Mt. Holyoke College fails

[newsflash]

My best friend has a lot wrong with her. She's a juvenile diabetic. She's got a disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) that makes mobility an issue. She uses a service dog for stability and balance and to pick up things she otherwise would be unable to, among other uses.

Understandably, it's hard to complete formal education with all of this going on, which is why she hasn't finished her undergraduate degree. So imagine her elation when she was accepted to Mount Holyoke College under their program for non-traditional students. She was part of a group of older students whose educations had been interrupted for whatever reasons--health, children, poverty, career.

To make a long, painful story very short, she's had a shocking, nightmarish experience at Mount Holyoke, which you would expect to be a liberal, supportive environment since it's a women's college. She was led to believe everything would be in place for her arrival and that disability services there were top notch. However, it's been a nightmare. She was unable to eat in the cafeteria the first two months of school because the student workers told her she couldn't bring a dog in. Disability services told her they weren't sure what they could do, because not all student workers might understand an email saying they couldn't refuse her service. She was given a room on a third floor that her scooter wouldn't fit in, and when she complained she was told to leave her expensive piece of medical equipment in the lobby. When they finally moved her to a new dorm room, she had to go across campus to shower in her old dorm because they didn't install grab bars in her shower. She wasn't given accommodations letters for her professors for months. Etc. She learned her experience wasn't isolated, and after months of pain and frustration last semester, she and a large group of disabled students met with the dean of the college, with very unsatisfactory results.

My friend blogs about it here.

Comments

[meansgirl]

That is unbelievable. I hope they throw the book at these jerks.

[jackandahat]

"because not all student workers might understand an email saying it was illegal for them to refuse her service"

How the hell can they not understand? Presumably if they're working with people, they have at least one language in common with their bosses. What's hard to comprehend about "You are breaking the law by not letting her in. Stop breaking the law, she's allowed in."

And sadly, yeah, the "If you keep "making trouble" we'll deal with you..." is all too common in education.

[the_future_modernes]

that is PRECISELY what got m,y eye too!! I mean WHAT???????

[hilarytamar]

Dear god in heaven. That's just… it's completely outrageous. I've been sitting here trying to find more words and coming up blank. I'm really glad your friend has been able to coordinate with other students and put both legal and public pressure on the administration. 'How to enforce your rights 101' is hardly the education she should have to be getting.

(And I understand all too easily how someone can get to being dean by being evil, but I'd think an understanding of the concept 'PR nightmare' would be a prerequisite.)

[jadelennox]

that story totally sucks. Sadly, I've worked in many well-meaning, liberal universities, and that never translates to a responsive accessibility department.

[chosenmortal]

........oh my god, that is awful. i'm an alum of mount holyoke, and you better believe i'll be writing to them about this. this is fucking terrible.

[synecdochic]

FLAMES on the side of my FACE AUUUUUUGH.

[codeman38]

How... how is this LEGAL? >_<;;

[jalendavi_lady]

It should be as easy to understand as instruction about other things that are illegal for them to do. And for food service, that's quite a list to start with so they ought to be used to it!

[codeman38]

Gah, yeah, that's a good point. If they can't be told about the requirement to allow service dogs in, I'd be worried about the safety of my food.

[jalendavi_lady]

I wonder what happens when one of the student workers tries to use that experience on a resume while trying to get a food-service management job.

I mean, if someone knows a worker's previous experience in the industry explicitly trained them to break the law, then why would they be trusted to not establish the same policy at the management level and bring the entire company down by it?

[elekdragon]

*inarticulate yell*

I want to say I'm surprised to hear all this, but after visiting that area, I'm totally NOT surprised. Disgusted and angry and *flails* but not surprised.

[zarhooie]

I'm not an alum, but my godmother is and you'd better BELIEVE I'm getting her to make some noise. She's a politician, and she's got her Masters in Raising Hell.

[amadi]

College Students.

At one of the most exclusive colleges in the country.

Wouldn't understand "let her in with her service dog" if told so by their superiors.

I got that far and my brain shut down. I don't even know...

[pauamma]

I'm speechless.

[softestbullet]

Holy shit.

Sometimes I'm glad I just dropped out when I became disabled, rather than trying to get accommodation. :/

Mount Holyoke College

[mjcurtis]

While Mount Holyoke College cannot comment on the details of this situation, there are inaccuracies in this account and we are attempting to meet the student's needs to her satisfaction. Mount Holyoke is fully committed to providing equal access to all of our students, and we address each and every student issue with all of the resources at our disposal.

[ironed_orchid]

Oh My God!

That's utterly appalling. The third floor!

I had temporary accom in a student apartment designed for disabled access while the fulltime resident was on fieldwork. It was on the ground floor, was in a straight line from a card activated gate, had an open plan design with grab bars, the bathroom floor was completely level for wheelchair access to shower, and there were emergency call buttons by the bed and in the bathroom. I am shocked that any campus can't offer at least some dorm rooms set up to these requirements.

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[mbc.livejournal.com]

protip: your non-denial denials will carry more weight if they are from a more official sounding user name.

bonus protip: maybe don't make comments that could be interpreted as making light of disability (http://twitter.com/mjcurtis/status/9167903441) when using the same persona to defend your employers disability rights record


way to continue the fail.

[watersword]

::jawdrop:: I work at another Seven Sisters disability office. I am forwarding this to my boss and flipping out.

[killing_rose]

I've been trying to come up with a way to respond, but to be honest? I have no words. I do, however, have an overwhelming need to strangle Mt. Holyoke's administration.

And yet, I'm not actually surprised. Massachusetts liberal arts colleges...sometimes, they drop the ball on accessibility. (Obviously, this is not the case everywhere. I'm actually only comparing this to the liberal arts college I attend in northern Mass.)

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[killing_rose]

While a cleverly worded non-denial, I can't say that this sounds very plausible. And it leaves me with questions and concerns relating to most, if not all, of the points you raise in your reply.

There are inaccuracies? All right, point them out.

How are you meeting the student's need? There are ways to specify without getting into details.

How have you proven your commitment to providing equal access? When I hear of "other cases" and other students having problems, that concerns me. It concerns me because it makes this case sound more like a systemic problem than a fluke, a mistake that you're trying very hard to correct.

You address each and every student issue with all of the resources at your disposal? In this case, it seems that those resources involve carefully watching her internet participation. Clearly, you're stalking her blog because that was the only place that this post was worded. If that's the case, then why are you so concerned with confronting the problem here, and not in her own blog?

Wait, I can answer that myself. You're concerned because other people--including alums--are listening and responding.

[softestbullet]

*nods* I figured as much.

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[killing_rose]

...You did. Perhaps it ended up screened somehow? Because it's very clearly still in my email.

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[mbc.livejournal.com]

but mjcurtis is a "college PR & social media guru"! blog stalking and meaningless drivel are her 'core competencies'!

[trouble]

Certainly what you describe here is similar to the experiences other people with disabilities I've talked to have in university. "We value our students with disabilities SOOOOO MUCH!" Which means they do things like book campus-wide events in inaccessible spaces and leave the only wheelchair access door locked.

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[trouble]

The whole twitter account was deleted. What did it say?

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[mbc.livejournal.com]

really? huh. have a screenshot http://imgur.com/YRCd7

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[mbc.livejournal.com]

btw "deleting" your twitter account? really? that's not how the intertubes work. for example your twitter history can be seen here. http://www.scribd.com/doc/28413833

also should the student decide to file suit against moho - something i would cheer btw - which you and your employer should be reasonably anticipating since she has retained counsel, deliberate spoilation of evidence is a bad thing.

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[mbc.livejournal.com]

or a just the text of the twitter (w/o the background) can be found here http://www.scribd.com/doc/28415581/

Re: Mount Holyoke College

[epershand]

As another MHC alum, I find this response very inadequate and not in standing with an institution I know and love. Count me among those writing angry letters to the Alumnae Quarterly.

[lovely_evil_wolf]

Who can we contact?