To advocate for an increase in New York State funding, Wells College’s TRIO Student Support Services Office sponsored a student trip to attend this year’s Student Empowerment Day.
According to the event organizers, the New York State Disability Services Council, the purpose of Student Empowerment Day was to rally behind the New York State Education Department’s request to put $11 million of their budget toward support for students with disabilities in higher education for a total of $15 million for the next fiscal year. The organization also rallied for a $2 million restoration and $2 million increase for the education department’s Enhancing Supports and Services for Students with Disabilities for Postsecondary Success grant program, which was established in 2021 and originally budgeted $4 million. The NYSDSC said that grant was cut in half in the previous fiscal year, and with more than 94,000 students in higher education in New York registered with disabilities, a budget of $2 million would provide about $21 of state-funded support per student.
Wells College Coordinator for Accessibility and Learning Support Nicole Darrow said Student Empowerment Day has been an annual event for about seven years, even virtually through the pandemic, but this year was the first time Wells went in-person. At Wells, about one-third of the student population has a documented disability with their office.
“I really wanted our students to be able to experience external advocacy,” Darrow said. “My main goal was to show them that we’re trying to get more money for our program and to show that Wells matters, even though we’re a very small liberal arts school in comparison to these SUNYs, CUNYs, and even private schools that have giant programs. It was exciting to be a part of trying to make a change. It was a feel-good kind of day.”
Sarah Malanowski ‘27, a visual arts major with a book arts concentration who struggles with sensory overload, attended the rally and said it was their first time traveling to Albany and being in the state’s capital district. Malanowski said their favorite part was listening to other students share their experiences at the rally.
“I personally don’t know what it’s like to have something like a mobility need, but I think it was really important to hear from the people who this is going to benefit and help,” Malanowski said. “We just got some light covers for the Bindery in Morgan Hall, which has been phenomenal, and I'm also helping with looking at fixing the lights in the Learning Commons. I want campus to be accessible for everybody, or as best as we can get it to be. Knowing that there’s a such a limit because of money is really sad.”
Other state schools, city schools, and private universities attended the event and represented their programs, including Syracuse University, Cornell University, SUNY Binghamton, and more. Darrow, Malanowski, two other Wells students, and one staff member left campus early that morning to drive east and meet the organizers at the Legislative Office Building in Albany. The schedule included opening remarks and speeches from NYSDSC members, a news conference hosted by the NYS Assembly in support of the grant program, speeches from other students with disabilities, and the rally where the groups were encouraged to walk around the building and chant slogans like “The time is now” and “We need funding.” Many schools brought hand-made signs, and every group was encouraged to wear their college apparel.
Darrow said the funding isn’t where she’d like it to be but is hopeful that it will improve in the state’s next budget cycle, so their office can continue to provide professional training to staff, attend educational conferences, and purchase supplies for students.
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