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Disability Awareness Day set for April 25  Lacey Clark April 25 marks the 12th Annual Disability Awareness Day to be held on the MSU Drill Field. The events kick off at 10 a.m., and will last until 2 p.m. The schedule of events includes more than 30 booths and tables, motivational speaker Henry Holden, and activities, games, and prizes for all ages. Participants can purchase the 2000 Disabilities Awareness Day T-shirt, which will be sold throughout the day. Proceeds from sales will go to United Students, which will aid the continuation of Disability Awareness Day in the future. Candace Stephenson, co-director of Disabled Student Affairs, said, "this is the year and the time to raise awareness of disabled students, their needs and concerns." The event's conception came as a response to a lack of awareness of disabled students' needs on the MSU campus in 1988. Due to its central location, Mississippi State University is the only public university in the state that receives government funding to aid disabled students. Student Support Services, born of a collaborative effort between Donnie Prisock and Dean of Students, Mike White, utilizes this unique fund to counsel and support disabled students, as well as low-income, first generation, and students who need additional academic assistance. Jamie Ramanauskas, president of United Students, noted that Disability Awareness Day provides an occasion for all students to learn about numerous disabilities. "You never know when a disability will affect you," she said. Furthermore, Ramanauskas alluded to plans for extending Disabilities Awareness Day into a week long event. Preparations for a campuswide dance are under way for next year. In addition to the events on the Drill Field during the day, Henry Holden, actor, athlete, stand-up comic, and activist, will speak in Simrall Auditorium on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Holden, who contracted polio at age 4 during a national epidemic, hopes to change attitudes and misconceptions about people with disabilities. Holden has traveled the college circuit extensively, most recently throughout Europe, and has been presented the Joseph P. Rilley Award by the Screen Actors Guild for his efforts as chairman of "Performers With Disabilities." Tuesday night's speech will be titled "The Misconceptions Continue: How The Media Represents People With Disabilities." Awareness Day is sponsored by Student Support Services, United Students, and the Student Association Disabled Student Affairs committee. |
