Establishing Disability Cultural Centers on Higher Education Campuses:

An Example from Syracuse University

Diane R. Wiener, Ph.D., L.M.S.W.S.U. DCC Director

and Research Associate Professor

AHEADBaltimore – July 2013

What are some vital reasons for establishing Disability Cultural Centers on higher education campuses?

• Chancellor’s Task Force on Disability

• Student advocacy (e.g., Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee)

• Needs assessment (focus groups; visit to U. Minnesota’s Disabled Student Cultural Center)

• “Don’t we have ODS for that?”

• Strategizing re: funding, hiring, space

History of Disability Cultural Center at Syracuse University

• Establish and celebrate a community that fosters pride in one’s identity and creates a culture of inclusion.

• Build a community that values the capabilities of all people and recognizes that all individuals have the potential to excel and contribute to the academic and social environment at Syracuse University and beyond.

• Serve as a meeting place for students, faculty, staff, and others who seek a safe environment in which all individuals are welcomed, respected, and included as full and equal members, within both the university and global communities.

About S.U.’s DCC

About S.U.’s DCC• Serve as a catalyst for and a sponsor of a variety of

essential programs, inside and outside of the classroom.  The programs will heighten awareness and understanding, as well as promote dialogue and learning about disability rights as human rights.  Programs will therefore emphasize that disability rights are expressions and forms of cultural diversity.

• Create programming that emphasizes but is not limited to advancing the civic, economic, and social participation of persons with disabilities in a global society.

•Serve as a resource for sharing information on media, periodicals and other readings, websites, services, advocacy groups, and local, regional, national, and international organizations that focus on disability issues, including the history of disability, pedagogy and disability, and disability culture.

•Work collaboratively with other campus organizations and offices that celebrate difference.

About S.U.’s DCC

Students

Faculty, Staff,

Academic

Programs

Campus Offices

and Services

Community Allies and Partners

“Vision” of DCC as Hub, Network, and Process: Constituents and “Scholarship in Action”

DCC Director, G.A., and Advisory Board: Building Bridges for Cultural Change

DCC presence and celebrating disability culture

at S.U.

The S.U. DCC is about and creates a space for:

▫Activism and advocacy

▫Creativity and artfulness

▫Relaxation and pausing

▫Thinking, behaving, reflecting – critically

▫Having fun, feeling proud, celebrating life

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

The Spatial Evolution of the S.U. DCC

Thank You!!

Diane R. Wiener, Ph.D., L.M.S.W.Director, Disability Cultural Center (Division of Student Affairs)

Research Associate Professor (School of Education)Syracuse University105 Hoople Building

805 South Crouse AvenueSyracuse, NY 13244-2280

dwiener@syr.edu(315) 443-4486

FAX: (315) 443-0193 

DCC email address: sudcc@syr.eduDCC website: http://sudcc.syr.edu

DCC on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sudccDCC on Tumblr: http://disabilityculturalcenter.tumblr.com/

DCC on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/DisabilityCultureSU