“We've been saying we want people who don't have disabilities to get involved too,” Cancellieri says. “Of course, you want allyship, and then that kind of awareness is also what we need, because the majority of people in the world don't have a disability.”

Going forward, Eastman and Cancellieri say among their goals is collaborating with other student-run organizations across St. Joe’s locations to continue increasing accessibility of all kinds, from things like lighting to food packaging.

Patricia E. Gregg, director of student disability services, serves as the staff adviser of the DSU. The Office of Student Disability Services currently has 660 students with registered disabilities, Gregg says, which include physical, intellectual, learning, psychological and temporary disabilities. 

The creation of the DSU provides St. Joe’s students with disabilities a place where they can feel accepted, Gregg says.

“I like it because it's not just for students with disabilities — it's for anybody,” Gregg emphasizes. “If you're a supporter of a student with a disability, you can attend the meetings, or you can be a student with a disability and find companionship there, or somebody that you can relate to.”

Students with disabilities at St. Joe’s might feel like there aren’t other people around them experiencing the same thing, Eastman says, but the DSU can help those students find common ground.

“I think once you get talking to people with any type of disability, we really do all face very similar struggles and challenges,” Eastman says.

More than anything, Cancellieri says she wants people to feel comfortable having a disability.

“If you know the right people and you know how to advocate for yourself, it doesn't feel so difficult,” she says. “I just want people to be confident in who they are and what they can do, because it's not just the end all be all.”