When Leanna Namovic ’17 first joined the Disability, Illness, and Difference Alliance (DIDA), she discovered a supportive community that understood her challenges and helped her navigate campus life.
“There’s a very basic awareness of the challenges students with disabilities face at The Claremont Colleges, such that people may know that their friend has a mental illness or has a limp that sometimes hurts, but that’s about it,” Namovic says.
“We’ve yet to foster a strong, understanding dialogue where people feel comfortable sharing all aspects of their disabilities,” says Namovic, who’s majoring in neuroscience and minoring in music. “We are working collaboratively to create a sense of community, so we can share our knowledge with others.”
Founded in 2012 by Maddy Ruvolo ’14, DIDA seeks to create a safe space for 5C students to discuss issues surrounding disability culture and politics. The group’s mission is to create community, share knowledge, and discuss ways to improve the experience of disabled students at The Claremont Colleges.
As DIDA’s current publicity coordinator, Namovic joined the student organization with Ruvolo’s encouragement. “After a few meetings I realized that the DIDA community was what I was looking for in college, and the rest was history!” says Namovic.
Now in its fourth year, DIDA continues to uphold its mission as a supportive and constructive community space. Promoting disability awareness on campus involves hosting events, holding weekly discussions, and working with the administration to make disability advocacy a more pressing matter both in and out of the classroom. Recently, the club began informal weekly dinners as a way for DIDA members to meet and connect with each other.
While a providing space for disabled students to peer-strategize, DIDA also creates new ways for The Claremont Colleges community to become more involved and invested in the concerns and rights of disabled students. “We’ve hosted several events this year, such as making ‘How to Support Me’ zines and disability panels/ally training,” says Namovic.
Looking forward, Namovic says DIDA plans to reinstate a mentor program for new students. Individuals of the DIDA community have organized such mentorships on their own for the last few years. The group has ambitions to collaborate with other identity groups and seek a stronger intersectional social justice presence on all the campuses.
“We hope to continue improving the situation of disabled students at The Claremont Colleges,” Namovic says.