Commission on Disability Equality (CODE)

INTRODUCTION

Logo by Student Graphic Designer Kai Welsh. Creative Media Unit.

The Commission on Disability Equality (CODE) is dedicated to improving the status of students with temporary or permanent disabilities on campus and in the community.  CODE promotes outreach, networking, and exploring ways to increase retention and graduation rates, and promote social, educational, and academic programs regarding the disabled student community.  CODE is committed to advocating for disabled students and educating the campus community on the importance of equal access. The group works to draw attention to the full range of disability issues and to raise awareness about disable students at the local, state, and national level.

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS’ VISION 2020 LONG RANGE PLAN

As stated on the CODE website: “In accordance with Associated Students’ Vision 2020 Long-Range Plan, the Commission on Disability Equality in 2015 set several goals for itself in its own three-year long-range plan.”

Short-Term Goals

  • Education: The commission will work to educate the student body on issues that affect people with disabilities, including but not limited to lack of accessibility, lack of sufficient mental health resources, lack of knowledge of invisible disabilities, ableism, etc.
  • Alternative Transportation Project: The commission will work with interested parties (e.g. University Administration, Associated Students, UCSB Athletics) so that the Alternative Transportation Project may be implemented and launched by Fall Quarter 2016
  • Disabilities Awareness Week: The commission will host a Disabilities Awareness Week each year to raise awareness about various disabilities, the history of legislation concerning people with disabilities.  The commission may participate in any fairs that the AS Committee on Committees hosts throughout the year
  • Maintaining the Institutional Memory of CODE: The commission will keep records of its weekly activities to maintain the commission’s institutional memory.  The commission will hold debriefings after each of its events, and a report of each debriefing will be put into the commission’s records
  • Accessibility Audits: The commission will conduct accessibility audits throughout each quarter to ensure that people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices can get to their respective destinations
  • Advising: The commission will represent the voices of their constituents before the Associated Students Senate, the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC), and the Campus Advisory Committee on Campus Access

Long-Term Goals

  • Mental Health Accessibility: The commission will collaborate with the Commission on Student Well-Being (COSWB), Take Back the Night (TBTN), Active Minds, Associated Students Office of the President (ASOP) Mental Health Coordinator, Student Mental Health Oversight Committee, and the Mental Health Peers to explore how the student body’s access to mental health services on campus can be improved.  The collaborative group will also explore how the state of mental health services can be improved.
  • Mobility Devices Storage Space: The commission will work to create a space for mobility devices (e.g. crutches, wheelchairs, knee scooters) so that students who become temporarily disabled can have access to these devices.  The commission will also explore sources of funding for the creation of the storage space and the purchase of the mobility devices.  The commission will develop a system to loan (or rent) out the devices, and to hold the recipients accountable for any damages the devices incur while in the recipients’ possession
  • Services Survey: The commission will create a survey to distribute to the people registered with the Disabled Students Program, as well as the general student body and faculty to determine the state of the services that the commission (or relevant entity) provides, and, based on survey responses, will make service improvements accordingly.
  • CODE Website Overhaul: The commission will overhaul its website so that students who visit the site can learn about the commission, its place within the Association, its officer board, its advisors, its projects, and its long-range plan.  Completed 2016.
  • Disability Services Resource Guide: The commission will develop a resource guide so that students know where to go for the various resources they will need to accommodate their various disabilities.  A compact version will be ready by the commission’s Disability Awareness Week.
  • Legal Code Changes: The commission will work with the Senate to implement any necessary changes to the commission’s Legal Code to reflect the expanding duties and activities of the commission.
  • Base Building: The commission will work to increase the general membership of the commission by tabling, reaching out to the Boards, Commissions, and Units (BCUs) in Associated Students; and Office of Student Life (OSL) groups, and reaching out to the Disabled Students Program (DSP) constituents
  • Advocacy: The commission will advocate for issues concerning students with disabilities, and will work with the External Vice President of Local Affairs (EVPLA), External Vice President of Statewide Affairs (EVPSA), and Student Advocate General (SAG) to further this mission.  The commission will invite speakers to UCSB to speak on various issues, and will do research to stay up to date on the latest issues facing people with disabilities
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