A Disability Cultural Center (DCC) is a safe space, commonly on a college campus, for those who identify themselves as being disabled that aims to spread and promote disability culture to the population at large

What is a Disability Cultural Center (DCC)?

- Established following the passing of the ADA in 1990
- First DCC: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 1991, was the only DCC until the establishment of a DCC at Syracuse University (2010)
- DCC affiliations have varied by university. Some are affiliated with their disability services department, some with their EDI department, etc.

History of DCCs

ADA. (2019). What is the definition of disability under the ADA? | ADA National Network. Adata.org. https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada

‌CDC. (2020, September 15). Disability and Health Overview | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html#:~:text=What%20is%20disability%3F

List of DCCs | Disability Cultural Center | University of Illinois Chicago. (n.d.). https://dcc.uic.edu/symposium/list-of-dccs/

DCC References

List of DCCs

Disability is not defined by a single universal standard; rather, it is conceptualized through multiple frameworks. These include medical definitions that focus on bodily or intellectual impairments, legal frameworks such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that emphasize substantial limitations on major life activities, and social definitions that highlight societal barriers and prejudice.

Definitions of Disability

- What is a Disability?
- What is a DCC?
- History of DCCs
- List of DCCs
- DCC References

Grinnell College

- Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Learning Impairment Disorders
- Down's Syndrome
- William's Syndrome
- Disability Cultural Centers (DCCs)

Student Diversity - Disabilities

Seifert, K., &amp; Sutton, R. (2009). Student Diversity. In Educational Psychology (pp. 66–84). Open Textbook Library. 

Educational Psychology

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity and is divided into three subtypes:
- primarily inattentive
- primarily hyperactive-impulsive
- combined

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. It displays symptoms such as impaired communication, lack or impairment in social skills and interactions, and repeated patterns of behaviors that interfere with an individual's ability to cognitively function. These symptoms are almost always present in early development, and are considered to be on a 'spectrum' because of the differences in severity of these symptoms.


Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life. Boys tend to be diagnosed more often than girls by approximately 4x. There is also an overrepresentation of transgender or gender nonconforming people with ASD.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) affects about 4% of the worldwide population and is slightly more common in women. Also known as social phobia, it is defined as a persistent,and potentially debilitating fear of meeting new people, being watched, or criticized by others. Some with social anxiety may attempt to avoid anxiety-triggering situations by self-isolating or cancelling plans. It is a profound fear of the judgement of peers, particularly public humiliation. It is NOT shyness or introversion but can sprout from childhood shyness. In a social sense, social anxiety is not just feeling nervous or shy in certain social situations like starting a new job or the first day of school. Social anxiety disorder is a disorder that interferes with everyday life and relationships due to fearing situations where you can be embarrassed or viewed negatively and intense fear of situations where a person with SAD expects the worst. 

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