Disability Awareness Celebrated in October
According to the World Bank, one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. That makes people with disabilities the largest minority group in the world. The fight for the rights of that minority has been, and continues to be, a long and arduous journey. The significance of this struggle is heightened in October, which is recognized as Disability Awareness Month.
In recognition of the month, Accessibility Resources at MSU will be presenting a documentary called “Defiant Lives” over the course of three weeks. The 2017 documentary, which was written and directed by Sarah Barton, shares the accounts of disability rights activists and goes over the history of the movement. The documentary’s website describes the film as featuring “interviews with more than 30 of the leading activists of the past 40 years, plus more than 600 pieces of archival footage and photographs sourced from around the globe. The story is supported by a stirring soundtrack, which strongly places the audience emotionally at the heart of the action.” Following the 30-minute interval of the documentary showing each night, there will be time for discussion.
Beth Claussen is the director of Accessibility Resources. The office is responsible for consultating with students with disabilities and creating reasonable accommodation to remove barriers to academics, housing, programs, and activities. Claussen said the film they plan to show encapsulates the progress made by previous generations of activists and the continual fight for disability rights, including for what she calls “hidden” and invisible” disabilities.
“There are so many different types of disabilities, and most of them are hidden disabilities, you don’t think about it. …The largest percentage of students we work with are mental health, you know, learning disabilities [like] ADHD, she said.
Claussen continued, “Those trailblazers who, many years ago, fought for civil rights of people with disabilities were more so people who had physical disabilities. They did protests, and they sat on the steps off of their wheelchairs… at Washington D.C. They really set the stage for all people with disabilities, and more and more, it’s the invisible disabilities that people are recognizing that we need to continue to kind of fight for.
Presentations of the film and subsequent discussions will take place every Thursday in October, starting on the 17th. This is all free and open to everyone.
Claussen also highlighted another way to get involved is to check out the student group AYA, or Access Your Abilities. She says the goal of the group is to raise awareness around the disabled community and plan events to help do so. AYA is open to all people, regardless of ability.
The event is free and will be held every Thursday, starting on Oct. 17th, for the rest of the month.
Caption: Protest organized to bring awareness to the disability issues. The person on the photo brings the poster inicating “Inacessible Transport Sucks” (Courtesy Beth Claussen).
Write to ben.livingston@mnsu.edu