For Disability Awareness Month
Article by Christian Snyder
Over the years, Lane Community College has made impressive progress in improving accessibility. As a current student and permanent wheelchair user, I’ve experienced firsthand how features like automatic doors, curb ramps, and support from the Center for Accessible Resources (CAR) make education more inclusive, manageable and empowering for people with disabilities.
But while we celebrate these wins, disability inclusion is an ongoing effort and an opportunity. From inclusive sports to multilingual signage, there are several ways Lane can continue improving accessibility not just for disabled students, but for everyone.
One area where more growth could occur is in adaptive recreation. While Lane offers a variety of P.E. courses and intramural sports, few of them are accessible to students with physical disabilities. This can unintentionally leave disabled students excluded from the social and health benefits of the organized movement and team activities. Community organizations like Hilyard Community Center already provide adaptive fitness programs and sports for disabled athletes of all ages.
Why not bring that energy to campus, too?
Imagine a wheelchair basketball team/clinic or an adaptive yoga sesh on campus. These wouldn’t just benefit students with disabilities, they would foster understanding, allyship, and a more vibrant, connected campus community.
Another simple but meaningful improvement would be better promotion of disability-focused organizations and resources. There are amazing local groups like Lane Independent Living Alliance (LILA), which “is a cross-disability, consumer driven organization in Lane County, with a goal of helping people with disabilities achieve as much choice, access, inclusion and independence as possible as well as offers peer support, advocacy, and training.” Yet many students — disabled or not — are not familiar with them.
Creating a dedicated display board, web page, or email spotlight for disability resources could help students find the support they need. These groups can offer everything from housing help to advocacy skills to assistive tech, and they deserve a more visible place in our campus culture.
Which leads me to my next thought.
While not exclusively a disability issue, better signage in multiple languages is a key part of accessibility. Lane is a community college that serves a beautifully diverse student body. Having directional signs and building labels in ASL symbols , and other languages would help ESL students, international students, and people with cognitive or visual disabilities alike.
This change could make navigating campus less stressful and more welcoming. In fact, it might benefit every student at some point in their journey here at Lane.
Lane has done a lot to meet accessibility standards, but the next step is creating a true culture of belonging. What would it look like if disability inclusion were part of every department, not just CAR? If every student, regardless of ability, saw themselves reflected and supported?
Disability is not just about ramps or laws. It’s about people. It’s about dignity, creativity, and access to opportunity. By listening to disabled students and collaborating with local organizations, Lane can not only continue to improve, it can lead.
Closing Thought
Disability Awareness Month is a time to reflect, recognize, and reimagine. With the right conversations and community involvement, Lane has the opportunity to build a campus that’s not just physically accessible, but deeply inclusive.
Let’s keep the progress going.
Have an opinion for The Torch? Send it to: torch@lanecc.edu
