The Access Radio Hour blends music by disabled artists and conversations about disability at Emerson. Hosted by Access: Student Disability Union's Vice President for Community, Greyson Acquaviva, this accessible radio show brings disability to WECB every Friday from 2-3pm EST.
The audio of this interview can be found here.
Greyson:
Hello! And we are on The Access Radio Hour show. I'm your host Grayson Acquaviva and with me today we have Harper McKenzie as a co-host. Hello, Harper.
Harper:
Hey, Greyson, thanks for having me.
Greyson:
No problem. And today's special guest is a none other than Shruti Rajkumar. How are you, Shruti?
Shruti:
I'm good. How are you?
Greyson:
I'm doing fantastic. Now, tell me a little bit about yourself. You know, who are you?
Shruti:
Yeah, so I'm, I'm Shruti Rajkumar. I'm actually the Co-Vice President for Advocacy at Access: Student Disability Union. I'm also a junior journalism major here at Emerson with a minor in public relations. And yeah, I mean, I'm, I love journalism. I love writing. And that's why I'm here. I'm a lot— I'm involved in a lot of organizations on campus, like the Intersectionalist, which is a new magazine/newspaper on campus that we're starting. And I'm also part of all Flawless Brown, which I love. And Access, of course. Spectrum and, you know, all these different orgs that I love. And I've been able to make a lot of great friends through them. So yeah, that's, that's me.
Greyson:
That's a lot of hats you wear.
Shruti:
Yes.
Harper:
Yeah, that all sounds really awesome. Um, so if you could tell us a little bit about your experience here at Emerson as a student with a disability?
Shruti:
Yeah. So, when I came to Emerson, I remember, I was really anxious about, I guess, going about the accommodations and trying to navigate a new environment, as a person with a disability. Because I came from my hometown of Colchester, Connecticut, it's a very small hometown. And my entire life, my parents kind of helped me with accommodations. I also didn't have like, a lot of voice in them. So, like, you know, my parents were the people who were usually sorting through accommodations. And then when I got to college, they were kind of like, “alright, it's all on you.” Which I remember being very overwhelmed with. And it was kind of a learning opportunity. But then also like a moment of independence being like, “okay, here's, here's how you're going to navigate college.” But then also, after college, “this is how you're going to have to learn to navigate the world.” So, it was really stressful. But I look back on it, and I'm very grateful for it. And then I look back on, you know, the accommodations that I have gotten, even though the process was really difficult, I am grateful for it. But then I'm also looking at it as there's so many areas that we can improve on. You know, the processes can be a little better. Accessibility can be at the forefront of discussions that we have at Emerson a little bit more. And so that's kind of what I'm doing now. I've kind of gotten to a point where I'm very comfortable with my identity as a disabled person and I've found my voice in terms of educating people, talking about accessibility. And if it's not in the conversation, then making it a part of the conversation, and really just getting disability out there so that it's less stigmatized and less— and more of a norm than something that we don't talk about.
Greyson:
That's, that's really interesting. Wow.
Harper:
I love that. It's a great answer.
Greyson:
That's really is a great answer. So, I know that a lot of people don't really stop and think about how disability or disabilities affect a person's life or exists within our society. So, how can we try and change that sentiment here at Emerson College?
Shruti:
Yeah, so, that's a really good question. I think, um, it can start with just incorporating conversations about disability into the college, you know, talking about accessibility, talking about ableism, and also how it presents itself in different majors. I feel like a lot of the majors here don't realize that disability is in the world, and we need to know how to interact with it within our fields. And so, I encourage people to, like, come to Access meetings and learn about things. I encourage them to do the research, especially in journalism, like I encourage people to, you know, do research about the disabled community, regardless of whether or not you're reporting on somebody specifically with a disability, just so that you have that knowledge and you're able to reflect on your biases and know how to go about a situation where you would be reporting on somebody with a disability or interacting with somebody with a disability. So yeah, I think I think really just trying to get the conversations going so that it's not always us bringing the conversation to these abled spaces. You know, we can't always be the one doing that. We need our allies and our non-disabled friends to care about the conversations just like we do—enough so that they'll bring it to a space and talk about it.
Greyson:
Very important. That happens. I totally agree with you.
Harper:
Yeah, no, and I think Access is a great space to be able to do that and that's something that we're really trying to work on— fostering ally ship within the Emerson community. So yeah, let’s hope that it happens.
Shruti:
Yes.
Harper:
Which thinking of Access, we're so happy to have you as a member of Access.
Shruti:
Thank you.
Harper:
So, could you speak a little bit more into, like, why you joined Access? And you know, how Access has been a part of your life? You know, how it's been, you know, how it's maybe changed your life or been a good force? Hopefully?
Shruti:
Yes, absolutely. So, I joined Access last year when it was being created by you, Harper, and Zach. And so, yeah, I mean, I mean, just to describe like how that happened. I had written an article for the Berkeley Beacon about my experiences with housing accommodations from— for that semester, and it was really a bad process. I didn't get my accommodation; I was told a few days beforehand that I wouldn't be given them and that they would have to make adjustments to my suite in order to make it accessible, but that it wouldn't happen right away. And it was really difficult. It was also kind of dangerous. And it was a really stressful situation. And I wrote the article. And then, Harper, you reached out to me and— to talk about it. And then you had mentioned that you were hoping to start a disability group on campus. And I remember that that meant so much to me when I found out because when I came to Emerson, my freshman year, I remember sitting down and looking at all the different orgs. And I was like, “Okay, I want to join an org for every one of my identities and passions.” So, I was like, “All right, where are the groups for queer people? Where are the groups for brown people? Where were the groups for women?” Or things like that, and journalism and things like that. But I remember sitting there and realizing like, “there's no space for people with disabilities.” And coming from my hometown, I knew that, you know, I was the only physically disabled person. Like, in general. Like, there were a few others, but like, in my grade, I was the only physically disabled person. And that's the thought of creating an org on campus for people disability seemed impossible to me. And I remember like being like, “Oh, this is so sad, because I would love this so much, but it can't happen.” And then when Harper told me that I was so, so happy. And I— it really allowed me to create— or really allowed me to be in my identities and really talk about these things that I spent my entire life kind of shying away from or conversations— these were conversations that I was really only having with able bodied people that didn't really get it. And so, I just felt so connected with everybody. I also felt a sense of support. Because I thought that my experience with Student Accessibility Services that year was something that only I had experienced. But when I found out that I wasn't alone in that and that other people experienced those difficulties with Student Accessibility Services and with accessibility in other spaces, I guess, it made me sad to realize that other people were going through it, but also made me feel a little better knowing that I could go to these people and talk about it, but then also create a game plan of like, “Okay, how are we going to fix it? And how can we use our voices to fix it here in Emerson, and then out in the world?” And you know, “how are we going to carry these skills out into the world?” And for me, personally, Access has, I mean— I'm a junior, so I'll be going out into the real world soon and I think Access is preparing me for the real world in a way. Because especially now I've been reflecting on how I've navigated accommodations and how I've navigated the world as a disabled person. And like I said, freshman year, I didn't know what I was doing really, I didn't know how to handle it that well because I wasn't really given that control or that agency in my life, but now, now I know what to do because of Access. Access has helped me kind of navigate the system. But also showed me that like, I don't need to go through it alone. Like, I can talk to people, I have this community here that I can go to if things don't go right. And they can explain to me like, “Oh, we should maybe try this or this.” And I'm so glad that I have those skills and that community that I can carry on with me in the future. So that's what Access means to me.
Harper
I'm gonna cry, Shruti! It's like, like— this is why we started Access.
Shruti:
Yes!
Harper:
And it's, just, it's so beautiful. And I do want to say like, Shruti is an incredible member of our org and she's helpful to everyone in the community. So, it's a, it's a symbiotic relationship for all of us Access people. So, okay, much love. Next question, haha.
Shruti:
I love you, Harper.
Greyson:
You’re very right, Harper. Personally, for me, I definitely felt a— similar to you, Shruti, in that I was surprised that other people had been dealing with this as well as me. And, you know, that I now I felt like I had this group of people that could support me, but also, you know, people that I could talk to about these problems that I'm having, and not feel kind of almost embarrassed or feeling a little bit uncomfortable, because I'm talking to someone that maybe I trust, like, because they're a good friend and all, but maybe I don't really want to disclose all my, you know, SAS dealings.
Shruti:
Yeah.
So, like, it definitely is a nice balance to be able to have that place where my voice feels heard, and, you know, just people will be able to listen.
Shruti:
Mm-hmm.
Greyson:
So, Shruti, what do you think the college can do better in terms of accommodating people with disabilities? I think you touched on it a little bit in that last question, but if you could talk about a little bit more, that'd be perfect.
Shruti:
Yeah, so I mean, not to go too deep into, like, the flaws of the of the college. But um, I mean, at the end of the day, the college needs to fund departments that are dedicated towards helping students with disabilities. I think there are a lot of underfunded departments on campus, not just Student Accessibility Services, but I think there are other ones as well. But in terms of disability, I think that, you know, having— giving SAS and accommodations and disability the attention it deserves, is so important. Because at the end of the day, like the fact that, you know— if you if you were to look at it this way, you know, you have to go to a department in order to get things that fit for your body and for who you are. So that's like, I mean, on a global scale, that's a very like, I guess, I guess a very— it separates you from like, it separates you from the standard, like the able-body is the standard in those moments. Like, you have to go to a department to get your accommodations because you are not the standard. So, I mean, on a global scale, that's, that's one issue. But like, in terms of Emerson, what they can do, because they can't they can't fix ableism. That's not really like a thing that they can, they can just wave their hands and fix.
Harper:
I wish.
Shruti:
Oh, I wish too. But in terms of Emerson, I would say, you know, like I said, funding SAS a little bit more, paying attention to accessibility in every situation— every event— and really making accessibility the norm, rather than just this thing that people often forget about.
Harper:
Yeah, for sure. I think you put on some really good stuff.
Greyson:
That was a really powerful point.
Harper:
We live in an abled world. Yeah.
Shruti:
Thank you. I didn't know if I worded that right.
Harper:
Yeah, you’re doing good.
Shruti:
Yeah, thank you.
Harper:
Yeah, maybe we'll switch to something that's maybe like, right in your area of interest and talk about journalism for a minute.
Shruti:
Yeah!
Harper:
I know you mentioned it a little bit, but I'd love to hear more about how disability, like, interplays with journalism or if you have any, like tips or best practices for covering disability and all that kind of stuff.
Shruti:
Hm. Yep. I have so much here! Oh my goodness! Yeah, it's so funny that it's happening like that, that this question is being asked to me right now because I feel like the past month but then also the past like eight months have just been like me educating abled body journalists. Because at the end of the day, people don't do their research on the disabled community when they report on it. I mean, we all know that with inspiration porn and with, um, with, I think it's called infantilization. And just like this, the way that they report on people with disabilities, it's not good. And so I've— I haven't seen a lot of great coverage of the disabled community, I've seen a bit but like, you know, you have to really look for that. I see more faults than good articles. And so, I guess, I mean, educating yourself, doing bias trainings, and doing the research, following activists, figuring out what you should be doing when you report on the community and what you should be avoiding is really important. Because at the end of the day, like, all of these mediums, they're publishing articles that fall into the inspiration porn category, and so people are reading this, and they're thinking that this is okay. You know, it's up to these people, it's up to the journalist, it's up to able bodied people to do the research and figure out that it's wrong, and that they shouldn't be writing this way. It's also up to them to look for terminology that they shouldn't be using, or that they should be using. Because, like I said, the media, they report on things with ableist language and with ableist concepts, and then journalists absorb that, and then they perpetuate it. And that's, it's just a horrible cycle. And it's because people don't listen to people with disabilities. And they need to, especially when reporting on them, because at the end of the day, like we know, the most, because we are experts in it, like we it's our lived experience. So yeah, I think I think that's so important. And, you know, it's, for me, it's sad to see articles that get written that don't represent us correctly, or that have ableist language or that are, you know, a form of inspiration porn, because it's just, it's disheartening, because we don't, in a way, like, we don't have a voice. We do have a voice, but like, people don't listen, which is very frustrating. I know I've kind of felt like I was, I've been a voice for so long for the disabled community but nobody's been listening. I felt that way very much so this past month, I felt that way last week, I've always felt that way. And I probably still well, because unfortunately, the world is very ableist. And at the end of the day, like, I think journalists and non-disabled people need to just, in a way carry their own weight. And just, you know, like, they need to do their own part in order to educate themselves, and to uncover their implicit biases and, you know, report on these communities correctly.
Harper:
Yeah, for sure. And I think— I would hope, too, that we can have more and more disabled journalists as time goes on.
Shruti:
Yeah.
Harper:
And, you know, I hope that would help. I don't know. It's hard, but…
Shruti:
Yeah.
Greyson:
Definitely. I agree with you Shruti. There needs to be more of an attention to detail when it comes to just understanding what the language used and all that— there's a certain language that's, you know, become outdated or isn't used anymore, or it's really just considered offensive or something— and to some people, but maybe not all. And it's really just educating yourself and I totally agree with you on that.
Shruti:
Right. Like, it's very— sorry, I just wanted to add that, like, it's also like, you know, when people say “diversity training,” I think they think race, and that's it.
Greyson:
Yeah.
Shruti:
And diversity, there's so much more to it. I think that the disabled community is often overlooked, but then intersectionality is also overlooked. So, I think that's also another point to it. I think, journalists, but then everyone else, needs to be aware of intersectionality and diversity, more than just regarding race. Because yes, race is a huge component of it, but you need to look at intersectionality, you need to look at disability, you need to look at everything.
Greyson:
Totally right. So that— thank you so much for coming, for being on this interview.
Shruti:
Yeah, of course. Thank you.
Greyson:
Thank you for— just thank you. It was a really great interview and really great time having you here.
Shruti:
Yeah, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And I love you both,
Harper:
Aww.
Shruti:
So I'm very happy to be able to have these discussions.
Greyson:
And thank you, Harper, from being able to co-host with me this afternoon.
Harper:
Yeah, of course, it was a good time. Thanks, both y'all.
Shruti:
Thank you.