Students with Disabilities and Greek life acceptance and access

[exlurker]

An article in Berkeley's Daily Californian touches on a couple of interesting topics:

* Greek housing -- whether it's adequately accessible for people with disabilities, plus the costs and difficulties of making modifications,

and

* Greek acceptance -- whether fraternities and sororities are accepting of people with disabilities.

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=27027

Food for thought and discussion? (Without going into the ritual and private side of membership selection, of course.)

[FSUZeta]

this young woman could not possibly know the real reason that she was not extended a bid. it is unfair of her to assume that she was not offered a bid due to her disability.

[Drolefille]

Anecdotal but as far as acceptance (only dorm housing at my school and that dorm was handicap accessible but not safe to live in, no first floor rooms):

I've never seen someone in a wheelchair come through recruitment, but I've seen PNMs and members with visible disabilities including my own sister who was born without her left forearm.

I never heard anyone discount someone for membership over a disability and there was never that sort of attitude displayed by the NPC orgs on my campus. That said, I don't know if there weren't PNMs in wheelchairs because they weren't interested or because they didn't feel comfortable, or because they didn't think we'd be interested.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

this young woman could not possibly know the real reason that she was not extended a bid. it is unfair of her to assume that she was not offered a bid due to her disability.

She didn't assume that initially, it's that nagging doubt in the back of your mind... you don't want to think that that's why you didn't get a bid, but what if? And then someone else mentions a similar doubt and it grows.

Just because it's not overt, doesn't mean it's not there. Of course, it doesn't mean it is either.

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

She didn't assume that initially, it's that nagging doubt in the back of your mind... you don't want to think that that's why you didn't get a bid, but what if? And then someone else mentions a similar doubt and it grows.

Just because it's not overt, doesn't mean it's not there. Of course, it doesn't mean it is either.

BS, how how high is the hem of your skirt up?

Yes, the reason She was not invited was because of her infirnative!


She was not in the fit! So, what does that mean to you?

[Benzgirl]

[quote=Tom Earp;1554278]BS, how how high is the hem of your skirt up?

Yes, the reason She was not invited was because of her infirnative!


quote]

What have you been drinking?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

BS, how how high is the hem of your skirt up?

Sexual harassment much?

Yes, the reason She was not invited was because of her infirnative!

We don't know that one way or the other

She was not in the fit! So, what does that mean to you?

That in addition to being classist,drunk and tacky you're ablist.

This is my surprised face.

[33girl]

Most people don't get bids when they're going through rush a third time as a senior.

Saying that you were "denied" a bid shows an unwillingness to understand that rush is a mutual selection process - as if a bid is something that someone owes you. We have no idea how she conducted herself during rush or anything like that. This article is completely one-sided.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Most people don't get bids when they're going through rush a third time as a senior.

Saying that you were "denied" a bid shows an unwillingness to understand that rush is a mutual selection process - as if a bid is something that someone owes you. We have no idea how she conducted herself during rush or anything like that. This article is completely one-sided.

Actually, the last half of it is quite the opposite. There's one person's belief that her lack of a bid is based on her disability, a discussion of the difficulties she had with Rush due to the inaccessibility (which is the school's/panhel's fault IMO), why ADA doesn't apply to Greek houses, how they're working to upgrade them anyway, and one person's experience as a fraternity brother with a disability- he still has trouble sometimes, and awkward moments, but his brothers are supportive of him.

[dukedg]

I find this article to be poorly investigated. The Delta Gamma house at UC Berkeley is wheelchair-accessible and has been since a DG member became disabled after joining. (This happened some time prior to 2000, when I started advising there.) The house has a ramp to the front door and has a bedroom on the main floor of the house that was especially built for that member and available for use by any member or guest who cannot make it up the stairs to the two higher floors.

Furthermore, I distinctly remember a PNM coming through recruitment while I was an adviser there (so some time between 2000 and 2006) who was in a wheelchair. She made it very far in the recruitment process with DG and I believe she did receive a bid to a sorority (though I'm not sure if she accepted/initiated/later deactivated, since she did not join DG).

It is much more likely in my opinion, and this is coming from someone who sat in on those MS meetings for the other PNM, that this girl was not a good fit for any of the sororities on campus, with or without her disability. The conclusion reached by this PNM (and minimally implied by the article) -- that by not receiving a bid the third time through recruitment shows the sororities discrimination against her -- shows poor logic.

[icicle22]

Originally Posted by exlurker

An article in Berkeley's Daily Californian touches on a couple of interesting topics:

* Greek housing -- whether it's adequately accessible for people with disabilities, plus the costs and difficulties of making modifications,

and

* Greek acceptance -- whether fraternities and sororities are accepting of people with disabilities.

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=27027

Food for thought and discussion? (Without going into the ritual and private side of membership selection, of course.)

I read it. But come on! According to the article it was her third time rushing (correct me if I'm wrong), and she is a senior. From what I'm read about upperclassment going through rush, seniors are less likely to receive bids, whether or not they have a particular disability, and I don't think that the NPC is one to drop rushees just because they have one.

[Glitter650]

Originally Posted by icicle22

I don't think that the NPC is one to drop rushees just because they have one.

Let's take off the rose glasses, it's possible that the reason is because of her disability, and it's possible it's happened before. It's also possibly NOT the reason she was released.

As much as I hate to say it, I think that there are certain circumstances where a disabled woman MAY be denied a bid by all sororities on campus due to her disability, maybe not overtly and openly, and it could be under the guise of some other reasoning, but it's possible it could happen.

If it IS her disability that got her released, it makes SENSE that it was her 3rd time rushing, the disability is not going to go away the second time you rush like your horrible GPA you worked to get back up.

[DGTess]

Whether or not she was discriminated against, I am sorely disappointed in the fact that so many Greek houses/facilities are not handicap-accessible. Shame on us that we need the ADA to help us do the right thing.

Of course, we'll never know why there are so few disabled people in the greek system.

[Low C Sharp]

That's a nightmarish campus to try to navigate in a wheelchair/on crutches if you ask me. Lots of steep hills, lots of multi-story buildings built into the side of the hill, winding streets, some without sidewalks...not good.
________
Marijuana Card

[Kevlar281]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

That's a nightmarish campus to try to navigate in a wheelchair/on crutches if you ask me. Lots of steep hills, lots of multi-story buildings built into the side of the hill, winding streets, some without sidewalks...not good.

So true, I’m able bodied and I had a tough time getting around on that campus when I was visiting. From the looks of many of the houses that I saw it would not be an easy task to make them all wheelchair accessible. Take this from a guy who has spent quite a bit of time on accessibility projects. I’m not saying it couldn’t be done, I’m just saying I’m not surprised that it hasn’t been done.