Jeanne Zweig, a Temple University alumna, recently gave the university a $10.9 million gift to assist physically disabled students with the high cost of college-related expenses. Zweig graduated from Temple University in 1953 at a time when accessibility was very rarely on the minds of administrators. After college and graduate school, she went on to become a successful accountant with her own firm.

When she passed away in 2015, her will detailed how the money from the sale of her firm and her investments should be distributed. Namely, she wished for the money to go to a cause focused on physically disabled students and hoped it would help career-driven individuals with disabilities.

Temple University Appreciates Diversity

By 2020, the number of disabled students at Temple University had jumped from 50 in 1977 to 3,500. Many of these students spend large amounts of money on disability-related items like assistive technology, wheelchairs, interpreters, note-takers, or separate housing that can accommodate their medical equipment.

Since 1981, the university has received more than a million dollars a year for disabled student scholarships. Their commitment to accommodating disabled students is ingrained in their values, and they understand how important having an inclusive campus is for their community. But not all colleges and universities are like this. In fact, many fail to create inclusive or accessible environments for their disabled students, even when given the funding to do so.

Take the University of Massachusetts – Amherst Campus (UMASS Amherst). UMASS Amherst understands that about 20% of college students in the United States are disabled, yet they typically fail at creating a truly accessible campus. Often, physically disabled students at UMASS Amherst are blocked from getting to classes because there is no accessible handicap ramp to a building, or the outer doors closest to an elevator have stairs up to them. Further, every winter, disabled students are prevented from leaving their dormitories or making it across campus safely because the sidewalks are not shoveled or the snow from the street is shoveled onto the sidewalk.

How an Academic Attorney Can Help

All students have the right to an education, no matter what disability sets them apart from their peers. Disabled students should not have to fight to find accessible classrooms and teachers. They should not have to worry that they will be barred from leaving their dormitories because there is snow on the sidewalk. They should be able to have the typical college experience without having to worry that their accommodations won't be met, that they'll be made to feel less than, or that they can't go after the goals they have been dreaming of since they were small.

The LLF Law Firm Education Law Team understand how hard you have worked to get into college. They understand the obstacles you have had to overcome and will work tirelessly to ensure your university or college takes your disability seriously. You deserve to pursue the life you have always wanted without struggling. The LLF Law Firm Education Law Team can help bring that to fruition. Call our offices today at 888-535-3686 or request a consultation online.