Shareen Nizami was motivated to engage in disabilities studies after watching her younger brother struggle for years against unfair treatment by school administrators, who placed him in English as a second language classes and punished him for daydreaming, thinking he had ADD ““ Attention Deficit Disorder.
According to Nizami, her brother was later diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and he has been her inspiration and motivation to engage in disabilities studies ever since.
Nizami, a fifth-year political science student, along with Michelle Tang, a fourth-year English student were awarded the Jessie Alpaugh Senior Prize in Disability Studies on Monday, in honor of the work they exhibited as disabilities studies students through their capstone projects.
The award is a $600 prize named in honor of Alpaugh, a UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Scholar who, prior to her death, came to UCLA in 2002 and aided in establishing the disability studies minor, said Lucy Blackmar, Alpaugh’s mother and assistant vice provost for the undergraduate education initiatives.
The students’ capstone projects shed light upon both their motivations for pursuing a disabilities studies minor regardless of its fairly small size, and the personal experiences that influence their studies and plans for the future.
Tang, regardless of her own hearing impairment, was driven to engage in all things new and exciting, and was drawn to the freedom she had to shape the disabilities studies minor towards her own interests and studies.
She said she felt approaching disabilities in an academic form would allow her to be more open-minded and develop a sense of leadership.
“A minor in disabilities studies has helped me become more aware and respectful of various types of disabilities, not just my own,” said Tang, who, after graduation, will be attending Columbia University’s Teachers College to pursue certification as a deaf and hard of hearing teacher.
Tang’s capstone project explores deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the performing arts.
After working for No Limits, a nonprofit organization for deaf and hard of hearing children, Tang noticed the confidence children gained form engaging in the arts, and was inspired to explore the ways in which individuals are socialized and gain personal fulfillment through theater, dance and music.
Tang said she’s never felt limited in the things she can do, and has been motivated to engage in everything ““ from theater to travel study in London ““ during her time at UCLA.
After taking classes in disabilities studies, Nizami realized that disabilities can be analyzed from more than just a medical perspective, she said.
Her studies have deepened the breadth and depth of her understanding of disabilities and opened her eyes to cultures that recognize disabilities as beautiful, she added.
Nizami’s capstone project was inspired by her internship at the Cancer Legal Resource Center.
It was there that she provided advice to callers concerned about having to miss work for cancer treatments and appointments, and who ran the risk of potentially losing their jobs.
Her project focuses on the Family and Medical Leave Act, a law passed in 1993 to increase rights in the workplace.
Both Nizami and Tang stood out because of how seamlessly they were able to blend the personal and professional aspects of their projects and personal statements, said Helen Deutsch, English professor and faculty advisory committee chair on disability.
She said Nizami was already thinking in ways that have potential for social change and Tang showed an original relationship to the disabilities studies field with her work on disability and the arts.
She added that the two will make great contributions to the field of disabilities studies.