On Feb. 10, ETHS held the first official Abilities Summit. The summit was created to recognize students with disabilities, IEPs and 504s, but all students were encouraged to attend.
ETHS held Abilities Awareness Week and an abilities conference in 2022 and 2024, respectively. After receiving feedback on this programming, the school added the Abilities Summit to the Social Consciousness Series.
“We tried to build on past events while incorporating feedback to make the event more impactful,” said Lara Jaffe, one of the teacher organizers. “We aimed to make the summit student-informed and reflective of the community’s interests and needs.”
In order to keep the event student-focused, a student planning committee was created, offering opinions on workshops, contacting speakers and designing the theme and logo for the event.
This year, the summit embraced the theme “See me. Know me. Hear me.”, emphasizing awareness, advocacy and empowerment, creating space for students and community members to learn from one another and celebrate diverse abilities.
The summit began in the auditorium, where speakers Chuy Campuzano and Scott Nance shared their experiences growing up disabled and exploring their identities, highlighting the value in advocacy and accessibility. Campuzano is an active member of Access Living, a Chicago based organization fighting for fairness, defending rights and championing equal opportunity for the disabled community. Nance has been a guest lecturer on Disability Studies since 2016.
The summit facilitated an environment for students to share their own stories and advice too.
“I spoke about my experience as someone with a disability, Type 1 diabetes,” said an anonymous junior. “I highlighted how disabilities are a part of our identity, but don’t completely define [who we are].”
Attendees also engaged in breakout sessions, ranging from hip hop and poetry to knowing your disability rights and writing to law makers. Each activity focused on inclusion, representation of diverse abilities, student voice and community engagement.
One of the standout events was a college panel led by ETHS alumni. The speakers shared their experiences with and advice for applying to and selecting colleges. They also discussed accommodations and what that looks like outside of high school.
“The college panel was very informative,” said the anonymous junior. “The panel explained in detail how to navigate and advocate for accommodations in college, which I hope to take with me post-high school.”
In addition to the breakout sessions, the summit offered three discussion groups, focusing on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) experiences, hidden disabilities and collective liberation.
Equity Analyst Lauren Hamilton and Director of Equity Ganae McAlpin led the discussion on collective liberation. Their presentation addressed solidarity and different barriers for the disabled community. They talked about how the community continues to break through both physical blocks like non-functioning automatic doors and elevators and systemic issues, such as ableism.
To wrap up the summit, rapper Sam the Sentient, who has autism, made a guest appearance.
“I loved Sam the Sentient, and I really hope he comes back next year,” said another anonymous student. “He was so nice and fun to have, and his story was really moving.”
At this year’s Abilities Summit, students connected with each other, learning more about the disabled community.
“I came away from the event feeling like the Abilities Summit was one of the best summits the school has ever held,” said the anonymous student.
