STUDENT AGENCY IN CULTURE CHANGE costly? They looked at each other and you could feel their confidence filling the room like a mist. Yes, was their answer. One hundred percent yes.
Doing the Work
The students got to work. They organized themselves into small groups of two or three, and each group was asked to look at the campus through the lens of a different disability – mobility, hearing, sight, and learning. They needed to be mindful that there is a wide variety of ability within each of these disabilities( not all people with hearing impairments, for instance, use sign language; some learning disabilities relate to reading and writing, and some to math).
Next, the students( mind you, these were mostly 6th graders) discussed their goals and limitations. The audit urged them to consider these questions before setting out: Why did they want their school to be
“ The students got to work. They organized themselves into small groups of two or three, and each group was asked to look at the campus through the lens of a different disability – mobility, hearing, sight, and learning.” more accessible? What if they suggested big, expensive changes( or even small and less costly ones), and the administration’ s answer was“ No”? How might they feel about that? And most crucially, what would be the obstacles that would make it hard for them to empathize with a particular disability? How might they overcome that? Though they couldn’ t articulate it in so many words, it became obvious to all of them that this was going to be hard.
After that, in their smaller groups, they divided up the campus into regions so that they could focus on one region at a time. Then, they spent the next week examining the accessibility of those areas as they went about their regular school day. They were told to keep a notebook and an iPad with them at all times so they could record their observations and thoughts in the moment.
In laying out this work, the audit calls for students to pay extra close attention; it’ s the little things that matter. To a person using a wheelchair, for instance, an inch step going into a building can be a big deal. They were also encouraged to listen carefully to words used by others( both students and adults) that might be offensive or demeaning to those who identify as disabled.
When their week of careful observation was done, the groups got together to compare notes. Each group was asked to write up a draft of their findings. They were encouraged to be specific, but also be willing to write in such a way that told
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CSEE Connections Summer 2025 Page 29