My College Went Viral On TikTok for Ableism
Sadly, it didn’t surprise me, so something needs to change.
While sitting in class last year, I got a text message from my roommate saying “bruh did you see this?” with a link to a TikTok video. I knew immediately from looking at the thumbnail it wasn’t going to be good.
Sure enough, I was right. The video was about a girl who was doing a day in the life of a college student with disabilities.
But not just any college, it was my college.
The video shows the student wheeling herself to class and naming off all of the ADA violations and dangers presented to her along the way.
In just a 60-second TikTok, there were four different violations she pointed out on just one section of the campus. You can watch the video here.
For obvious reasons, most people were disgusted with what they saw, myself included. As of March 2023, it has accumulated over 3.5 million views and almost 830,000 likes.
ADA Violation #1
Right away at the start of her commute, her first roadblock is a set of stairs. One of the pathways leading to the main classroom building is only accessible by a large staircase.
