By Meghan Mathias, Staff Writer
October is a month full of pumpkins, fall colors, wishful thoughts of cooler weather, and also awareness. October is Disability Awareness Month and this is a month that Saint Leo fully participates in, in order to broaden college student’s knowledge of a variety of disabilities.
Disabilities do not only have to be physical but they can also include learning, seen and unseen disabilities. Paige Ramsey, the Associate Director for Multicultural and International Services, has been planning events for the students of Saint Leo for disability awareness month since the year of 2004. Every year since 2004, she has expanded the amount of activities that are planned for Saint Leo, in order for students to understand the world of disabilities and better connect with people who have disabilities. Saint Leo’s disability awareness week occurred the week of October 3-7, 2011.
Each day Saint Leo had a planned activity including two public speakers: William Deering and Keith Wann. Deering’s story is one that is very inspirational to whoever hears it. Deering has a stuttering disability, and offered a personal anecdote in his presentation. Since he stuttered so badly, he would avoid speaking and answering the phone whenever possible. If there were an absolute need for him to answer the phone, it would take him three minutes to state his name and then another three minutes to finish the introduction of the phone call, not including the rest of the phone call. He now is a public speaker and presents numerous presentations and has overcome his obstacle in life, which is such an encouragement all people.
Wann has a different background with disabilities. He was born perfectly healthy to two parents who were completely deaf and did not speak English. Wann grew up in a home where his first language that he learned was American Sign Language and then he later learned English. Wann does his entire skit in sign language and it is quite entertaining to watch. Wann grew up in a world where he was first exposed to parents who had a disability but he learned to welcome the differences that his parents had and learn how to teach others about how to accept disabilities.
Saint Leo also hosted practical activities that let the students have a hands-on approach to living with a disability. Ramsey says that it “is to let the students see what it is like to live in their shoes”. There was a challenge experience featuring wheelchair obstacle courses, an activity where socks were placed on hands to show how it is to live without the ability to use fine motor skills, and an experience where people were blind folded and asked to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while people moved around the jars of peanut butter and jelly and loaves of better to demonstrate what happens when someone interrupts a blind person’s routine, for their routine is their livelihood and they know how to operate as if they did have the ability to see. The last day of the awareness week offered blind beef softball where the bases have sound alerts on them and the pitcher throws the ball with the saying of “ready”, “pitch” or “ball” to alert the batter that he is going to throw the ball and what type of ball it is going to be (if they can hit the ball or not). It is a highly competitive game and is quite fun once people get used to the idea of a playing a game with blindfolds on.
The month of October offers a lot to do, but it is also a month that is very informative. Disability Awareness Month is designed to let people know and feel what it is like to live with a disability. It is an event that Saint Leo fully endorses for here, the ability to learn about other people is an important part of recognizing what you can do to help others.
