Voices of the ADA Generation

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is compiling an anthology of stories to explore the experiences of the ADA Generation.

The ADA is a civil rights law that protects the rights of disabled people. The AAPD are seeking creative non-fiction essays from young people (ages 13 to 30) with disabilities. People with all types of disabilities are available to submit their stories.

All proposals are due by Jan. 15.

The UB Disability Services staff is encouraging students to propose their stories for the AAPD book-length anthology that will record the stories of disabled young people on what it is to grow up with a disability in this generation.

Disability Services and the Intercultural and Diversity Center will be holding a roundtable discussion about disability this Wednesday at 6 p.m. in 240 Student Union. The discussion is open to anyone from the ages of 13 to 30 interested in sharing their experiences.

The roundtable discussion is hosted by members of the Office of Disability Services including Dr. Mike Rembis, a visiting scholar in the Department of American Studies and the Department of History at the University of Notre Dame. Rembis is also the inaugural fellow in the Center for Disability Studies and the UB Department of History.

According to Dr. Susan Mann Dolce, a counselor in the Office of Disability Services, students interested in submitting an essay can partner up with a staff member at Disability Services who will mentor and help them with the writing process.

The roundtable discussion will provide students with an informal, enjoyable experience where students can feel safe discussing their personal experiences.

"[At Disability Services] we work with an accommodation model but we are interested in creating programming where it would not be as much about accommodating students but [giving them] the mechanisms to explore their identity, develop skills, participate with peers and to interact and have fun," Dolce said.

Disability Services currently offers students with disabilities one-on-one counseling services. However, the program is working on developing peer support groups on campus. The roundtable discussion is one of the first steps in allowing students to open up about their experiences in a safe and welcoming environment.

"We are just trying to create programming that allows students to have a voice and this Voices of the ADA Generation project has been developed by the [AAPD] but [Disability Services] thought it would be a great opportunity for our students and we can provide support for them," Dolce said.

According to Angelica Soto, a graduate assistant in the Office of Disability Services, the roundtable discussion is open to all students who want to participate.

"We want to keep in mind that [for] the people who do come to participate, we want it to be a safe and welcoming environment," Soto said. "Regardless of whether or not [students] decide to write an essay, they can at least come and tell their story or hear others' stories because there's not many other opportunities for students to publish essays like this."

Disability Services are also offering a $100 prize to the essay with the "Greatest Impact." Staff members of the Office of Disability Services will read essay submissions anonymously and vote on each work.

Dolce hopes the roundtable discussion will encourage students to submit essays and be able to talk about their experience with disabilities.

"A lot of students spend a lot of time not talking about their experience because they're trying to fit in with what [other] students might act like," Dolce said. "We're really happy that [AAPD] has decided to develop this program."

For more information on the roundtable discussion or to RSVP contact Angelica Soto at dsrv.amsoto@vpsa.buffalo.edu by Nov. 2 if you are interested in attending. For more information on story proposals, contact voicesoftheadageneration@gmail.com