6: The Rise of Disability Cultural Centers

This chapter provides history, personal experiences, and overall recommendations for Disability Cultural Centers. The authors dive into what differentiates a Disability Cultural Center from a Disability Resource center to help the reader further develop a critical lens to differing roles they play on college campuses and student support. Through outlining practices, challenges, and history of Disability Cultural Centers, this chapter is able to dive deeper into the experiences of a staff member in a Disability Cultural Centers and provide a deeper understanding of what is needed moving forward for disabled student support. Recommendations and tips are provided for current staff members in Disability Cultural Centers around funding, ableism, physical space, and navigating campus politics. The chapter culminates in questions to help the reader further reflect on ways they can support the disability community along with practical recommendations on how to create a Disability Cultural Center on a college campus.