The Hustler spoke with undergraduate and graduate students who alleged that Vanderbilt is not doing enough to ensure accessibility for all students on and around campus. They claimed that care networks, such as the Student Access Services Office and the Facilities Department, are not appropriately and efficiently handling students’ needs.
Student access
Vanderbilt Alliance on Disability and Condition, formed in 2020, is Vanderbilt’s only disability organization on campus that aims to foster a community for students with or without disabilities. Led by senior and junior, respectively, co-presidents Natalie Andreoli and Ruby Copsey, VADC’s mission is to bring students together through different mediums and is meant to educate the general public on advocating for students with disabilities.
Andreoli was born with cerebral palsy, a sometimes visible disability that affects movement and balance, which is different from individual to individual. She shared her journey through Vanderbilt as a student with a disability.
“At the very beginning of my freshman year, I saw that there were some issues [with] accessibility, [specifically] during orientation, and I also felt generally left out,” Andreoli said. “I wanted to find a community of people [who] thought like me and could have helpful conversations around the topic.”
Copsey was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a disability that can be invisible to the general public, towards the beginning of her college career. Copsey found it difficult to cope with her newfound disability while balancing an academic career, especially when attempting to get care from Student Access Services.
“All of a sudden I had to identify with the word disability, [and] I was coping with that in college,” Copsey said. “I found a lot of difficulty with the fact that whenever I would go to Student Access, it was very unclear what sort of paperwork I needed. When I did seem to have the paperwork, there were still denials [and] there is a lack of clarity.”
Both Andreoli and Copsey agreed that Vanderbilt is moving in the right direction in terms of establishing accessibility and inclusivity for all students, with Andreoli co-writing the Accessibility Inclusivity Clause with staff from Student Access. However, Andreoli said she believes the Student Access Services process may unfairly apply to students with disabilities as they need additional documents for accessibility requests.
“If [students] are constantly told [by Student Access] that they have to go back to the doctor and get specific [referrals] that they did not realize they had to ask for, it can cause a lot of concern and [could lead] to a lot of time spent waiting to hear back to know whether or not [they] will be given [accommodations],” Andreoli said.
In an email to The Hustler, Jamie Bojarski, director of Student Access Services and the Office for Equal Access, explained the accommodations process and the ongoing professional development for staff.
“[There are four] categories: academic, housing, dining or mobility. Each request is reviewed on an individual, case-by-case basis by an access specialist. Access specialists determine accommodations by considering the nexus between the student’s disability-based limitations and the barriers to their access,” Bojarski said. “Through its referral process with close campus partners, [Student Access] assures resources are available for all students seeking care and support.”
The accommodations process begins when students with disabilities contact Student Access Services with a request. Student Access then reviews each case and either makes an accommodation for students, denies students the accommodations, or communicates with students about adjustments to their requests.
Facilities
Andreoli alleged that the Vanderbilt Facilities Department does not attentively work to fix building accessibilities, including elevators, doors, and housing amenities. According to Andreoli, VADC considered hosting a sit-in protest near the elevators in Rand Hall because students alleged they were out of service for months at a time. Peabody Library, Andreoli said, also lacks updated renovations to support those with disabilities.
“I asked to go down [the elevator], and it took an [employee] 20 minutes to find the keys to the elevator,” Andreoli said. “When the elevator opened, there were stairs going down from the elevator.”
Copsey said she has found it difficult to navigate campus with a service animal.
“I was yelled at by a dining hall employee. I was yelled at by the manager. I was kicked out of Peabody Library by a Vanderbilt Police Officer,” Copsey said. “[When I] followed up with Student Access, [they said it would] be fixed. Then it would happen again.”
Andreoli said these concerns with campus accessibility impacted her first year at Vanderbilt.
“I called my mom crying during the week of orientation because I fell multiple times and felt very isolated,” Andreoli said. “I said [to my mom] ‘I’ve never felt so disabled in my life,’ which was very emotional because I never thought of my condition as very detrimental or almost as an insult before. It really made me come to terms with having to advocate for myself.”
A graduate student speaking under the pseudonym of BJ, granted for fear of retribution, believes Vanderbilt struggles to meet the accessibility needs of all students.
“It is pretty easy to get an accommodation once you have a [visible] medical disability,” BJ said. “From my experience, the disabilities that are [not] seen are treated awfully and they [are not] treated fairly to the standards [set by the university].”
Elizabeth Biggs, assistant professor of special education and member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, emphasized accessibility and inclusion as something she believes should be provided to all.
“It is important to note that accessibility is not the same as inclusion,” Briggs said in a message to The Hustler. “Inclusion, to me, goes beyond simply providing access — it is about creating environments (e.g., on our campus, within clubs and organizations, with classes and within research labs) where people feel valued, supported and able to participate fully.”
Vanderbilt Facilities Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Future of accessibility on campus
Despite her past experiences, Copsey believes Vanderbilt is on the right track with room for improvement to make the university accessible for everyone.
“I needed a handicap-accessible shower, and I was denied it,” Copsey said. “It [is] not easy to be disabled. The people trying to help us should [not] make our [lives] harder.”
Andreoli said she feels hopeful for the future of accessibility on campus, but she expressed a desire to see the university prioritize accommodations for students with disabilities.
“Students often do [not] know what [is] available to them,” Andreoli said. “Improving transparency and ensuring faster responses to major accessibility concerns would be important next steps.”
Biggs shared optimism for the future and encouraged the university community to promote inclusion for all.
“I hope that Vanderbilt — and other college campuses across the United States — will keep working not only to ensure accessibility for students with disabilities but to truly celebrate disability in all its forms,” Biggs said. “I think this is possible, but it will take all of us to make sure that Vanderbilt is a truly inclusive place for all students, including students with disabilities.”
