Students with disabilities?

[AGDAlum]

The Mizzou alumni magazine arrived this week. This woman's story is very inspiring. She's a Kappa:
http://mizzoumag.missouri.edu/2012-S...take/index.php

I wondered how many students with disabilities join NPC/NIC organizations.
When I was an undergrad the DU chapter had a blind member, and about the same time an Alpha Gam chapter (Marietta, I think) had a blind member.

[als463]

Originally Posted by AGDAlum

The Mizzou alumni magazine arrived this week. This woman's story is very inspiring. She's a Kappa:
http://mizzoumag.missouri.edu/2012-S...take/index.php

I wondered how many students with disabilities join NPC/NIC organizations.
When I was an undergrad the DU chapter had a blind member, and about the same time an Alpha Gam chapter (Marietta, I think) had a blind member.

I know there is a fraternity at RIT with members who are deaf. Also, my sorority has an incredible member that they did a story on a while back. She is wheelchair-bound and she uses one of those computer things to help her with speech. I forget the school but, it is at one of our more recent colonizations. She is an inspiration and so are the members of the RIT fraternity.

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by als463

I know there is a fraternity at RIT with members who are deaf.

My boyfriend is an RIT Greek alum. He was not in the deaf Fraternity, but we somehow got on the subject this past weekend. Sigma Sigma Sigma has a chapter there that he said was the "deaf sorority" (the majority of members were deaf) and that members of the two chapters often dated. RIT has an entire deaf school, from what Mr. KDR was saying.

[als463]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

My boyfriend is an RIT Greek alum. He was not in the deaf Fraternity, but we somehow got on the subject this past weekend. Sigma Sigma Sigma has a chapter there that he said was the "deaf sorority" (the majority of members were deaf) and that members of the two chapters often dated. RIT has an entire deaf school, from what Mr. KDR was saying.

The fraternity is Pi Kappa Phi. I think it is a great organization and apparently that chapter does a ton for their philanthropy (Push America). I love hearing that about Sigma Sigma Sigma because I have always thought they were classy women since going through recruitment at Penn State. This solidifies my belief that they must be classy all over the place!

Just a quick FYI Not all Deaf people consider themselves disabled. I am a deaf woman at Gallaudet University. 95% of our school is deaf students and we have a wonderfully thriving greek life.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by dz.lys.91

Just a quick FYI Not all Deaf people consider themselves disabled. I am a deaf woman at Gallaudet University. 95% of our school is deaf students and we have a wonderfully thriving greek life.

What I've found is that generally Deaf people don't consider themselves disabled and deaf people do.

(Fairly strong correlation between the capital D and those that don't consider themselves)

As for the Greek system at Gallaudet, I'd say that it is unusual in that I can't come up with many schools that have both *multiple* locals that have been around for more than a Century and national GLOs. However given the alumni support for the locals and *high* number of Gallaudet Alumni who now are employed by the school, I expect that those locals would be considerably more likely to survive a Risk Management issue that (for example) might cause University of Maryland to shut down an NIC fraternity.

(I expect that the only schools with a higher number of school alumni in high positions in the school would be the Military Academies).

I've visited Gallaudet looking for information on my fraternity there (Alpha Phi Omega), quietest library *EVER*....

Originally Posted by naraht

What I've found is that generally Deaf people don't consider themselves disabled and deaf people do.

(Fairly strong correlation between the capital D and those that don't consider themselves)

As for the Greek system at Gallaudet, I'd say that it is unusual in that I can't come up with many schools that have both *multiple* locals that have been around for more than a Century and national GLOs. However given the alumni support for the locals and *high* number of Gallaudet Alumni who now are employed by the school, I expect that those locals would be considerably more likely to survive a Risk Management issue that (for example) might cause University of Maryland to shut down an NIC fraternity.

(I expect that the only schools with a higher number of school alumni in high positions in the school would be the Military Academies).

I've visited Gallaudet looking for information on my fraternity there (Alpha Phi Omega), quietest library *EVER*....

The two biggest local frat/sorority on campus are Kappa Gamma and Phi Kappa Zeta. The reason their organizations have stood so long, like you stated, the alumni support is there forever for them AND what they stand for. Kappa Gamma and Phi Kappa Zeta are DEAF strong organizations. What I mean by this is, most of their members have deaf parents or some kind of affiliation with strong deaf lineage.
Kappa Gamma was actually suspended from campus in the 1900's and they had been running their fraternity and keeping it strong Off campus. Later when they asked to come back on campus as an organization, they marched in line wearing their colors (blue and gold) onto the campus, supposedly one of the largest groups ever.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by dz.lys.91

The two biggest local frat/sorority on campus are Kappa Gamma and Phi Kappa Zeta. The reason their organizations have stood so long, like you stated, the alumni support is there forever for them AND what they stand for. Kappa Gamma and Phi Kappa Zeta are DEAF strong organizations. What I mean by this is, most of their members have deaf parents or some kind of affiliation with strong deaf lineage.
Kappa Gamma was actually suspended from campus in the 1900's and they had been running their fraternity and keeping it strong Off campus. Later when they asked to come back on campus as an organization, they marched in line wearing their colors (blue and gold) onto the campus, supposedly one of the largest groups ever.

In some ways, Kappa Gamma and Phi Kappa Zeta are probably in the strongest position relative to an administration/Dean of Students as any Greek Letter Organization that I know of. It sounds like Kappa Gamma more or less ignored the suspension and continued to take on new brothers. I truly wonder whether the administration would be able to eject either group permanently for anything short of unrecoverable hazing (death or something like a permanent Coma) (See Gamma Phi Gamma at Wilmington College)

This certainly won't be true for the National groups (though I wonder to what degree Delta Zeta's focus on hearing issues as a National Philanthropy helps or hurts among those who consider themselves Deaf)

[WhiteRose1912]

My alma mater is very disability-friendly and generally has at least a few disabled members in the Greek community. In my time as a collegian, my chapter initiated three women who used wheelchairs.

[DubaiSis]

I don't recall it coming up, but I can't see a woman with physical disabilities being able to deal with the restrictions at so many sorority houses because they're old and not ADA compliant. I'm confident a chapter house built within the last 20 or 30 years would not have a problem, but my chapter house for instance is 80+ years old and requires steps to get into any door, to say nothing of the bedrooms and dining room. Of course, that would probably be a scenario where she'd be let off the hook for the live-in requirement because it would be a terrible reason to deny membership to an otherwise fully qualified and desired member. And for the unhoused chapters, why not?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

I don't recall it coming up, but I can't see a woman with physical disabilities being able to deal with the restrictions at so many sorority houses because they're old and not ADA compliant. I'm confident a chapter house built within the last 20 or 30 years would not have a problem, but my chapter house for instance is 80+ years old and requires steps to get into any door, to say nothing of the bedrooms and dining room. Of course, that would probably be a scenario where she'd be let off the hook for the live-in requirement because it would be a terrible reason to deny membership to an otherwise fully qualified and desired member. And for the unhoused chapters, why not?

We made accommodations for women in wheelchairs coming through rush. As I recall, someone rushed her on our porch, which otherwise would not have been allowed.

[mandyk01]

We follow ADA accommodation guidelines when dealing with physically or mentally disabled members, in other words we let them define their limitations and suggest accommodations that both allow them to assimilate while meeting the needs of the chapter and the individual. For example, one of our sisters had a heart defect and eventual transplant she needed to rest regularly so we made sure that she was given the opportunity to sit during ritual and sporting events.

The tricky part of mental disabilities is that their academic accommodations allowed by the school do not meet our requirements for membership. For example the university may lower the minimum GPA or credit requirements to get full-time student benefits like healthcare and student housing but our chapter uses GPA, credit hours, and volunteer activities in member selection so a wonderful woman who is only 3/4 time is not eligible for membership according to our by-laws.

[Xidelt]

Delta Zeta has a chapter at Gallaudet. Alpha sigma theta is a sorority at RIT that was founded by deaf women. Its website now says it has three chapters total.

[ComradesTrue]

We had a deaf member in my chapter 20+ years ago. I was always in awe of what an amazing lip reader that she was. She was a senior when I was a freshman, so I didn't know her too well.

A few years later another sorority on my campus pledged a young lady with lower extremity weakness (perhaps CP? Honestly, I am just not sure) that ambulated short distances with forearm crutches and used a motorized scooter for longer distances. The chapter built a ramp for her to get into the house, but I can not remember if she lived-in or not. All rooms were on 2nd and 3rd floors, so they would have had to make accommodations there too.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

Delta Zeta has a chapter at Gallaudet. Alpha sigma theta is a sorority at RIT that was founded by deaf women. Its website now says it has three chapters total.

Gallaudet's Greek System is sort of mixed with for the Fraternities, two long existing Locals and two Nationals (Kappa Sigma and Delta Sigma Phi) and for the Sororities, two long existing Locals, one NPC National (Delta Zeta) and Alpha Sigma Theta (which has chapters at the three universities in the US with strong programs for the Deaf: Rochester Inst. of Technology, Gallaudet and Cal State Northridge)

I'd like to see Alpha Phi Omega return to Gallaudet...