Hofstra’s School of Law examines race and disability justice
DREAM hosted a family feud event on Feb. 28 with Queer and Trans People of Color Coalition (QTPOCC). // Photo courtesy of Ahjané Forbes.
The COVID-19 pandemic started the conversation about healthcare, medical conditions and the virus’s effect on various racial groups. As part of a series of events during Black History Month, Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law hosted a virtual event to discuss the intersectionality of race and disability on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Natalie Chin, associate professor of law and co-director of the Disability and Aging Justice Clinic from the City University of New York School of Law, was the guest speaker at the event discussing her research article “Centering Disability Justice.”
“In March 2020, Black Americans represented 12% of the population, but suffered 13.7% of COVID-19 deaths,” Chin said. “So, within the year, that meant that one in every 645 Black Americans were dying from COVID.”
Chin decided to find more information as she felt that the media was underreporting data.
“When [my students and I] read the newspaper, there is no conversation about how this pandemic is not just impacting people of color,” Chin said. “But people of color live at the intersection of marginalized identities such as disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Claire Toth, a senior criminology and linguistics major and public relations chair of Disability Rights, Education, Activism and Mentoring (DREAM) at Hofstra, said the organization is trying to open up the conversation about intersectionality.
“Our entire board is saying, look, we are white, we only have one side of the conversation,” Toth said. “So we’re trying to lead our group as best as possible, but we do not have all the experiences that are needed to [effectively] include everyone.”
During the event, Chin talked about Michael Hickson, a Black disabled man who died in a Texas hospital after contracting COVID-19. Hickson was taken off life support after his doctors determined his ventilator could better serve another, healthy patient. Chin explained that these decisions in the medical field have been a common occurrence for over 300 years.
“[In that time] period, they really focused on the racialization of disability and the pathologizing of race,” Chin said. “There’s a reason that residents in the medical field still believe that Black and brown patients have thicker skin and don’t need pain medication.”
DREAM is trying to spread awareness about the dangers people with disabilities will encounter as the mask mandate is lifted in certain public areas. The group has been vocal about its stance and frequently scheduled meetings with President Susan Poser.
“We have really been trying to bring it to their attention that this is putting people who are immunocompromised at risk by rolling back these mask mandates,” Toth said. “[Our] vice president is trying to talk about asking for more flexible attendance and a Zoom option for students because it’s now been proven it’s a reasonable accommodation.”
Marc Rosen, a law student and president of Hofstra Law Disability, Rights and Community, is advocating for Zoom to be an option again for students with disabilities.
“There are plenty of other illnesses and disabilities where you can’t come to campus, but you still need to go to class,” Rosen said. “What we care about is ensuring that now that [the university has] spent the money and they own the equipment, they don’t turn their back on what is reasonable.”
Toth explained that the issues students with disabilities encounter are more prevalent outside of the classroom at Hofstra.
“We noticed that ADA doors are broken in Breslin. You can’t go a week without having someone type in [our group chat], ‘Breslin ADA doors are broken,’” Toth said. “If you try to get to HofUSA to do surveillance testing but you’re in a wheelchair, there aren’t many sidewalks that don’t have a set of stairs. You’re going through the parking lot, which is not a safe option.”
In order to see a change, Jennifer Gundlach, who is an Emily and Stephen Mendel Distinguished Professor of Access to Justice, a professor of law and moderator of the event, explained that for an organization to move forward, the company should work towards changing who they have making the decisions.
“You need to have individuals with disabilities at the table when you’re talking about design, program development, physical spaces and pedagogical choices with teaching,” Gundlach said. “To me, it’s really important to have those voices at the table to counter that implicit bias exists.”
Students that attended the event were glad that this topic is being discussed.
“Professor Chin’s work is essential. There really has not been enough done to address the intersection of race and disability,” Rosen said. “I’ve worked with plenty of others over the years, who also try to bring attention to these issues, but it’s routinely ignored.”
DREAM is working to bring Chin’s conversation to life by hosting events with other organizations on campus. On Monday, Feb. 28, the group hosted a Family Feud Game Night with the Queer and Trans People of Color Coalition to teach their members and allies about the intersectionality between being a person in the LGBTQIA+ community, a person of color and a person with a disability.
