I remember when I received news from the British Embassy that I had been selected as a recipient of a Marshall Scholarship, a prestigious award for American university graduates to study at a British university for two years. Named after former United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who was instrumental in developing the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan) after World War II, the scholarships were established to offer gratitude and encourage international exchange between the two nations.

Hearing of my acceptance after months of drafting personal statements, preparing for interviews and researching academic programs in Britain, I remember thinking, "Wow! This is actually happening! I’m going to spend two years living and studying in England." I would attend Cambridge University, studying Social and Political Science.

As the reality of it began to sink in, I felt an almost palpable sense of excitement. Yet I had very little sense of what to expect. I had never been to England. In fact, I had never been outside of the United States. What would await me abroad? How would the people I meet respond to me as an American and a woman with cerebral palsy?

About Cambridge

Established in 1209, Cambridge University is located in the city of Cambridge, 50 miles north of London. The university is made up of a complex structure of loosely affiliated colleges, where students live, socialize and receive administrative and academic guidance, and university "faculties" or academic departments, where the majority of lectures and academic work take place. Each of the university’s 31 colleges has its own facilities, teaching fellows, finances and admissions process. In addition to being a member of one of the colleges, each student is affiliated with one of the many academic faculties or departments. Teaching is highly individualized and is organized around a series of "supervisions" or meetings between students and professors in addition to department-wide lectures and independent reading/research.

Cambridge provides an opportunity to study closely with professors in different fields and meet people from all over the world. Because it is so decentralized, it is difficult to comment on Cambridge University as a whole. Disability access is generally acknowledged to be quite bad, and while many students and faculty members find this objectionable, little is done to change it.

International Students

Students interested in studying at Cambridge will need to choose a college and academic faculty to apply to. Each college has different admissions criteria, costs and academic supervisors. As a whole, Cambridge is a very inaccessible campus, but the colleges differ significantly in their facilities and willingness to accommodate students with disabilities. It is extremely important to research and select colleges and academic departments that will be most able and willing to address particular needs. More information on the specific programs, matriculation requirements and fees is available online: www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/registry/overseas.html

The website provides detailed information about the admissions criteria and procedures for overseas students. Once enrolled, there is little formal support for international students and no international student office within the university. Again, most personal support and guidance is provided through the college or faculty. However, the Cambridge University Student Union (CUSU) does have an International Students Officer who is available to provide support and advice to international students. CUSU is currently trying to increase services for overseas students at the university.

University and City Access

Before arriving at Cambridge, I spoke to the University Disability Advisor and several people who had spent time there. From what everyone told me, it was clear that neither the town nor the university were particularly accessible. Even with this forewarning, I was surprised by just how inaccessible it actually was. I discovered access barriers that I never even knew existed. (The sides of bathtubs are so high that they practically call for a stepladder). These things have certainly caused me some frustration, but they have also given me a clear appreciation of just how much the Americans with Disabilities Act has achieved in the last decade.

In general, access throughout the university and around town is difficult for someone who uses a wheelchair or has a mobility impairment. Because it is such an old university many of Cambridge’s buildings are listed as historical monuments and are therefore protected from renovation. This is matched with a university culture that reveres tradition and is generally resistant to both physical and procedural change. The Access Guide 2000 provides an access summary of each college, faculty and general university buildings. It offers very detailed information that would be helpful for a person with a physical disability, but this was provided by people within the college or faculty, and therefore is a bit subjective.

The town of Cambridge is quite small and compact, and virtually everyone gets around on foot or bike. Many of the roads in the city center are closed to traffic. Much of the central city is covered with cobblestone or uneven flagstone, which can make walking or using a wheelchair quite difficult. Furthermore, streets and sidewalks are often very narrow and can be especially challenging during a "lecture rush" when you are contending with other pedestrians and people on bicycles. Parked bicycles or barriers designed to force bicyclists to dismount often create additional obstacles. Ramps throughout university and city buildings are inconsistent and access varies. Intersections throughout the city consistently have audible crossing signals and strips of truncated domes that extend across the sidewalk or curb cut to help visually impaired people to locate the crossing.

Trains into Cambridge tend to be quite accessible and very reliable. Access on local and inter-city buses is limited, and individuals are encouraged to call each provider for specific access information. While taxis tend to be inaccessible, some companies (especially Panther, Camtax and Intercity) have a few accessible vehicles. Also, a dial-a-ride program offers door-to-door service for people who are unable to use public transport in Cambridge.

Access to stores and other public accommodations throughout the city varies; newer buildings usually have better access. When stores do have elevators (lifts) they are often locked or hidden, and require staff assistance. This is also true of university buildings, so even if you do not see a lift, it is worth asking.

The tourist information office and the City Council publish pamphlets disclosing the location of wheelchair accessible toilets throughout the city of Cambridge. These toilets are locked and require a "RADAR Key" that can be acquired from Guild Hall in Cambridge. The RADAR Key Scheme is a national program, and keys will work for accessible public toilets throughout the country.

Much of the social life within the university revolves around the college bar or common room, where most informal socializing and gatherings take place. When selecting a college, inquire about the accessibility of these common areas. Outside the college, dance clubs and local pubs are popular gathering places for students and access varies considerably. The majority of theaters and cinemas are very good, providing easy wheelchair access, induction loops and signed performances.

Disability Access and Services

Cambridge has expanded and relocated its disability resource center. The office can be reached at:

Disability Resource Centre
DAMTP
Silver Street
Cambridge, CB3 9EW UK
Tel: (44-1223) 332301
TTY: (44-1223) 766840
Email: ucam-disability@lists.cam.ac.uk
Web: www.cam.ac.uk/CambUniv/disability

The disability resource team provides information, advice and support to disabled students and staff at the university. They can also help coordinate a number of disability-related services and accommodations, from note takers, readers and interpreters to supporting requests for extended time on exams and assignments. The disability office also has a range of equipment and software available for loan, including several PCs, voice recognition software, loop and microphone, portable ramps and a Braille embosser. College tutors can also be very helpful in arranging accommodations.

Margot Freeman, the Disability Support Coordinator, stressed that international students with disabilities should contact the center as soon as possible to discuss access needs and accommodations. She would be happy to provide advice on how to select an appropriate college. Once students are accepted, Freeman advises them to contact the center to begin organizing accommodations. She emphasized that the disability team takes an individualized approach to support, which requires two-way communication and cooperation from the student.

Bridget’s Hostel

Bridget’s is an independent hostel for students with physical disabilities who require personal assistance. There is space for seven students attending any college or university in the town of Cambridge. The hostel has fully adapted study bedrooms, bathrooms, a communal kitchen, laundry facilities and TV room. For disabled students who prefer to live in university or private accommodation, Bridget’s will recruit, train and manage personal assistants. However, a Bridget’s representative cautioned that colleges tend not to accommodate personal caregivers and that private housing in the Cambridge area is very expensive. Bridget’s is open to overseas students, but they must have prior funding from their home government.

The Care Manager
Bridget’s, Tennis Court Road
Cambridge CB2 1QF UK
Tel: (44-1223) 354312?
Fax: (44-1223) 461324
Email: bridgets-admin@lists.cam.ac.uk

Student Experiences

Anne Marie is a graduate student in King’s College who completed her M.Phil in History and Philosophy of Science last year and is now pursuing a second B.A. in the law faculty. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Anne Marie has a high-frequency hearing loss and reads lips.

Anne Marie has found that Cambridge has been an ideal learning environment for her. Since most of the teaching is done in small seminar groups or supervisions, she has found it a lot easier to follow along than as an undergraduate in the United States. Her individual supervisors and other members of her faculty have been very understanding and receptive. She has found that among students and professors at the university, "there is a willingness to help, and a recognition of disability. They are certainly well-informed of what they ought to do, even if they are not always on top of actually doing it." Anne Marie has found that people here are very polite and willing to provide assistance, but there is less of an emphasis on self-empowerment.

During our conversation, Anne Marie made an important point about health care in the UK. "The National Health Service medical care can be very good for general care and preventive medicine, but their specialty care is hard to come by and different from the United States," she explained. She recommended students investigate private health care options.

I also had the opportunity to talk with Greg, a second-year D.Phil student in King’s College who is studying British political history. He uses an electric scooter and originally applied to King’s after reading in admissions material that it was a "disability friendly" college. When he arrived, he found that the only wheelchair accessible suite in the college was already occupied, so the college gave him a room near an elevator. However, he needed assistance to open the lattice doors on the elevator, which meant depending on the presence and goodwill of passersby.

"I never thought of myself as disabled or impaired until I got here," Greg said. His college has very few ramps and refuses to install new ones, claiming that as a "listed building" the school cannot make structural changes. He spent his first couple of years as an undergraduate campaigning for change, but has seen little improvement. When a lecture is inaccessible, he asks other students to provide him with notes.

Despite its inaccessibility, Greg explained that Cambridge has a lot of strong points. The student body is enlightened and non-judgmental when it comes to disability, you get an extremely good education and it is a beautiful place to live and study. Greg suggested that prospective students should evaluate Cambridge’s access barriers versus its excellent educational opportunities to decide whether Cambridge University is right for them.

Learning about Disability Rights in England

During my first year of study at Cambridge, I had the opportunity to travel, meeting with disability advocates and learning more about the experiences of disabled people in England. After several months (and countless cups of tea), I learned about the history of Britain’s disability movement, its opposition to traditional disability charities controlled by non-disabled people and the ongoing struggle to secure full, comprehensive civil rights. While the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was passed here in 1995, it is considerably weaker than its American counterpart.

The one topic that came up again and again in our discussions about the DDA and strategies for social change is the fact that individual rights simply don’t have the same meaning and influence in England as they do in the United States. I spent four years as an American Studies major in college looking at how notions of individualism, liberty and independence formed the foundation of our political and cultural institutions, but only after living in another country for a year have I discovered just how powerful (and distinctly American) these ideologies truly are. Of course, as my British friends are quick to remind me, this same faith in the individual and the corresponding skepticism of government has hindered American efforts to provide adequate health care coverage to all our citizens.

I spent the summer in London working at Disability Awareness in Action, where I researched disability laws in various countries and how they address concepts like defining disability, reasonable accommodations or undue hardship. This research revealed two compelling points. First, and not surprisingly, was how much the statutes reflect the legal and cultural norms of the countries that have produced them. At the same time, however, I was struck by the degree to which new laws borrowed from and built off of existing laws in other countries. In many ways, this is the perfect example of international exchange and collaboration at work.

While I went to Cambridge to study social and political science, the most valuable (and educational) part of my time occurred outside the classroom. As I met with other disabled people, chatted with students at the local pub, or queued for theater tickets in London, I gained both an appreciation for British culture and the opportunity to see my own culture in a new light. Of course, this is what an international exchange is all about.

Disability Resources

Directions Plus is a comprehensive information service for disabled people in Cambridge and can provide detailed information about local access and services, and referral to local and national disability organizations.

Orwell House
Cowley Road
Cambridge CB4 OPP UK
Tel: (44-1223) 569600 (Advice Line)
Fax: (44-1223) 506470
TTY: (44-1223) 569601
Email: directions.plus@dial.pipex.com

Bee Mobile supplies mobility equipment, including wheelchairs, scooters, lifts, and kitchen and bath aids. They will buy, sell or repair equipment and offer home visits.

8 Seymour Street
Cambridge CB1 3DQ UK
Tel: (44-1223) 213042 or (44-1223) 246425

SKILL: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities is a national organization providing information on issues regarding disability and higher education.

Chapter House
18-20 Crucifix Lane
London SE1 3JW UK
Information Hotline (voice): 0800 328 5050
Information Hotline (TTY): 0800 068 2422
Tel/TTY: (44-207) 4500620
Fax: (44-207) 4500650
Email: admin@skill.org.uk
Web: www.skill.org.uk