Sally’s Struggle

Isn’t Harvard a wonderful place? We have waffles with alma mater seals, Professor Sandel, gates that invite you to “grow in wisdom,” and, of course, a deep commitment to equal opportunity. That last ideal, in particular, permeates every aspect of campus policy, from need-blind admissions to anonymous grading. But few initiatives are as important as one undertaken by the Accessible Education Office (AEO).

In the spirit of my favorite Yard gate, last term I enrolled in one of the most reading-intensive courses in the Catalog: an intense seminar, the Foundation Texts of the West. Nevertheless, looking back on it, perhaps the best inspiration came not from the passionate professor, the Aeneid, or Krishna’s immortal lines in the Gita. It came from Sally.

Even with her impaired sight, she enrolled in a course that required her to read (or listen to) around 2,000 pages a week. For that, she needed a special blackboard that she could view on her laptop, the availability of audio books, and someone to transcribe lectures. That’s when the problems began.

Sometimes the books were not ready, and other times, the mimeograph would not work. I myself had a very hard time keeping up with the pace of reading and lecture, and you can only imagine the extra effort she needed. But Sally kept on struggling. She discussed the issue with a myriad of representatives from the AEO office, each time describing the equipment she had been promised during pre-frosh weekend.

When our professor intervened by complaining to the deans, they were certainly interested in the topic. Yet, it did not result in the magic appearance of the necessary equipment. Sally got a call from an Administration representative asking “if she was falling behind.” For the record: I think the work of the Freshmen Dean’s Office (FDO) and the assistant deans in general is terrific, and we witness their successes every day. From personal advice to career guidance, they work very hard. But their response in this case was just nonsensical. There was no reason for them to make this issue a performance one. It is much simpler. It is about access to key materials. The lack of communication between the Adaptive Technology lab and AEO created a confusion amidst which no one realized, for over two months, that Harvard did not actually own a mimeograph. That hindered Sally’s performance not only in our seminar, but also in Expos and Japanese. Needless to say, she is not the only one who needs an expedient and efficient AEO on campus.

Fall came to an end. And the same university that gives us the joy of branded waffles, the one with the $26 billion endowment and a great philosophy of equality, still cannot sufficiently help this gifted student.

Well into her second semester at Harvard, Sally still struggles with her new classes. Yet, whilst the great majority of our seminar students continue with the same class this term, she decided she could not do it anymore. For this not to repeat itself, it is only fair to demand the tools for someone to truly access education, and cross her own gates toward “growing in wisdom.”