form of oppression. They should hire disabled faculty members and student leaders to guide empathy training and accessibility initiatives. Resources must be allocated to disability-led projects, and our expertise should be trusted without forcing us to continuously prove our identities.

Conclusion

Disability is not a checkbox. It is not a legal form. It is culture, it is pride, and it is leadership. If colleges want true inclusion, they must stop requiring us to prove we belong. They must center disabled voices, educate about ableism, and empower us to lead the way toward lasting change.

If you’re a campus administrator, educator, or advocate please start by hiring disabled students like myself to train your staff. Please contact me if you would like assistance.

I have made it my mission to help transform campus culture. I understand what real access looks like because I live it every day. I have learned what works and what still needs to be addressed. I can help faculty understand what disabled students actually want, not just what policies require. When given the opportunity to lead trainings and consult with faculty, I will bring authenticity, creativity, and knowledge that goes far beyond policy documents.

Let’s move beyond compliance and into community.

Jade Walleman

http://linkedin.com/in/jade-walleman-958087264

Jadewalleman@gmail.com