This week we want to highlight the experiences of students with disabilities and hear from students who are working to make our campus a more inclusive and accessible place. 

While UT continues to promote rhetoric that celebrates the diversity of its student body, disability is a topic that is often left out of the conversation. 

Whether or not all students feel welcome on campus, whether or not they face preventable barriers to success and whether or not their rights are respected are all factors that reflect the values of these Forty Acres. 

As students, we are also responsible for shaping the kind of community UT should be. We have an obligation to make our campus an inclusive space, and that requires centering disability rights advocacy in our discussions. 

In this forum, Caroline Graves, a government and public relations senior, and Shilpa Rajagopal, a biology and marketing senior, urge UT to establish a Disability Cultural Center.

Annie Reckart, advocacy director for Longhorn Best Buddies, raises awareness for the international “Spread the Word to End the R-Word” campaign.

As always, if you have any thoughts on this topic or any other, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].