In the weeks approaching commencement, graduating students have the option to obtain stoles, cords and pins from various areas on the Kent Campus. They can wear these during graduation to celebrate their identities and accomplishments.
Near the graduation ceremony of spring 2023, Megan Burnett reached out to the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to ask if the office had something she could use in her graduation. At that time, the office didn’t have something to offer her.
Amanda Feaster, Ph.D., director of Student Accessibility Services, had been considering this idea for a while, and after seeing Burnett’s request, she decided it was time to act.
Feaster asked Burnett for suggestions to help the office refine its approach. Then, Student Accessibility Services passed the details to one of the office’s vendors, AG PrintPromo Solutions, which delivered the design sketches in less than a week.
“We wanted our students to have an opportunity to display their disability identity in a way that evokes a sense of pride and acknowledges some of the ways that college is different for disabled students,” Feaster said.
The Student Accessibility Services graduation medallion has the disability pride flag in the background with the words “Accepting, Honoring, Proud” on top, “Kent State University” in the middle, and “Student Accessibility Services” at the bottom.
Burnett, who majored in human development and family science, walked in her graduation ceremony with the disability pride medallion. Since then, Student Accessibility Services has offered medallions every semester, including the summer. In spring 2024, the office distributed 52 medallions for that semester’s commencement.
Feaster said that even though college is hard for everyone, it can be more challenging for disabled students because of barriers in the academic environment. She said the goal of the medallion is to give students a chance to showcase their achievement of graduating college with a disability, especially since about 85% of them have non-obvious disabilities.
“We’ve seen videos where somebody with a guide dog or someone in a wheelchair graduate,” she said. “But for some of our students, this may be the first time there’s been something outwardly identifiable to other people that they have a disability.”
Students interested in wearing the disability pride medallion can pick them up in the Student Accessibility Services office on the first floor of the Kent State University Library. The office is open during usual business hours.
The Student Accessibility Services graduation medallions are free of cost, and students don’t need to be registered with the office to request them. Those graduating in fall 2024 can ask for the medallion any time during the semester before their Commencement on Dec. 14.