Anti-Ableist Amherst: Remembering Accessibility in New Policy

Recent developments at the college have demonstrated Amherst’s limited accessibility for disabled students.

While accommodations are formally offered, their lack of promotion by the college means students may be unaware of them. Lack of publicity for accommodations harms all students but students with institutional knowledge — those who have received accommodations in the past at cooperative institutions and are aware of the ways in which a college environment can be altered to suit their needs. (For those reading, various accommodations are offered to disabled students at Amherst: the Disability and Neurodivergence Alliance Linktree on accommodations provides a compilation of resources on accommodations.) The term “multiply-marginalized disabled students” is used by Amanda Miller and Holly Pearson to describe students who experience varying forms of intersectional oppression beyond exclusively ability-based discrimination, such as discrimination by class or by race. More must be done institutionally to ensure that disabled students — particularly multiply-marginalized students — are aware of their rights, have their accessibility needs met, and feel a greater  sense of belonging at the college.

In an email sent on Feb. 11, the Office of Community Living (OCL) reaffirmed that the college will no longer provide fridges and microwaves after the spring 2025 semester, creating challenges for students who may not be able to eat comfortably and regularly at Val — namely, disabled students. The email provided no information on accommodations for students who may not be able to eat at Val consistently. The Student has documented Val’s persistent overcrowding, with the removal of to-go containers at the end of the spring 2023 semester being a likely contributor. While the new dining hall provides a possible long-term solution, it will not open until fall 2026.

Additionally, Val’s accommodations for students with allergies or dietary restrictions are limited: There has been at least one incident of Val mislabeling food containing gluten as gluten-free, and cross-contamination is a frequent issue. Val administrators have spent time meeting with students with celiac disease — a promising development, and one that indicates hope for the future of disabled student life at Amherst. However, the removal of fridges and microwaves is a fresh setback for students who understandably look outside of Val to get their nutrition needs met.

Herd Housing is another recent challenge for disabled students, as it expands group housing without accounting for students’ housing accommodations. It blocks off portions of housing in 11 dorms for social groups, limiting the available rooms for students with accommodations. Reserving spaces for Herd Housing in Moore, Morris Pratt, and Valentine (half of the dorms officially designated as “central campus”) limits this housing to students who have both established friend groups and do not need accommodations.

As one student has noted (who wishes to remain anonymous), “Not only are disabled students now functionally locked out of the ability to live with their friend groups, increasing social isolation, but this leaves very few dorms open during the general housing process when the majority of those with accommodations will choose their dorms.” They further emphasized that “Disabled students do not deserve to be treated like second-class citizens and should have equal access to all dorm locations on campus.”

As other issues with housing this year have come to light (domestic students taking spaces reserved for international student housing, for instance), accessibility and active collaboration with marginalized students should be top priorities for the Amherst administration as they improve the housing selection process in the future. Alongside the removal of fridges and microwaves in individual rooms, these recent policy changes — while well-intentioned — reflect the need for disabled students’ perspectives to be recognized and remembered in conversations at all levels.