Diversity Committee discusses initiatives

Carolyn Calloway-Thomas led IU alumnus Byron Smith by the arm into the IU-Bloomington Diversity Committee meeting Monday night and helped him to his chair.

As the third meeting of the semester began, Smith addressed the committee concerning his own disability in an effort to shed light on IU’s need for improvement in recruiting and providing accessibility for disabled students and staff.  

“I’m a person with a disability,” Smith said. “I’m a totally blind person, and I’ve been that way for quite a while. I do not claim to be an expert, but I do try to be a quiet advocate for opportunities and for accessibility.“

Smith, a former WFIU employee, is the chair of Bloomington’s Council for Community Accessibility. He said there has been a lot of progress in terms of disability accessibility over the last 10 years, but there is more to be done.  

The Diversity Committee was established in February 2008 and was appointed by IU Provost Karen Hanson. Each IU campus is required by Indiana Code to form similar committees to review issues of diversity concerning faculty and students.

“We’re here to enhance minority issues and to obtain and sustain minority energy on the campus,” said Calloway-Thomas, who has chaired the committee since August.

While the committee focuses strongly on cultural diversity, Calloway-Thomas said disabled people are sometimes forgotten in diversity discussions.  

“We forget about other people even though we know they’re part of the group,” Calloway-Thomas said. She thanked Smith for reminding the committee to advocate for disabled people on the Bloomington campus.

Smith said 70 percent of disabled Americans who are of age to work are unemployed, and helping them get a good education could be a key in improving this troublesome statistic. Smith estimated there are 800 disabled students at IU and said the University is making progress, but was quick to point out IU’s lack of disabled faculty, suggesting that there are only three.

Eric Love, director of the Office of Diversity Education, suggested IU should become more accessible to the disabled, especially with the large number of war veterans expected to return to school after service overseas.  

“If we’re not paying enough attention to issues now, we certainly will have to in the very near future,” Love said.

The committee said there is still work to be done and plans to speak with groups of disabled students and meet with key University faculty to move toward better accessibility.  

The committee members also talked about an initiative for what they are calling a “campus conversation on diversity,” which they are hoping to bring to life in March 2009. The day of conversation would be campus-wide among all IU-Bloomington colleges and departments and would address all aspects of campus diversity, from physical and mental disabilities to ethnic and racial minorities. Love said the day would culminate with a notable speaker.  

Calloway-Thomas said she hopes the day of conversation eventually makes way for a more institutionalized approach to diversity and multicultural thinking.

“Isn’t that what we’re here working toward?” Calloway-Thomas asked.