Using campuswide postering and social media, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator Team is launching a new campaign, #DiversityIncludesDisability, to build awareness of disability issues and support for an inclusive and accessible environment for individuals with disability. Each month, a student, staff or faculty member will be highlighted – along with a disability-related topic – on Cornell’s accessibility website and through Facebook. These profiles will complement and draw attention to the information already compiled online on disability and diversity at Cornell.

“We are trying to raise awareness and increase disability inclusivity across Cornell’s campuses by highlighting what inclusion means to community members with a variety of disabilities,” said Kappy Fahey, director of Student Disability Services. “We are grateful that so many individuals were willing to share their experiences with us for this campaign.” The poster and social media campaign kicked off Jan. 22, in connection with Student Disability Service’s open house.

The campaign will cover a variety of disability inclusion topics, including non-obvious disabilities, the self-identification of disability, and physical and web accessibility. “There is a great deal of diversity within disability – we hope to showcase that diversity and shed light on an aspect of diversity that sometimes is viewed only as a challenge, when really there is much more,” said Angela Winfield, director of the Department of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity.

The campaign also will draw attention to the information and resources on disability available to the Cornell community. Andrea Haenlin-Mott, ADA coordinator for Infrastructure, Properties and Planning explained, “Accessibility.cornell.edu contains a wealth of information, resources and tools that can help us create an accessible working and learning environment for everyone, including individuals with disabilities.”

To stay informed, visit the website and look for updates to the HR Facebook page, Working at Cornell.