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Disability Awareness Month Events to be Hosted at Ferris Throughout October

Ferris State UniversityVIDEO: Disability Awareness Month 2014

Ferris State University’s Educational Counseling and Disabilities Services office has planned multiple events as part of Disability Awareness Month.

Disability Awareness Month is nationally recognized in October to focus public attention on issues related to individuals with learning disabilities.

Educational Counseling and Disabilities Services informs the public of individuals with disabilities and sheds light on the different varieties of disabilities present in today’s society through a month of educational events on campus.

“Educational Counseling and Disabilities Services works with students with disabilities and determines what kind of accommodations are reasonable and necessary,” said Julie Rudolph, Educational Counseling and Disabilities Services counselor. “We work to ensure those accommodations are in place.”

Welding and Engineering Technology alumnus Preston Graham explained that he didn’t know if he would ever be able to make it into a university with some of disabilities such as his own dyslexia and his reading comprehension skills.

“Ferris has opened the door for that,” Graham said. “I now have the skill set and knowledge to follow my dream.”

Here is a list of events for Disability Awareness Month:

Thursday, Oct. 2 

  • Inclusive Classroom Practices Panel Discussion:
    • FLITE, Room 133
      11 a.m.
  • Faculty members and other experts in the area of inclusive and universal design will answer questions with regard to classroom practices and teaching methods that are conducive to learning for all students.

Thursday, Oct. 9

  • Diversity of Abilities Panel Discussion:
    • IRC 120
      6:30 to 8 p.m.
  • Community members, faculty, staff and students with disabilities will share their stories. This event is also part of Beyond Diversity, sponsored multiple university offices, including the Office of International Educational and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Friday, Oct. 10 

  • Wheelchair Basketball Game:
    • Wink Arena
      7 to 9 p.m.
  • The Grand Rapids Pacers Wheelchair Basketball team will visit Ferris and play against members of the Ferris men’s and women’s basketball teams and other students who wish to participate. A fundraiser raffle will be held with money going toward the “Invest in Knowledge Scholarship” for students with disabilities. Prizes for the raffle include President’s Box tickets to a home Ferris football game and Ferris apparel.

Wednesday, Oct. 15 

  • Disability Awareness Month speaker, Bill Deering:
    • IRC, Room 120
      6 to 7 p.m.
  • Bill Deering speaks candidly about his self-hatred of stuttering and the growth process of accepting himself. He has overcome many challenges in his life, including learning disabilities, to elevate his grade point average in college from 0.7 to 3.7 by his last semester of college.

Thursday, Oct. 30

  • Working with Students with Disabilities Presentation for Faculty:
    • FLITE, Room 133
      11 a.m.
  • Educational Counseling and Disabilities Services will have an open discussion with interested faculty on disability law, student and faculty rights and ECDS procedures.