Students with Disabilities and Greek life acceptance and access

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

Yes, the woman discussed in the article was senior at the time but she rushed 3 times prior. I would say it is safe to assume she was a sophomore when it all began--class standing most likely was not the only reason she was released when she was a sophomore.

And, yes, I know I am not an NPC member, but I do have an obvious physical disability and I can see where the young woman is coming from. None of us were in the MS meetings--we will never really know why, but one thing I do know as physically disable american, it is VERY difficult to put yourself out there knowing good and well you may be rejected-be it for whatever reason.

Things happen in younger grades that stick with you--that pervade your every day life and make you wish it would go away. Example: I have an identical twin sister (for those of you that don't know). She was always pretty popular in school and I was always just kind of her lacky. In the eigth grade a pretty popular guy in school tells my sister that she is really cool and that "your sister would be really cool too if she didn't limp." That was also the same year that all of my friends (including my sister) began picking on me because it became the cool thing to do. I was called gimp, cripled, crip and they would imitate the way I walk when they passed me in the hallway.

Yes, middle school kids can be very cruel due to their own insecurities, but those kinds of things have really stuck with me.

Yes, I found my way and have been very successful with my life, but those kinds of comments have alway stuck with me.

I guess I'm just trying to say that it's very easy for this woman to blame her disability. It's what she knows, it's what she's comfortable with and honestly, it probably makes the most sense to her. Because, I gaurentee she has been denied other opportunities based solely on that.

There is a possiblity she is right. I don't know. I know many disabled members of NPCs on my sisters campus-but none in wheelchairs. We just initiated a blind individual into my Phi Sig chapter and I guess I count too.

Gosh...I wrote a book....

I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that! Kids can really be cruel. I hope that we as greeks are more mature than to pick on or exclude someone with a disability, but like with all other traits deviating from the Miss USA standard, some chapters may exclude you based on any number of un-PC reasons. I agree that the third time the woman in the story rushed, she probably didn't receive a bid because she was a senior. BUT...who knows why she didn't receive a bid the first two times. We all know there are people who don't get bids who embody our rituals but don't look the part. There are also people who are ugly on the inside and out. Ha! I guess we'll never know the truth. It's easy to assume that greeks discriminate since there are few with disabilities in our groups, but it doesn't take into account the few that decide to go out on a limb and attend recruitment after having experiences like AlwaysSAI describes. I just hope that we would consider those that do attend recruitment in the same light as someone without a disability.