GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It’s been almost one month since the Supreme Court banned affirmative action from the college admissions process nationally, which eliminated race as a factor.
In Michigan, affirmative action has been banned since 2006.
However, the Supreme Court’s decision impacted more than just people of color, said Jon Cauchi.
“When you start rolling back laws that were put into place to create equity, it does get concerning,” said Cauchi, an inclusion consultant and trainer with the Disability Advocates of Kent County.
Cauchi, who is visually impaired, said his main concern is that the decision impacts inclusivity. People with disabilities intersect with all walks of life from race to religion to gender identity.
“Everybody has a stake when it comes to disability,” he said during a Zoom interview on Thursday. “I think that was most evident during the fight with the Americans with Disabilities Act as civil rights groups for individuals of color, the women’s right movement, all supported the disability rights movement because as they said ‘their fight is our fight.’”
Cauchi said his concerns regarding inclusivity extend beyond college admissions and into the workplace.
“As a person who is currently applying to jobs and trying to further her career it’s just going to be I have a couple of more questions in the interview process to make sure that they are inclusive and welcoming to everybody,” said Katie Feirer, who works at MSU in the social media and marketing department.
Feirer, who has cerebral palsy, said that inclusivity is important among those with disabilities. It’s something she looks for in potential employers.
“I just like to make sure that they are an equal opportunity employer and that’s something that they value,” she said during a Zoom interview with Fox 17 last week. “If it’s not on there, it’s always something I ask if I’m offered an interview first just because it’s important to me and my everyday life.”
David Moss, the director of the Disability Law Clinic at Wayne State University, said he doesn’t foresee the ruling extending to people with disabilities one day.
He said “my nutshell answer, there may be something I’m not thinking of, is no.”
“We have all sorts of programs in this country, in Michigan, that only people with disabilities benefit from,” Moss said during a Zoom interview on Thursday morning. “Social security disability, supplemental security income, you have to be a person with a disability to qualify for those types of benefits.”
Even though there’s no legal impact, Cauchi said he’s going to pay close attention to how the ruling plays out.
“Unfortunately we do live in a fluid system where what happens today could change tomorrow,” Cauchi said. “But do know that when it comes to inequity, there are people out there who are here to make sure that justice is sought out, and protections are in place and people are not being discriminated against or treated negatively based off their different levels of diversity.”
