By Meredith Haas ’24, editor-in-chief
A new initiative on campus aims to bring awareness to disabilities.
As LVC’s campus community continues to make strides toward a more inclusive campus, it’s important to highlight an aspect that often flies under the radar: disability awareness and acceptance.
Disability awareness is not just about recognizing the challenges that individuals with both physical and intellectual disabilities face. Instead, it’s about working to break the stigma surrounding disabilities, and creating a campus community where all feel included, valued and accepted.
Hunter Nelson, a junior interaction design and creative arts double major, noticed there was a serious need for more progress to be made on our campus.
“There was a lot of stuff around campus that I was hearing and seeing that I, myself, did not like,” he said. “This wasn’t really stuff that was happening a lot to me, but it was more so what I was observing that was going on.”
Having had a friend who was directly impacted by harmful and derogatory words, Hunter knew he wanted to step in and take action – but how? He felt as though he was powerless.
“I wanted to help, but I didn’t know if there was much I could really do other than send an email to my higher ups and hope that they actually do something about it,” he said.
Hoping wasn’t enough.
From there, Hunter got to brainstorming, trying to pinpoint ways that he could do more than just speaking up. At the top of this list was putting together efforts for Autism Acceptance Month on LVC’s campus.
Come Monday, April 1, there will be efforts across campus to recognize Autism Awareness Month. The Bishop Library and Neidig-Garber Science Center will be lit up with red – a color symbolizing the importance of acceptance rather than mere awareness.
The Bishop Library and Center for Accessibility Resources (CAR) will also have displays to highlight the month. One of the final efforts is a plan in place to pair with the PA Autism Services Education Resources and Training Collaborative, who will work with LVC to provide outside resources for educational tabling across campus.
“What we have specifically focused on for this month is autism, with hopes to raise awareness about other disabilities in the future,” Erin Hannaford, director of the Center for Accessibility Resources, said. “We’re hoping to keep this going, build off it and continue to raise awareness.”
This initiative comes as the number of students requesting academic accommodations on campus continues to rise, with as many as 238 students registered with CAR as of the fall 2023 semester.
“While it’s a small number in comparison to the student population, it’s a growing number. All the more reason to bring awareness,” Maureen Bentz, director of the Bishop Library, said.