- When did you graduate? What was your major?
- Are you currently in school or working?
- How did the certificate program impact you? What did you learn through the certificate?
- Can you explain your degree or job?
- What are your goals for the future?
- Why do you think students at UGA should take disability classes through IHDD?
- When did you graduate? What was your major?
I graduated from UGA in 2018, and I majored in Sociology and minored in Public Policy & Administration and received a Disability Studies Certificate at IHDD.
- Are you currently in school or working?
I am currently attending the George Washington University Law School in DC. I'm in my second year of law school.
- How did the certificate program impact you? What did you learn through the certificate?
The certificate program was really impactful- I initially signed up for the program thinking it would make me more competitive for the Community Sciences & Disorders program (the major I was in at the time). I didn't realize when I signed up that the program would focus on the social aspects of disability, but that really opened my eyes to issues I didn't even know about. I learned from Dr. Rackensperger's class that this is a civil rights issue and that every person, regardless of ability, should get to be a part of the community and determine how they want to live their own lives. It made me really interested in working in disability rights advocacy and to try to aid people with disabilities in removing social barriers so they can be a part of the larger community.
- Can you explain your degree or job?
I am hoping to work in disability rights or elder rights law, and I have gotten a few internships in working in it. So far, I have worked on guardianship issues, advocating that people with intellectual disabilities can make decisions about their own lives and manage their own money (possibly with assistance from others), but not have someone else decide for them. I have also been working with a nonprofit on advocating for more access to home and community-based services so that people with long term care needs don't need to be institutionalized.
- What are your goals for the future?
I hope to one day work for a State Protection and Advocacy Office (P&A) as an attorney, or for the U.S. Department of Justice in their Disability Rights Section or their Special Litigation Section. Also, I hope to move back to Georgia at some point and work on these issues back home.
- Why do you think students at UGA should take disability classes through IHDD?
I think this that these classes are very unique and they can open your eyes to issues that are becoming more prominent publicly but I still think are not understood very well. Everyone knows someone with a disability, or a preexisting condition, or an underlying issue (whatever you want to call it). IHDD's disability courses gave me a new lens to see the world and I highly recommend it.
