Olivia Epley /
Disability Wales /
Caerphilly, Wales, U.K. /
Hello! My name is Olivia Epley and I am a junior in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. My concentration is Mental Illness and the Criminal Legal System and my minor is in Disability Studies. My passion is in intersecting the studies of disability justice and criminology, and working with the overlap of communities affected by these areas.
This summer, I will be spending my time working for Disability Wales, which is a non-profit in Caerphilly, Wales (right outside the Welsh capital, Cardiff) that serves Welsh and British folks with disabilities. Disability Wales seeks to provide a mechanism for achieving “rights, equality, and independent living” for the people it serves.
Something I’m studying in my independent study that is particularly relevant to Disability Wales is its reliance on the social model of disability. Put simply, there are at least two models of disability: the medical model and the social model. The medical model would treat disability as something to be cured, and demand that those who are disabled change themselves in order to fit into a broader, able bodied and neuro-typical society. The social model would have that larger society be categorized as the thing that needs to change to accommodate disabled people, and would identify disabled folks as people who deserve accommodations for their impairments, which is different from their disability, which is societally imposed. In order to achieve disability justice, society must be the thing that changes, including public attitudes, legislation, and physical accommodations.
Disability Wales has several goals that will be at play during my tenure with them. Fundraising, research, legislative advocacy, and other projects are constantly happening. Additionally, my time there coincides with their 50th Anniversary celebration, and I will be doing everything I can to support the organization in that effort.
My current tasks mostly involve getting ready to depart in early June. I’m in the midst of securing a visa, which is a complicated, though ultimately worthwhile, experience. I’m very grateful to Gallatin Global for promising the funding necessary for me to book flights to and accommodations for my trip to Wales. I can’t wait to tell you all more about my adventures abroad!