(Photos by Anthony Spangler)
Adrian College hosted the 11th annual Disabilities Awareness Week (DAW) Feb. 20- Feb. 26 .
According to Danielle Ward, the disabilities specialist for AC, Academic Services planned all the events for the week and worked with the Disabilities Awareness Group to make the events possible.
Ward said the goal of the week was, “to provide information to students, faculty, staff, and community members about disabilities. [It’s] to provide education and have fun.”
On Saturday, to kickoff the week, there was the “Polar Plunge,” which was a fundraiser where students raised money for the Special Olympics in Michigan. Over $1500 was raised all together.
On Sunday, students had the opportunity to experience a disability for 24 hours.
The 24-hour experience concluded Monday at 5 p.m. At 7 p.m. the same day, the movie “The Horse Boy” was shown in Dawson auditorium.
On Tuesday, there were different stations set up in Caine Student Center available for students, including a table set up for the HOPE Center, the PAWS dogs, and the Stop the R-Word campaign. There was also sled hockey in Arrington Ice Arena later that night.
On Wednesday, Rupert Isaacson, author of “The Horse Boy,” came to Dawson Auditorium as a convocation speaker to discuss his son who has autism. Also on Wednesday, there was a career dinner for students with disabilities in the President’s Dining Room.
On Thursday, there was a Community Mental Health Panel in the Library and Goal Ball during Party Sober night in the Merillat. There was also initiation for Delta Alpha Pi, which is a national honor society for students with disabilities who have earned at least a 3.1 GPA and have completed at least 24 college credits. According to Ward, the chapter of Delta Alpha Pi at Adrian College is the first and possibly the only chapter in Michigan.
The closing ceremony for DAW was held in the Adrian-Tobias Room Friday.
According to Ward, the events that differed from last year’s Disabilities Awareness Week were Polar Plunge, Stop the R-Word Campaign and showing the “The Horse Boy.”
On Tuesday, after the Stop the R-Word Campaign appeared in Caine, there were over 109 signatures pledging to “spread the word to end the word.”
“[Now] we have well over a hundred,” Ward said.
The fraternity and sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha (ASA) and Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) helped out with the events for the week.
“They pretty much ran the entire R-Word Campaign,” Ward said about ASA and ATO. “I really appreciate their help. They did a great job.”
According to Ward members from ASA and ATO made up the bulk of people participating in Polar Plunge and the 24-hour experience.
Freshman Katie Thacker, a member of ASA, participated in a number of different events during the week.
“I personally was not required to do anything,” Thacker said. “But I wanted to help out because it is something my heart is into.”
One of the events Thacker participated in was the 24-hour experience. During this experience, her dominant hand was immobilized. Thacker said that, though her disability didn’t impair her communication skills, it was hard trying to communicate with some of her sisters who were experiencing other disabilities such as not being able to hear or see.
“The 24-hour experience changed my view,” Thacker said. “Ours was temporary, but others can’t take their disability off.”
Ward said that 41 people participated in the 24-hour experience, which was double the amount of people from last year. She said that this event was life changing for those who took it seriously.
“[It] changed their perspective,” Ward said. “Having a disability doesn’t mean your life is over.”
Freshman Joel Sliwinski, a member of the ATO fraternity, also participated in the 24-hour experience. He said the event gave him better insight into how hard it is to live without being able to hear.
“It was interesting to be deaf for the day,” Sliwinski said. “[And] we got a lot of people to realize how hard it would be to have a disability.”
Sliwinski also pledged to stop saying the R-word.
“It’s not nice to say it,” he said. “It’s offensive to others.”
Ward also said that convocation had a great impact on those who heard Isaacson speak.
“He was a fabulous convocation speaker,” Ward said.
Thacker also attended convocation and said that hearing Isaacson speak was very inspirational.
“It was an amazing experience,” Thacker said. “The speaker was good, and the events were a great success.”
Ward said that, overall, she thought Disabilities Awareness Week went very well. She said she was proud of the students who took leadership roles and the initiative to help make changes to the campus and peoples’ perspective.
“The campus was really supportive of the week,” Ward said.
Thacker said that she thinks it’s important to have events like this on campus because people need to realize that people with disabilities are still part of society.
“They’re just people,” Thacker said. “They have lives and they joke around just like everyone else does.”
Ward also said she is open to suggestions for the events for next year and would encourage anyone who wants to get involved with the Disabilities Awareness Group to contact her.