The Pride Center hosted Spectrum of Strength at the Grand Salon in the USU on April 22. Queer and disabled students had the opportunity to learn about resources on and off campus, as well as bond with their peers.

The discussion “Pillars to Queer Disability” was facilitated by two students from the Programs and Activities team, Shin Min and Raquel Apolinar, with help from team member Vesper Martinez. It centered around resources available to queer and disabled students such as Sins Invalid, which is a performance project led by queer, BIPOC individuals and LA Spoony Collective. This organization provides panel discussions and workshops centered around the intersectionality of disability, gender, race and more.

The event’s hosts said the goal was to practice pride in inclusivity, especially in the current changing political climate.

“People celebrate queerness, but sometimes people are not really familiar with the topic of being disabled, so we wanted to focus and share that community as well,” said Min.

Those tabling the event included organizations such as Kaleidoscope, University Counseling Services and Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES). DRES helps students with documented permanent and temporary disabilities set up accommodation services for the classroom, housing and testing. The service is free for CSUN students and is a one-time application process.

DRES counselor Jessica Cattani said DRES is not only about disability services, but about creating a safe space on campus.

“We are all a community together,” said Cattani. “It doesn’t matter your disability or your race or your experience, the interconnection is there. We understand that there’s less fortunate people who haven’t been able to have accommodations when they’re younger, so this might be their first experience having this opportunity.”

The event also included a sensory table with fidget toys, slime-making, dry clay art and a disability-friendly raffle giveaway for a heated stuffed animal, weighted blanket and noise-canceling headphones.

One student from the Pride Center, Adrian Goodman, decided to attend because of his diagnosis of a learning disability and hoped to see what resources the event had to offer.

“I didn’t even know I had it until high school,” Goodman said. “I’m still trying to navigate it because I’ve been living with it for so long … certain things are starting to click.”

Goodman appreciated the thoroughness of the event, saying the variety of information was helpful in acknowledging the different communities and disabilities. He said he enjoys the Pride Center because of the variety of resources they offer and the way the staff cares for its students.

“The energy in the Pride Center is always very positive,” Goodman said. “It’s a nice place to relax and do homework, and I just really enjoy the space.”

The Pride Center can be found on the second floor of the USU Sol Center, and more information is available on their website.