How A Focus on Disability Inclusion has Prepared Us to Face the Pandemic
Isolation. Anxiety. Blurred lines between the professional and the personal. Fear of being stigmatized or labeled by those around us. Most, if not all, of us have grappled with these demons since the pandemic took hold nearly a year ago. For many, these struggles represent uncharted waters. But those of us living with disabilities have wondered, even whispered the thesis to each other: Has living with a disability somehow uniquely prepared us to lead in this moment?
For Ilya, that preparation began in 2017, when he was working as the Executive Director at the Hillel at Baruch College. An Iraq war veteran, he also served as the campus’ veterans faculty advisor. Publicly, he served his community with pride. Privately, he struggled with physical and mental pain that he…