Adrian College will host Disabilities Awareness Week 2010 Feb. 20 through Feb. 26. The following events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.
Danielle Ward, disabilities specialist, EXCEL advisor and primary organizer of the week said, “The week is designed to educate students, faculty and staff, and the community about disabilities. This is our eleventh year and I’m eager for new and exciting things this year.”
“The staff of EXCEL, the Student Support Services Program at Adrian College, is committed to the retention, persistence, and graduation of Adrian College students with significant support provided to students who are from first-generation and/or low-income families and/or who have a disability,” Ward said.
Sophomore Emilia Ertz said, “This week is put together, like the name says, to raise awareness of students and members of the community with disabilities and to bring together the college and community to work together to get rid of discrimination and prejudice people, sometimes unknowingly, have against people with disabilities. It brings a sense of unity to the campus.”
Kimberly Palmerton, member of Alpha Sigma Alpha said, “This week helps everyone realize that there are people with disabilities and even though they may seem different, they’re really not. I think the best activity going on is the 24-hour experience because people get a chance to be disabled for 24 hours and it helps them see what people with disabilities go through.”
According to Palmerton, there will be a ‘Polar Plunge’ event benefiting the Special Olympics on Saturday, while Sunday is the beginning of the 24-hour experience to simulate disabilities. On Monday, the movie “Horse Boy” will be shown about a boy who is autistic. Students will be able to participate in various activities in Caine Student Center, including one about shredding the ‘R’ word and a sled hockey game on Tuesday. No activities will be scheduled for Wednesday due to convocation, but Thursday marks Party Sober Night and a Goal Ball Tournament. On the concluding day, Friday, a luncheon presentation will be held at noon in the Tobias Room, featuring Lenawee County Representative Doug Spade.
“The 24-hour experience is really good. I was deaf last year and I actually went to the store with some of my sorority sisters, who were also participating, some doing the blind experience. We realized how many misconceptions people actually have about people with disabilities,” Ertz said.
“I think the 24 hour experience is the most important activity because you get to experience what people with disabilities go through on a daily basis. I think this activity will make those involved in it to appreciate what they have and instead of taking them for granted,” Palmerton said.
Mindy Hummel said, “I became involved with Disabilities Awareness Week because it’s a great way to get the message out there that being disabled doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful and it’s a great way to make people more aware of accessibility issues on campus. This week is very important to me because it sheds light on what people with disabilities go through on a daily basis, while at the same time proving how capable we are.”
“Working with people with disabilities has made me appreciate the little things in life because they don’t get upset when they lose a game and they love to do the jobs that no one likes to do and that just puts a warm fuzzy feeling inside of me and I would like to give back to them what they have given to me,” Palmerton said.
“The week is going to a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work, but it’s great to get the word out. I’m most excited for Stop the “R” word. People don’t realize how hurtful it is. It’s great that campus is taking it onto stop the use,” Ward said.
Student and faculty awards will be announced and presented on Friday during the closing ceremony. More information, along with a full schedule and description of the activities, can be found on Adrian’s website. Also for more information about Stop the “R” word can be found at http://www.r-word.com.