Emory Report

October 19, 1998

Volume 51, No. 8

Inaugural Disability Awareness Week informs, builds community Next week marks the first Disability Awareness Week at Emory, an event created through the generosity of an Emory parent and whose aim is to educate people on campus about the concerns, questions and facts about persons with disabilities. Starting Sunday, Oct. 25, with a kick-off reception from 7-9 p.m. in the Carlos Museum, the week will feature lectures, brown bag lunches, music and other entertainment, and perhaps even a few surprises. All events are free, and the only two requiring registration are full-day conferences Monday and Friday. President Bill Chace will speak to open the Monday conference, "Providing Disability Services on a University Campus: Responsibilities of Students, Faculty and Administrators." Bob Ethridge, vice president for equal opportunity programs, will also speak, and the event will feature Jeanne Kincaid, a disability attorney and author of Section 504, the ADA and the Schools. Disability Awareness Week is the result of a $20,000 gift from Richard Aarons, an Emory parent who wanted to help forward the goals of the University's Disability Services office. The office then secured the help of several community organizations including the Shepherd Center, the Center for the Visually Impaired, Jewish Family and Career Services, the Autism Society and others. "I think it's going to be a great way for people to get together, interact and talk about disability issues," said Tricia Jacob, coordinator of disability services for students. "It's not just about the law--it's an opportunity to get together, ask questions and learn. Lack of knowledge about disabilities can lead to misconceptions about abilities." Tuesday through Thursday will feature a series of brown bag lunches split into two sessions, one (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) specifically geared toward faculty and the other (12:30 to 1 p.m.) for all who wish to attend. The topics will be learning disabilities on Tuesday, visual impairments on Wednesday and psychological disabilities on Thursday. All lunches will take place in the Carlos Museum reception hall. Nationally known comedian Kathy Buckley will perform Wednesday night in Cox Ballroom. Buckley, who is hearing impaired, has appeared on numerous television specials including "Stand-Up Spotlight" on VH-1, "Comic Strip Live" on Fox and "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. Local band Van Gogh will perform Thursday night in a free concert, and architect James Terry will speak at an all-day conference,"Building Bridges to Universal Access" Friday at the Georgia World Congress Center. For more information or to register for any event, call the Disability Services office at 404-727-6016. --Michael Terrazas Return to Oct. 19, 1998, contents page