Students and faculty gathered at the Heller School for Social Policy to celebrate the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities,” on Monday, Dec. 3, where a panel of advocates discussed their personal experiences.

The presentation, titled “Beyond Inclusion: Disability, Empowerment & Intersectionality at Heller,” not only looked at the methods in which Heller is being more inclusive but also in the context of the backgrounds of each of the panelists. The day “aims to promote the rights and well being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development,” according to Scott Lapinski, the moderator of the event.

Lapinski, the accessibility specialist at Brandeis, explained how the panel talked about “disability in social justice, disability in culture, disability in intersectionality and also personal experiences on campus and how those experiences play out on an individual level.”

The three panelists at the event each came from significantly different backgrounds. The first panelist, Baye Eyasu M.A. ’20, appreciated the recognition by both the government and the university for celebrating this “disability day.” Eyasu was born deaf and uses sign language to communicate. An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter was present at the event to interpret.

“This disability day is very special, very unique. And the reason why is that the government as well as the school is recognizing this [holiday],” he signed, as said by his ASL interpreter. He also highlighted his own disability and the struggles with it. “As a deaf person, I’m limited in my communication with hearing individuals to just using gestures. That cannot be called communication,” Eyasu signed.

Nikita Trafimovich M.A. ’20, another panelist, spoke about the European aspect of being disabled and Daniella Fernandes M.A. ’19, the last panelist, spoke about being an ally to disabled individuals. “I speak within the context of an ally. What it’s like to not just work professionally but what it means to be a friend, a loved one of someone with a disability,” Fernandes said.

The panelists answered questions relating to disability justice in the context of social justice, the intersectionality of disability with human rights and accessibility on campus.

Trafimovich spoke to the disability justice aspect that should be included in social justice but often isn’t. “We should try to see disability as a social conflict,” said Trafimovich. “For me, a disability is patient zero for oppression… We should remember that everyone is more or less involved in this conflict.” He continued to speak about the realization that disability is always equated with words such as “marginalization” and “exclusion.”

Trafimovich also spoke to the intersectionality with human rights. “Disabilities is marginalized one way or another, and I think it’s another lesson of coexistence. How to speak about everything really without creating minorities inside of the group,” said Trafimovich.

The final topic of discussion was accessibility at Brandeis, specifically at Heller. Fernandes recalled a story about her first interaction with Eyasu and the importance of having more ASL on campus.

“Baye and I started likewise texting and emailing each other,” explained Fernandes. “He was very sweet; he didn’t have to be, he could have hated me.” After interacting with Eyasu, Fernandes reached out to Monika Mitra, the director of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, to get ASL on campus so individuals would be able to communicate with the deaf population in a manner that they are more comfortable with.