Willing and Able: WesAbilities Club Carries on Tradition of Disability Advocacy

When Avi Mohanan-Maselko ’29 was weighing acceptances to various colleges in the spring of 2025, a major priority was an academically rigorous program with opportunities to explore the sciences. But what sealed the deal was a candid conversation during the WesFest club fair for accepted applicants. Mohanan-Maselko, who uses a wheelchair and other adaptive equipment to get around, stopped by the table hosted by WesAbilities, the new disability/accessibility-focused student club. The group’s leaders shared important insights about the challenges of being a student with disabilities at Wes—and the resources available. For Mohanan-Maselko, the takeaway was: “You do have to work for it. You have to advocate for yourself. But there is a network, and there is a community here, and those supports exist.”  

Though WesAbilities is new, it is part of a proud tradition of student-led advocacy around disability issues at Wes. Prior groups include Wesleyan Students for Disability Rights, whose leaders, Ariel Schwartz ’12 and Allegra Heath-Stout ’12, are credited with spurring an effort in 2010 to establish a course cluster in disabilities studies, providing a structured curricular path to examine related medical, legal, social, cultural, and historical contexts. Other clubs over the years have advocated for students with specific conditions, such as celiac disease, or have focused on community engagement, such as mentoring middle school students with learning differences.  

Prior clubs having disbanded after the graduation of their leaders, the time was right for a new group of students to take up the mantle, according to Emma Moyer ’28, communications officer for WesAbilities. She says a well-attended exploratory meeting in the fall of 2024 was an indication that there was strong interest among students. Subsequently, Selene Monjaraz ’27 and Sasha Lovell ’28—now the group’s co-presidents—drafted a constitution articulating a mission to build community and provide support and advocacy for students with disabilities, as well as to educate the wider Wesleyan community.  

WesAbilities also seeks to collaborate with the Office of Student Affairs and other University entities to facilitate communication and problem solving on behalf of members. More than 20% of Wesleyan students seek some kind of accommodation in housing, dining, or the academic arena due to a chronic illness, physical impairment, food allergy, or neurological or psychological condition—meaning WesAbilities is poised to make a significant impact on campus.  

Moyer says WesAbilities members share a very Wesleyan spirit of activism and the desire to create positive change. 

Dean for Academic Advancement Laura Patey was thrilled to have a first formal meeting with the group’s leaders in the fall. She says, “I’m really encouraged by this student drive and desire to make things better, and to think about accessibility.”  

For one of their first projects, WesAbilities leaders are developing a “buddy system” that would help students with disabilities feel supported by a peer when meeting with a faculty or staff member to discuss their difficulties and potential accommodations. Patey has expressed an interest in hosting training sessions for buddies, an offer WesAbilities leaders have welcomed. As Moyer notes, friends and allies often wish to offer support, but they lack the tools and strategies to help in the most effective or appropriate ways.  

Another project seeks to consolidate a wide range of information—from policies and essential forms to FAQs and hyperlinks—from different campus entities to create a single comprehensive resource for students with disabilities. 

Meanwhile, meeting on a regular basis has created a space for members to share their strategies, struggles, and successes. “It’s really lovely to have that judgment-free community,” says Mohanan-Maselko. “Being disabled can be a very isolating experience, regardless of the number of allies around you. You just need to have that conversation with someone who knows exactly what you’re going through and has gone through it themselves.”  

Moyer says WesAbilities members share a very Wesleyan spirit of activism and the desire to create positive change. “It’s a group of people who all care very passionately,” she says. “And they’re there not just because they want community, but because they want to do the work. They want to advocate. They want to make things better.”