In 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act. The goal was to prohibit discrimination for the disabled community and provide accessibility accommodations. However, 27 years later, little change can be seen. Stigmas and misconceptions still impact members of the disabled community, with an assumptive belief that those who are disabled are limited in their actions and expressions. There is a severe lack of discussion about the topic of ableism, and the current dialogue around ableism often doesn’t include voices from the disabled community with an assumptive belief that those who are disabled are limited in their actions and expressions. There is a severe lack of discussion about the topic of ableism, and the current dialogue around ableism often doesn’t include voices from the disabled community.

Sponsored by the Office of Health Education, Office for Accessibility and the Disability Rights Coalition (DRC), “Unmasking Stigma: Ableism & Ability Through Student Art” will be exhibited in the Old Bookstore. The exhibit features artwork by students of differing abilities that express their experiences and raise awareness of the misconceptions and stigmas around the topic of ableism. An opening reception for the exhibit was held on Nov. 8; “Unmasking Stigma” will be on display until Nov. 27.

The main coordinator behind this exhibit was Wellness Peer Educator for the Office of Health Education and President of the DRC Robin Corleto ’19. Corleto addressed the biggest misunderstanding he hopes this event disproves: “I feel like there’s this huge stigma that once you are labeled with disabilities that you are limited, that you can’t do certain things. And that’s definitely not the case. For me, people say I need to work harder, but it isn’t about working harder; it’s about working differently and to do my best that I can.”

As a wellness peer educator, Corleto came up with this event idea as his semester project, reaching out to the various centers on campus in the hopes of receiving submissions by the various members of the disabled community on campus.

Post-Baccalaureate Fellow in the Office of Health Education Sam Hoher ’17 spoke via email about how the Office of Health Education helped Corleto develop his idea fully. “Since the beginning of the semester, Robin, [Director of Health Education] Renee [Pabst] and I have been working closely to make his brainchild a reality. Robin has been leading the charge, while I’ve helped with some of the smaller tasks (including some of the publicity, sending the artists’ work to the printer, and coordinating the hanging of the artwork with [Associate Director of the Palmer Gallery] Monica Church).”