Introducing BC to the ADA Task-Force

By Julian Caro 

Bakersfield College’s ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) task force aims to teach BC the accessibility alphabet. The official ADA taskforce was created with the intent of addressing issues for disabled individuals at Bakersfield College (BC). 

The task force is spearheaded by Faculty Co-Chair, Chris Cruz-Boone (CCB), and the members present included:  

Their final meeting before presenting their findings to the Academic senate was held on April 2. Where they discussed the findings of their ADA climate survey. 

The online survey was conducted over eight days (Feb. 23- March 2) and garnered 168 responses from a mixture of staff and students. It is important to note that this survey also encompasses the wide umbrella of disabled individuals, and thus only had eight respondents representing individuals that are physically disabled. However, the significance of the study lies in its general capturing of the climate at BC. 

Notably, one third of the individuals who identified as being disabled on the survey claimed to have experienced some form of discrimination and even disagreeing with the question asking if the BC campus “reflect[s] disability culture.” 

Another question asking if disabled students have adequate opportunities to socialize with other people in their community, 46% reported that they have no opportunities to do so, and 66% marking none or little opportunities.  

Furthermore, beliefs about students with disabilities from able-bodied individuals remain incorrect, as 67% of respondents believe that students with disabilities are receiving the accommodations that they need. However, only four students that identified as being disabled marked that they requested and made use of accommodations. Whereas 19 students were fearful about requesting accommodations or have previously had negative experiences at BC in the past; which is stopping them from requesting accommodations. 

Open responses to the survey were shared at the meeting, which shed further light on the climate at BC. With a respondent recounting different conversations that they have heard faculty say to students with disabilities to discourage them. The remarks, suggested that these students should either pursue a different major, stay at home and not take an able-bodied individual's seat in the class, or even resist granting accommodations by asking the students directly “Do you think that you’re more important than other students?” 

Dean Andrea Thorson, who serves as a member of the taskforce was troubled by these sentiments stating, “Some people don’t want equity... to be discussed.”  

The general sentiments about individuals with disabilities at BC are incorrect and even damaging to those individuals. While the sentiment coming from the individuals with disabilities shows how more is desired from the campus and the institution.  

During the Academic Senate’s April 17 meeting, the ADA task force presented their findings. 

On the following May 1 meeting, the task force presented their recommendations, which included establishing a permanent ADA committee that would be independent of any changes in leadership at the college and would be more effective in addressing BC-specific accessibility hurdles.  

Further, they recommend an “investment in staff that support campus wide shifts to accessibility” which would be accomplished through required trainings, creating and distributing accessibility reference sheets, and creating an accessibility awareness campaign that would show non-disabled individuals some of the difficulties that come with being disabled. 

When CCB was asked if the academic senate had decided on establishing the accessibility task force into a committee, she shared that the “The second [recommendations] reading was delayed until [the] fall [semester].”  

With the Academic Senate out of session for the summer, the system of bureaucracy has halted progress for the ADA community at Bakersfield College.