We speak with Dr. Jess Narren, the Faculty Inclusion Fellow for Disability, Difference and Accommodation at Cal State San Bernardino, who leads campus efforts and oversees accommodations for over 2,000 students. She explains the social model of disability and how she works to change systems and institutions to improve access beyond basic legal compliance. We hear about her time as interim director of the Services to Students with Disabilities office and the practical programs she has helped create, including a neurodiversity space and faculty liaisons. Jess shares how her lived experience as a parent of an autistic son shaped her advocacy and informed her approach to policy and practice. We discuss challenges such as hidden disabilities, cultural barriers, and the need for sustained funding and institutional support. We leave listeners with a clear call to center disabled voices, act proactively, and build inclusive systems that enable full participation.
Takeaways:
- I serve as a faculty inclusion fellow and lead systemic improvements beyond mere ADA compliance to ensure equitable access for thousands of disabled and neurodivergent students.
- We registered around two thousand students with disabilities and estimate about half of disabled students are known to our office.
- I emphasize the social model of disability, asserting that barriers often reside in institutional systems rather than individual impairments.
- We created a neurodiversity space on campus that destigmatizes supports and facilitates study strategies for neurodivergent students.
- I use lived experience as a parent of an autistic son and cancer survivor to inform advocacy and practical accommodations.
- We invite parents into accommodations discussions under student consent, balancing confidentiality with supportive partnership in student success.
- I seek sustainable institutional funding and broader adoption of inclusive practices so that accessibility work is not reliant on ad hoc measures.
