Dr. Paul Wichansky, a national public speaker on disabilities awareness, spoke at the University last night, kicking off the University's Disability Awareness Week.
Wichansky, who has cerebral palsy, "speaks all about overcoming adversity and about empowering yourself as a disabled person, [as well as] bridging the gap between the disabled and the non- disabled population," third-year Commerce student Jason Shapiro said.
Shapiro, whose younger brother has cerebral palsy, approached the University Programs Council about organizing the event, UPC Director of Current Events Stephanie Nguyen said.
Shapiro noted that his younger brother was "instrumental" in getting Disabilities Awareness Month passed at the state level, and Shapiro wanted to mold it into a week-long event suitable for the University.
"It's just to spread awareness," he said, so "that people who aren't usually around people with disabilities know about it, can deal with it better on a day-to-day basis, if they see people on the street with a disability, that kind of thing."
In this vein, Disabilities Awareness Week will feature two speakers and two film screenings. There will be a screening of "Spotlight: Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind" tonight in Minor Hall Auditorium, and a screening of "Music Within" Wednesday night at the Newcomb Hall Theater. University alumna Sharon Pajka-West also will speak Thursday night about her experience with Meniere's disease and its effect on her teaching at Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf.
Additionally, Student Council's Diversity Initiative Committee will unveil its Off-Grounds Accessible Housing Initiative, Committee Co-Chair Ishraga Eltahir said. The committee will present its scholarship fund, which combines Student Council funding and donations from landlords to create a scholarship or grant for students needing modifications to their off-Grounds housing options, she added.
The committee also will announce the beginning of a comprehensive database for off-Grounds accessible housing, which will eventually be available online, Eltahir said.
Nguyen noted the significance of Disabilities Awareness Week and highlighted the importance of awareness about related issues.
"We have different organizations and CIOs that raise awareness for people with cerebral palsy or Down syndrome or people who have [vision] problems, but there's nothing that really brings it together," she said. "Hopefully with [these] events for disabilities awareness, we can really make this an annual occurrence, and possibly next year make the event even bigger and better"
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