Mariette Bates: Advice on the Field of Disability Studies for Prospective Students

Mariette Bates is the Academic Director of the Disability Studies program at City University of  New York School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS). She has a PhD in Philanthropy and Disability from the Union Institute and University and lectures widely on disability advocacy.

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Interview of October 15, 2020

Alexandra Wang: How would you define disability studies?

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Mariette Bates: Disability studies analyzes the relationship between disabilities and society in order to train people to think critically about various aspects of this relationship. Students of disability studies are educated to develop a new understanding of disability in our society. There are various elements of potential focus, such as social construction of disability by society, social justice, disability in culture, and public policies on disability.

Alexandra Wang: What are the origins of disability studies?

Mariette Bates: Disability studies emerged from the disability rights movement. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 changed society’s perspective of disabilities. Colleges and universities had to become more accessible to students with disabilities. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  reinforced accessibility for students with disabilities.

Society began to see people with disabilities as full members of the society rather than a marginalized group of citizens. Many academic departments incorporated disability into their courses, for example, disability and law.

John F. Kennedy was concerned about frontline workers at group homes and gate programs. He created programs and scholarships to support those people at CUNY.

Disability studies emerged from the disability rights movement.

Alexandra Wang: What fields are related to disability studies?

Mariette Bates: Disability studies programs sit between humanities and social sciences. Some programs are closer to humanities. Others are closer to social sciences. It depends on the emphasis of the program.

Alexandra Wang: Please tell me more about your program at City University of New York School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS.)

Mariette Bates: The CUNY SPS Disability Studies bachelor program is the first one in the country. The Master program is the first independent degree program in the country. In 2016, we also implemented the first Master degree program for disability services in higher education  in the country.

Alexandra Wang: What is the Disability Services in Higher Education program?

Mariette Bates: The purpose of the program is to train educators to support students with disabilities in higher education. The Disability Services in Higher Education program includes courses such as neurodiversity and universal design.

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Alexandra Wang:  Please tell me about your students and faculty.

Mariette Bates: Thirty percent of our students are people with disabilities. All courses are offered online to increase accessibility for our students. Many of our alumni are now working in a local Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities across the country. Forty percent of our faculty members are people with disabilities. Many of them work in the field or in public policy.

All courses are offered online to increase accessibility for our student population.

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Alexandra Wang: How can one prepare to be a disability studies major?

Mariette Bates: The major is open to everyone regardless of their academic background. You do not have to have a BA in disability studies or a related field to be admitted to the MA program. What distinguishes our students is their enthusiasm for learning about disability studies and their determination to making contributions to the field.

What distinguishes our students is their enthusiasm for learning about disability studies and their determination to making contributions to the field.

Alexandra Wang: How did you enter disability advocacy?

Mariette Bates: Disability studies did not exist when I was in college and at the beginning of my graduate studies. Special education and social work were the fields that were the closest to disability studies at the time. 

After I graduated from school, I planned to become a singer. To finance my career, I worked as a secretary for two of my aunts who worked backstage at Carnegie Hall. We had a client whose daughter had a psychiatric disability. She was institutionalized in a psychiatric facility. He advocated for deinstitutionalization and other disability rights. I joined him in his fight for disability rights.

Alexandra Wang: Please tell me more about your subsequent involvement in the fight for disability rights.

Mariette Bates: I became the program director of the One-to-One Program, which was founded by the journalist, Geraldo Rivera, who exposed the horrific situation at Willowbrook State School. We raised money from the public and gave grants to nonprofits that created community service programs. This included discharging people with intellectual disabilities from institutions and helping them to transition to their new lives.

Alexandra Wang: How can advisors and school counselors support students who would like to pursue disability studies?

Mariette Bates: Many of our students find out about the disability studies program only after doing Google searches. Advisors and school counselors should be aware that disability studies is a degree option for students. They should research options for disability studies programs including online programs, such as the programs at CUNY SPS.

Each disability studies program is different. Some programs focus on disability history and others focus on public policy. Counselors should learn more about each student’s interests and identify which program is best for the student.

Advisors and school counselors should be aware that disability studies is a degree options for students.

Alexandra Wang: What has changed in the public attitude towards disabilities?

Mariette Bates: As a child, I rarely saw people with disabilities. Today, we see people with disabilities in everyday life, professional positions, academia and the media.

To be sure, we are still working towards greater awareness and access. People with disabilities expect to participate as full members of the society, and people expect to see them do so.

People with disabilities expect to participate as full members of the society, and people expect to see them do so.

Alexandra Wang: What advice would you give to prospective students?

Mariette Bates:  Many students confuse disability studies with special education or social work.  Students should learn about the differences between various degree programs as much as possible.

Students must explore their own interests and options. A good place to start is to read books on disability studies. Lennard Davis’ books, Beginning with Disability: A Primer  and The Disability Studies Reader, will help students to familiarize with the field. Find your place within disability studies. 

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