On this page you will find information about the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ableism, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the story of Bradley Lomax, and some OC resources, including library materials.

At Olympic College we take our responsibility to provide access for everyone seriously. Students are encourage to contact Student Disability Services to ensure we are supporting your needs. Employees are encouraged to contact HR for any disability supported needed. We also encourage every member of our campus community to learn more about accessibility and Universal Design, and make efforts to ensure our classes, meetings, and events are designed to be inclusive for everyone.

In 2020 we marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but there is still an ongoing struggle. This landmark legislation recognized the civil right of all Americans to access all areas of public life; however, there are still many ways people with disabilities are excluded. This exclusion is often linked to Ableism.

Ableism is defined as the practices and dominant attitudes in society that devalue and limit the potential of persons with disabilities. A set of practices and beliefs that assign inferior value (worth) to people who have developmental, emotional, physical or psychiatric disabilities (definition from Stop Ableism).

One of the ways Ableism shows up is how people speak- our metaphors, for example. 

Types of Ableist Language and What to Say Instead by Ariane Resnick, CNC

The Harmful Ableist Language You Unknowingly Use by Sara Novic on BBC's Equality Matters