Enabling Disabled Expressions, Inaugural Issue

California State University, Long Beach offers funded programs, resources, and organizations to support students of many marginalized communities, and I hope we continue expanding our inclusivity. However, conversations around disability remain limited, uncomfortable, and misinformed. Faculty and staff training in accessibility remains optional, the students' right to accommodations are buried in many syllabi, and students registered with BMAC endure awkward conversations with unsupportive instructors.

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My goal is to not only normalize these discussions in all academic contexts, but to emphasize the inclusion of Accessibility in the updated DEIA. To accomplish this aspiration, I strive to use the freedom of artistic expression to advocate for the disabled community so their narratives can be preserved and celebrated. The Enabling Disabled Expressions Anthology strives to help disabled students at CSULB be acknowledged and accepted as members of our diverse society.

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The intended contributor and consumer audience is students enrolled with BMAC and any individuals interested in disabled expression. All students enrolled in BMAC are eligible and encouraged to submit their own works for potential publication. Submissions should focus on the life of a disabled person; examples of thematic elements include disabilities, health, medicine, diagnoses, (in)accessibility, ableism, etc. All genres–including photography, art, poetry, nonfiction, etc.– are welcomed for consideration, as there are no restrictions to creative expression.