Disability Rights Advocacy Committee

Hello, I am Sarah (she/her/hers), I am a reentry student who opted to go back to school when I realized that I was going blind. I also have chronic illness, chronic pain, and mental health issues.It’s a lot, and there are days when I just do not have enough spoons.However, I am not really a person who stays down willingingly for too long. After I had some experience walking around with a white cane I realized that there was a clear lack of knowledge around me when it came to the blind, and it dawned on me that I knew very little about other people with disabilities. I began reading and interviewing people, learning what it was like for others who were physically disabled, I was then opened to the diverse nature that is the community of people with disabilities. On that journey I was appalled at the stories I heard and read about the treatment and the lifestyle that many were living. That is when I started on my path to become a disability rights activist. I am a communication major with a human rights minor who plans to work in the non-profit sector of disability rights advocacy. I want to learn and help give a voice for those that have not had one. I am so grateful and honored to be the Committee Chair for DRAC, not only because it is a step towards my dream but because I am extremely passionate to get Davis into an even more inclusive mindset on its students with disabilities. I hope that this committee will be the beginning of a community that lasts and is heard not just at Davis, but as part of all the UCs and all people with disabilities.