So here’s something I honestly don’t know what to do with. Chiding German chair has been going around the past two weeks forming a coalition among various departments on campus (disability studies, speech & hearing) to launch a concerted effort to get my school’s administration to change the disability accommodations process for faculty and staff. It was already formed when I learned of it when she asked me to join. (Of course I said yes.)

I don’t know what to do with this, emotionally. First, I would not have expected her to do this (you all know she hasn’t always been great on this subject). Second, while I know plenty of supportive hearing or able-bodied people, I’ve known only one other person who thought they should be an activist about it and speak up, and that was my father, who died 20+ years ago, so that tells you how long it’s been.

My mind is having difficulty grasping that she’s doing this. I feel like I can’t quite trust it, and I keep wondering why she would bother. She has no horse in this race, she’s had to put scarce free time into it, it doesn’t get her anything.