The UT Disability Cultural Center invited people to explore its new location for its three-year anniversary celebration on Tuesday.
The center, which hosts events for people to learn about disabilities and connect with others, invited students, faculty and staff to the second floor of the Student Services Building to attend the event in its new space. Emily Shryock, the director of the center, said the celebration was a good opportunity for anyone curious about the institution to learn more about its programming.
“One of the purposes of the birthday party is to not just be able to celebrate three years … (but) to offer this as a chance for folks who haven’t had a chance to come visit our new space yet,” Shryock said. “(It’s also for those who) are curious about what type of events we’re going to be hosting in the spring, or even to get to know some of our community. ”
The event was open to all University members and every attendee was given a gift bag filled with snacks and fidget toys at the door. Camden Ross, who previously attended events as part of her academic studies, said she wants people to know that the center is open to all, regardless of if they have a disability or not.
“It can seem intimidating if you don’t know a lot about disability or don’t identify as disabled yourself,” special education junior Ross said. “You might not feel you’re welcome, but the whole entire point of the Disability Cultural Center is to not only create a hub for the disabled community at UT, but also spread visibility and provide a space for so many students to come together.”
Cat Thompson, a student who has attended multiple events hosted by the center, said that while a lot of the activities are open to the public, he also appreciates that some of them are tailored to those with specific disabilities, like the chronic illness group.
“I was having a really difficult time because the cold is harsh on my joints,” math senior Thompson said. “I just brought (it) up (at the group) like, ‘Yeah, the weather’s being tough on me, anyone else?’ We got to talk about how that change affected us and commiserate over that, which is rare.”
Shryock said some students have felt comfortable sharing for the first time that they have a disability during center events.
“So often disabled folks are told that (their disability is) not something you should be sharing,” Shryock said. “Having created a space where folks feel like they have that support and community, and are maybe thinking about themselves and their relationship with their disability differently, is something that I’m very proud of.”
