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PAST ISSUES

The Day of Disability Awareness

by Robbie Michaelson
Exchange Writer

     The Day of Disability Awareness event will be held for the
second year on April 19 and will give students an opportunity to
live the life of a disabled person for a day.

     The Day of Disability Awareness (or DODA) was created by student Bill Eroh, Chairman of the Executive Board for DODA, last year. The idea was inspired by his older sister who woke up one day paralyzed from the neck down. According to Eroh, the event is intended to "educate and be a resource to the college for future construction." Eroh also says that "We are not doing the program to call out the college, we want it as a resource to the college". The event lasts from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. and will take place at various locations on campus

     The DODA lets student volunteers experience both physical and sensory disabilities using various methods. They can be blindfolded to represent blindness or put in a wheelchair and attempt to go through a normal day of school. Other disabilities include disabled arms or legs, deafness, muteness, and being visually impaired. Other student volunteers will act as aids and assistant to the disabled students.

     There will be speakers during the day along with other events. The committee is planning a Special Olympics and a Wheelchair Drivers Ed for participating students. CAB also sponsored comedian Chris Fonseca, a man with cerebral palsy who is scheduled for 8 P.M. that night and Eroh is working on getting a blind pianist to perform. His sister will also come to speak with the students and faculty. He expects to have seven workshops total for the event.

     In order to receive feedback and gather data on the event, student volunteers will complete a survey on their experiences. The surveys will measure the level of handicap accessibility they experienced at the college. These surveys will be presented to the college administration for them to review. According to Eroh, last year many students' perspectives were changed after just five minutes of their time having disabilities.

     Eroh has high hopes for the DODA's future. He intends to make the event a permanent part of the college curriculum. He wants the event to be mandatory for every freshman and hopes to bring the idea to other colleges. Not only that, but he wants to bring the event to the town of Rindge and even the entire New England area.

     Cliff Husted, Coordinator for DODA and a student campus safety officer hopes to make this year, "bigger and better than ever". Last year the committee created more handicap parking spaces to see if people would honor them. Most people did not and Husted is planning on enforcing the signs this year.

     Volunteers are needed for planning, equipment acquisition, publicity, equipment organization, workshops, events and other tasks. Volunteers are also needed to be disabled or to act as aids for those who are disabled. To volunteer or get more information contact the committee at DODA@franklinpierce.edu.