Leaders For Our Future Profile: Sarah Triano
by Keith Landry
Something will happen this month that will feel like we’re in the 1960’s again. A grassroots, peaceful movement is gaining momentum to demand equal rights for people with disabilities. From California, across the Midwest, to the nation’s capital, people are planning for April 17th. They are planning to send a powerful message through their actions and words. This effort and the growing energy to take a stand, have students as the dynamos behind their momentum. Students with disabilities are uniting to fight for their rights across our country.
Sarah Triano is one of the dynamos behind the movement and the message. Remember her name, because you’re going to hear it again in the future. She speaks powerfully and with intense energy about the need to preserve disability rights. She is one of the founders of the National Disabled Students Union (NDSU). The group was created this year, and now it is working intently to make a difference. Triano says people with disabilities are tired of being left out, so on April 17th, they will hold a nationwide Leave Out for Equal Justice.
EnabledOnline.com asked Triano what motivated her to become a future leader in the disability rights community. She said, "I decided to take up Disability Studies for one main reason: discrimination, period." Triano is a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She fought a two-year battle trying to get reasonable accommodations so she could take her LSAT exam and go to law school. When she was denied over and over, she decided to become a vocal advocate for people with disabilities and to work with a grassroots group to make a difference.
The NDSU was founded on February 21, 2001, in response to the US Supreme Court decision limiting the enforcement of Title I of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. The case was Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama et al. v. Garrett et al. Members of NDSU say they recognize the far-reaching impact of this decision. They are concerned the High Court is undercutting civil rights with the ruling, by making enforcement more difficult.
Triano says the US Supreme Court has weakened other civil rights laws such as the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. "We are concerned about this trend. We wonder whose rights are next and how long we will have the guarantee of equality. We are committed to everyone’s right to equal protection under the law and equal rights within society. We don’t want to wake up a year or a decade from now wishing we'd acted earlier."
The Leave Out for Equal Justice is designed to send the Supreme Court and the rest of the American public a message, that American students with disabilities will no longer accept anything less than full participation, full equality, full justice, and the full dignity and respect they deserve.
Daniel Davis is another founding member of NDSU, and now a friend of Triano, as he continues to work closely with her. Davis points out that Triano does not have a visible disability, but she’s not afraid to wear a sweatshirt that says she does and she’s proud. He thinks that says a lot about her leadership. "The fact Sarah is willing to put herself out there and be an educator is impressive. She is someone who is willing to work to really put a lot of dedication into raising awareness. When she asks me to do something, I know she’s working on three or four other things. She’s also gotten scores of other people involved due to her networking skills."
Triano gains strength from the solidarity of the grassroots group. "We will work to ensure that all disabled students have the opportunities they need to learn, the opportunities they need to live and work, and the opportunities they need to be full participants in their communities and full members of American society. On April 16, you will join people across the nation in paying your share of state taxes. On April 17, join people with disabilities across the nation to call for your share of the benefits."
Triano credits several leaders within the NDSU as being influential in the early success of their movement. She points to Cal Montgomery, Marlin Thomas, Stephanie Takemoto, Beth Marks, Suzie Levitt, Nura Aly and Daniel Davis as making a big difference. Triano says Davis was very insightful after the Garrett ruling came down. "More than anyone else, Daniel immediately understood the importance of taking the fight to the state level and was instrumental in getting several of the current bills in California on the political agenda. The Disability Rights movement in America has found a strong and powerful leader in Daniel Davis, and I feel honored to be working with him and to call him my brother."
NDSU has more than 150 members at schools and colleges in 28 states. Triano says the students realize they are a growing force. "NDSU is bringing together students with disabilities from schools across the nation, who thought they were the only disabled student at their school. They are connecting, communicating, and gaining power and strength from their union."
The leave out will begin at one pm Eastern Standard time on April 17th. Students with disabilities, advocates, friends and others will leave out of schools, jobs, and homes, to remind the government that when business as usual means discrimination, they want no part of it. Triano encourages people to take time to get involved. She suggests marches, rallies, writing letters to the editor in newspapers, or even using the internet to discuss the issues.
Triano believes the time has come for action. "The Garrett case is not the beginning and it is not the end, but it is the time to show that we will not let anything happen to our rights; we will fight to make and keep our rights equal. As we know from the past, justice will not be given to us. We must demand it because it is simply Our Right To Equality."
So what happens after April 17th, when there’s the potential for a bold message to resonate all across our country? Triano is open-minded. "I’m not going to limit myself to simply teaching Disability Studies in the future- if I find that a different professional area will be better suited to furthering NDSU’s overarching goal, then I will be flexible and go where the tide takes me."
If you want more information about participating in the national demonstration or if you want to organize some other activity in your area to demonstrate your opposition, please contact Sarah Triano at strian1@uic.edu or 773-463-4776. | |