What is the Disabled and Nondisabled Alliance (DANA)??

Article Brian Thao
What is the Disabled and Nondisabled Alliance (DANA)??

I am Brian Thao, and I have been the Blog Editor for over a year now. Last semester, I joined the Disabled and Nondisabled Alliance or DANA as an officer where I have been creating weekly video content on YouTube and Instagram. We’re a club at Sac State for disabled students, staff, and their allies to discuss and educate each other on disability topics, advocate for the disabled community, and hang out together. 

This semester, I want to start using the blogs as a platform to improve the recognition of DANA to the Sac State student and staff population by writing weekly blogs surrounding disability topics ranging from Systemic Ableism, Disability in Academia, Cooking with Disabilities, and Consent. These blogs will be educational content from our previous meetings in Fall 2021 and this semester. The blog releases a new post every Monday at 8:00 am starting on today, January 24th.

Before I start writing on disability topics, I want to give a brief overview of what the Disabled and Nondisabled Alliance is all about.

What is the origin of DANA? 

In 2020, our founder Rian noticed that there was no space for disabled students to come together as a community and socialize. There is Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD) and (TRiO), but both of those were primarily focused on academics, not connection. After asking around, they realized they could create a space for connection, education, and support by founding a club. Using knowledge and advice from alumni who have made previous attempts, the Disabled and Nondisabled Alliance was born with the support of SSWD Director Dr. Mary Lee Vance. 

What do we do at DANA?

We have biweekly meetings educating and discussing disability topics and issues with club members. In each meeting, we have different focuses, but We essentially have a conversation with each other.  For instance, at our 6th meeting of the Fall 2021 semester, we had a topic on Disability in Primary Education. We discussed laws associated with accommodations as well as some of our personal experiences with special education and universal design. You can watch the full recording on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnyJgUsTvKE&feature=youtu.be

Who are the Officers for DANA? 

We are a group of students who are driven to work together in leading the club’s operations and activities, including planning for both fun social events and political action. If you want to learn more about us, be sure to click on the introduction videos we posted on our YouTube channel at “DANA at Sac State.” You can also check out the first episode of Through our Lens on Monday, January 24th at 12:00 PM on the home page and click “listen live” at the top for a more in-depth introduction.

  • President: William Wyatt 
  • Treasurer: Brian Thao
  • Founder: Rian Diadenz 

How can you join? 

DANA is a safe place for disabled students, staff, and their allies to connect and have fun with each other. We are open to all, regardless of if you consider yourself disabled or not!

Everyone is welcome to join our virtual Zoom meetings! Our meetings are a great way to get connected with the club and get to know other people in Sacramento State’s budding disabled community. Our next meeting will be on February 3rd at 6:30 PM on zoom. Zoom Link: https://csus.zoom.us/j/2442218945   

Get connected with us by following our socials below: 

  • Instagram – @danaatsacstate: We post weekly updates advertising what DANA is doing.
  • Discord Server: https://discord.gg/AVNdveCqtS – We regularly chat together and announce events and meetings here.
  • YouTube channel – DANA at Sac State: We post our recordings of past meetings and a new podcast titled Through our Lens here.
  • Through our Lens Podcast: We have a podcast with the Sac State Student-Run Radio (KSSU). This podcast releases every Monday at 12:00 PM starting on January 24th. Our first episode is about the origin of DANA and Universal Design in the Hornet Commons. You can check it out by clicking on “listen live” at the top on the main page or watch the recording on YouTube.

Finally, please check out our “Fall 2021 Recap” video to understand what we are doing this semester at the top of the article. 

Be sure to come to our next meeting on February 3rd at 6:30 PM via zoom

Brian Thao is the host of Through our Lens with the Disabled and Nondisabled Alliance, a place where the officers and club members can talk unscripted. 

Tune in to KSSU.com to hear shows hosted by Sac State students. Streaming 24/7 music, sports, talk shows, and more, there is something on KSSU for everyone. Interested in hosting your own radio show or podcast with our station? Click here to learn how to become a KSSU DJ.