100 signatures reached
To: Board of Directors, Portland Community College
Creation of Disability Cultural Center at Portland Community College
A petition has been started to request that PCC finally create space in their budget and in their buildings for a Disability Cultural Center separate and independent of the Accessible Education department.
Currently there is NO dedicated or ongoing financial or staff support for belonging, programming, or community for disabled students at Portland Community College.
Despite repeated requests and demonstration of need for this space, PCC has yet to treat the needs of Students with Disabilities equal to that of other marginalized groups at the college such as DREAMERs, LGBTQ+, Women, Veterans, and Multicultural students.
Portland Community College has recently put together a college-wide restructuring plan through 2025 focused on student belonging without any plans for creation of space, programming or support for Students with Disabilities.
We request that the Disability Cultural Center be fully funded and given equal staffing and space that the other cultural centers at the college do.
Why is this important?
Students with Disabilities need an identity center separate from Disability Services/Accessible Education because the function of this office is to meet accessibility needs and process accommodation requests, not to meet the needs of Students with Disabilities, for whom there are many. With a Disability Cultural Center, the possibility for grant funding is created, as is the ability to hire student staff, have peer-to-peer programming and advocacy, and opportunity for students to connect with others who are marginalized by exceptionally isolating circumstances.