By Josh Hughes
The Disability Outreach Center (DOC) at Western is hosting a Disability Awareness Week, which starts on Monday, April 10, and goes until Friday, April 14. Every year the DOC puts on a similar week, but the events offered always change. Some events featured this year: a day with service dogs and a comedian tackling depression.
Monday, April 10
The week kicks off on Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Viking Union (VU) Multipurpose Room (MPR), where students may learn about a slew of different breeds of service dogs and how they get their title and position. There will be search and rescue, guide, therapy and emotional support dogs.
The event will also feature an obstacle course! Students will be blindfolded and guided through the course by guide dogs. In the words of the Facebook event page, “snacks, drinks, and dogs included.”
Tuesday, April 11
The following day, the DOC will be partnering with Woodring College’s Special Education Department to host “Let’s Talk About Disability,” a presentation at which teachers will discuss etiquette with an emphasis on people who are blind. The event will take place at 6 p.m. in VU 565A, and will also include food.
Wednesday, April 12
Disability Awareness Week continues with another presentation, “Let’s Talk About Sex & Disability,” which will take place at 6 p.m. in VU 565A. Part of a partnership with Animal Rights Club and Prevention and Wellness Services, the evening includes a short video followed by a discussion and panel all centered on sex and disability.
The organizers intend to provide a platform to overcome these challenges in a safe, inclusive environment. The event will also be catered.
Thursday, April 13
On Thursday, comedian Clayton Raithel will be coming to Western to perform. How, you might ask, does a comedy act relate to Disability Awareness Week? Raithel’s routine, entitled “SMILE,” is an autobiographical one-man show that focuses on confronting depression. He seeks to make topics like mental illness more approachable to his audience, giving a humanizing (and humorous when appropriate) face to these illnesses. The event takes place in Arntzen Hall 100 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Friday, April 14
DOC is ending the week on Friday, with a dance in the VU MPR from 6 to 9 p.m. Students may dance to their heart’s content, eat catered food and learn about disability rights, free of cost. The partners include Animal Rights Club, Bellingham Therapy Clinic and the newly formed Disability Outreach Club. While these events mark a standalone week for disability awareness, the ultimate goal is to create awareness around various disabilities that people face on a day to day basis, and provide platforms for them to help in their own community here at Western.
Anyone looking for more info about the events, Disability Awareness Week or the DOC should head down to their office in VU 513, located in the Viking Union.
Featured image: Disability Awareness Week schedule. Image courtesy of the AS Publicity Center.