My privilege as an able-bodied person was demonstrated for me through the "Re-Presenting Disability" reading and Riva's commentary on how to get into the right mindset for making portraits of our future friends at Camp Hill. I had not realized that I might, without realizing it, portray my subject with an air of pity rather than as a person. As Garland-Thomson says, "bringing representations of people with disabilities into the public realm via traditional portraiture is an act of sociopolitical integration...as an appropriate member of the public sphere who is worthy of contemplation and commemoration" (24). I wish there were more representations of people who are disabled in popular culture like Rush's.

During Riva's powerpoint she mentioned artists who portrayed issues with race, class, age, disability, as well as a size. This really struck me because I rarely hear fatphobia being talked about. I can not distinctly remember the image that she showed but, the concept of including size along with societies categories that other people really resonates with me. I think that within the classroom size discrimination is rarely talked about. The demonized word fat is compared to the words queer and crip. In recent years campaigns like  Let's Move led by Michelle Obama have systamically ostracized children of various size. While Fat Acceptence movements (mostly done through social media) are constantly critiqued or ignored.

The recent events at Bryn Mawr have caused me to consider the role exposure plays within the realm of education. Exposure to cultures, values, religious beliefs, political positions, and experiences other than my own. Humans tend to isolate themselves with the familiar, which can affect our access to learning about and understanding people who don’t fit into that category. I realized that although my generation still has a ways to go in terms of seeking out and benefitting from diverse communities, we have far more opportunities to do just that than our parents ever did.

I feel as if wealth widens yet connects the gap between education and access. High-income families can afford to spend a lot on their children’s education, so money plays an important role in education. Private tutoring, SAT prep courses, after school programs, etc. all cost money. The advantages that money can buy on tests, college applications, and high achieving grades are what is changing the definition of education as the bridge of success through hard work regardless of one’s income. It is often hard for disadvantaged students to believe that they can get out of poverty and go to school. Low income students are less likely to apply to private colleges and universities compare to their high-income peers.