Jacob Lewis/The Hofstra Chronicle
An institution should be accessible to everyone it is intended to serve. However, Hofstra still has instances of ableism on campus. Ableism is not an issue that exists in a vacuum, as it often intersects with race, gender and other identities. Margo Latty, a sophomore majoring in community health, has made this a focus of their advocacy as a student leader.
Formerly a member of DREAM (Disability Rights, Education and Mentoring), Latty felt as though their voice was not valued by the organization. “I was involved with [DREAM],” Latty said, “but I had a quarrel with the president, and as a Black person with disabilities, I didn’t feel represented or cared about.”
Latty emphasized that they hold no hatred toward DREAM or its members, they simply hope that it will be more inclusive toward the diverse student population.
Since stepping away from DREAM, Latty has focused their advocacy and educational efforts toward working with Intercultural Engagement and Inclusion (IEI). “If people want me to address something, or make a program about a certain issue,” Latty said, “I’m here for that. I can try to do that to educate the student body.”
As someone who has worked with many different groups and demographics of people on campus, Latty asserted that the Hofstra administration could and should do more to help students of color and those with disabilities. “With an emphasis toward Susan Poser,” Latty said, “do not make your entire inauguration week about disabilities and then all of a sudden not care about them. Actually do your job and care about minorities on this campus, because we can tell that you don’t care about us.”
Given the recent change in Hofstra’s policy on face coverings, Latty believes that the university is simply not taking the needs of immunocompromised students into consideration. “[President Susan Poser] made this statement about not wanting to have mask mandates forever, but people with chronic illnesses are more at risk for COVID-19,” Latty said. “I know people who can’t have a life on campus because the student body does not take COVID-19 seriously and does not wear a mask. I wish there was more seriousness [placed] on COVID-19 and the mask [mandates] and thinking about those who are actually at risk instead of being selfish, because at this time we need to be selfless.”
In addition to the ableism at Hofstra, Latty believes there is a lack of racial equity on campus. “I’m always the only Black person in the classroom,” Latty said. “I’ve had people just talk about enslavement as if it’s no big deal, as if generational trauma does not exist and how Black people [do not] have to constantly think about it.”
They also mentioned the lack of Black representation among university faculty as something to be aware of. According to the Hofstra Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in 2021, only 4.17% of faculty identified as Black, compared to 76.25% of faculty who identified as white. “You definitely know that since there is no diversity training, no white professors give a crap about you,” Latty said. “You feel really uncomfortable in a classroom, and they don’t do anything about it. It’s as if Black students say something, and you definitely feel like you’re not a main priority.”
Latty, a student with dyslexia, asserts that their work as an advocate for students with disabilities, and of color, is to help foster a more equitable community. “My dyslexia has many different symptoms involved,” they said, “and it comes out and it may not seem good, but I know what I’m saying and doing. I have this job for a reason, and I do this research for a reason, so what I’m saying comes with context involved.”
