Carleton’s decision to reopen the Attendant Services Program (ASP) for the winter semester is a welcome development, but ASP clients who were affected this semester deserve an apology.
The ASP’s cancellation this fall placed undue burdens on students with disabilities who received inequitable education compared to other students.
While many of their peers reintegrated themselves into the Carleton community, ASP students were forced to watch from afar, isolated from the school and required to take courses offered in-person to their peers online.
ASP clients were also never included in conversations about the cancellation and only received email statements in May from Matthew Cole, executive director of the ASP.
To make matters worse, Carleton has yet to clearly explain the health and safety concerns that led to the program’s cancellation. The ASP was not allowed to run, yet the notoriously crowd-producing Panda Game could. Fully vaccinated students and visitors have been allowed on campus, yet Carleton denied ASP students from bringing their own fully vaccinated attendants.
Carleton said that its campus-wide accessibility policies are guided by the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity. Yet this semester, the school has abdicated its responsibility to uphold those values, to the detriment of those who need unwavering support.
Carleton must apologize to ASP students for the semester they’ve lost and make a commitment to inclusivity in policy-making. In decisions that fundamentally shape the university experience for students who are often already marginalized by society, it is the responsibility of a school that prides itself on accessibility to include ASP clients’ perspectives.
In the face of a difficult semester, ASP students who have fought for the program should be praised for their advocacy and supported in their futures. An apology is the least they deserve.
Featured graphic from file.
