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After a period of statewide inaction that disability resource leaders at Syracuse University said caused New York state to lag behind other states in the U.S. by more than a decade, InclusiveU leaders and members are advocating for the passage of two state Senate bills that would increase access to financial aid and resources for students with disabilities.

In February, over 40 representatives from SU’s InclusiveU program and other disability resource programs traveled to Albany on Student Empowerment Day to advocate for the two pieces of legislation. The bills, Senate Bill S6517 and Senate Bill S1880, would fund pre-college preparation programs and transition programs, respectively.

The first bill, sponsored by state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-11), would give grants to students with disabilities for college preparation programs and fund training for faculty and staff of disability programs, according to the bill’s text. The second bill, which invokes the New York State Tuition Assistance Program, would require students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in approved postsecondary education or transition programs to receive financial assistance from the program.

Students with intellectual disabilities aren’t recognized for aid under NYSTAP because they aren’t considered full-time students under current law, said Beth Myers, the executive director of SU’s Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education.

On its website, the Taishoff Center describes SU as a comprehensive transition and postsecondary program, which is geared toward part-time, non-matriculated students. While students with disabilities do have access to grant money, Myers said, TAP rules state that a recipient must be a matriculated full-time student working on a degree.

The federal government provides an exemption to the rule for students with disabilities via the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act, but New York state does not, which prevents eligibility for TAP.

Despite the federal benefits, Myers said students with disabilities in New York need more financial support.

“It’s really surprising that New York state hasn’t actually caught up because often, New York state is ahead of federal legislation in these kinds of areas,” Myers said. “But in this particular case, New York state is really far behind.”

Grace McDonald, an SU InclusiveU student who has Down syndrome, attended the event and said it was good to see students from across New York come together to show support for sufficient funding for students with disabilities.

Another InclusiveU student, Virginia Wade, said she went to the state capitol to demand more accessibility. Both Wade and McDonald said it was fun for them to see other students with disabilities from across the state advocating together.

For Myers, instilling and making a point of self-advocacy is in itself part of the benefit of the groups’ efforts in Albany.

“Student advocacy was really welcome there, and we’ve been working with our students to talk about how important it is to advocate and for (their) voice to be heard, and I think really enacting that was powerful,” Myers said.

McDonald helped other InclusiveU students make signs with expressions including “disability and love” and “InclusiveU loves disability,” which they held in the Senate Chamber as guests of state Sen. Rachel May (D-48), who represents Onondaga and Cayuga Counties and expressed her support for the bill on the senate floor.

As of Tuesday, neither bill has passed the State Assembly. Bill S1880 is currently in the Senate’s finance committee. S6517 passed the Senate, but still needs to be voted on in the state Assembly.

Pierce Brix, communications director for Stavisky’s office, said in an email statement that Stavisky’s office is waiting for Bill S6517 to be reintroduced in the 2022-23 legislative session.

Myers added that because only a small number of students would become eligible for TAP with the passage of the bills, their financial impact wouldn’t be detrimental to the rest of the state’s budget.

“It’s not like we’re asking the New York state government to fund millions of dollars here,” Myers said. “This is a tiny, tiny, tiny drop in the New York state budget.”

McDonald said that when it comes to asserting themselves to lawmakers and people in power, fighting to equitably fund students with disabilities is a social justice movement. She said she was glad students with disabilities were speaking up for each other in Albany.

“We did it for us, students across the country and in New York, we have to speak up for all of us. We are advocating for ourselves,” McDonald said.

Published on March 1, 2023 at 12:02 am

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2