To the editor:
I usually enjoy reading TODAY, especially Class Notes. I avidly read the notes from years I attended, page through the notes from other years, and pay special attention to comments and information highlighted in larger, brightly colored print. However, I was very disappointed with an editorial choice in the Winter 2006 issue. For the Class of 1945, on page 27, you chose to highlight a comment noting that it is “remarkable” that no member of that class used adaptive equipment for mobility on Reunion Weekend. What is remarkable is that you would chose to emphasize that trivial bit of information rather than the accomplishments of members of the class. Even though you used information submitted by the Class Agent, highlighting it is insensitive.
I am a foster and adoptive parent of six children with disabilities; three of them have mobility impairments and use adaptive equipment. The highlighted quote is very condescending, primarily because the use or non-use of adaptive equipment is not the most important thing about a 60-year reunion of alumni. And the underlying message is, “It is a great reunion when all the people who are physically fit and don’t have visible disabilities get together.”
How do you think a recent graduate who happens to use a wheelchair feels when they read this? How do you think a prospective student who happens to use a walker or leg braces feels when they read this? And how do you think I feel when I receive a publication that highlights the lack of visibility of people like my children?
We emphasize the things of which we are most proud. When reading the Class Notes from 1945, I noticed the family news, service activities, and friendships among these powerful women. Please do not emphasize their perceived lack of physical disabilities as their primary note.
I would be proud to send my children to UMW. The question raised by TODAY is, “Would UMW be just as proud to have them?”
Bettie Bell-Stewart ’98,
Newport News, Va.
Letters to the editor should be sent to Anna B. Billingsley.