Disability Awareness Day opens students’ eyes
Brigitte Moland
As
the Students of Marian entered the school on Feb. 11, many thought of it as a
typical day. After the fourth block of
the day the student body soon found out hardship and life lessons would be
learned.
The
Disability Awareness Day was organized by the Ministry Council action group to
raise awareness to the Marian community about those with disabilities. “The idea was to not so much have people
know what it’s like to have a disability, but more to know and to be there for
those who need help,” said junior Ministry Council member Marie Young.
After the morning blocks
had ended, Ministry Council held an all school block in the East Gym. The block kicked off with guest speaker
Christine Heine, a teacher at Omaha South High School. “I was really excited when I was asked to
come speak. It was the biggest crowd I had ever spoken in front of,” said
Heine.
Heine
spoke about her life with a disability and the everyday struggles she
encounters. “I wanted to speak to shed
light on myths and pre-conceived notions people have, and basically I wanted to
share my story,” Heine said.
After a riveting speech
from Heine, Mr. Kory Delkamiller then called up one pre-selected student from
each religion class to simulate a disability for the rest of the school
day. “I was asked by Mr. Koesters if I
would do it [simulate a disability], and I thought ‘why not’,” said senior
participant Maria Scarpello.
As students moved to the front of the gym, the participants were
each given a disability to simulate ranging from visual and hearing impairments
to wheelchairs and leg braces. Nearly
30 students and four faculty members received a disability to simulate during
the afternoon and were told to try and carry on their day as usual. As the block ended, girls with crutches,
wheelchairs, and arm slings exited the gym to carry on their “typical day.”
Students simulating a
disability carried on their day while many others tried to help them or often
forgot that they had a disability. “The
hardest part was that my friends kept forgetting I couldn’t talk or hear. I had to motion to them with my hands to
remind them,” Scarpello said who was assigned to have a hearing loss and be
mute.
At the end of the day the
students and faculty members took off their eye patches leg braces, and
earplugs and went home. “It went really
well, everyone around here was so genuinely nice to those with the
disabilities,” said Young. Others felt
different. “I didn’t like how some
people didn’t take it seriously. They
didn’t take it for what it was supposed to stand for,” said junior Vanessia
Slaughter
Concluding the Disability
Awareness Day was a follow up discussion the next day among every religion
class discussing the controversial day.
“I think the day ran a lot better than we expected, the respect and
maturity among the students was amazing,” Young said. Some students on the other hand felt it got a little out of
control. “I saw people making fun of
people, but it wasn’t everybody,” Slaughter said.
Not only did Marie Young
have positive things to say about the day but Christine Heine, the guest
speaker was later approached at the Creighton Basketball game and was told how
moving her story was to the student body.
“ Thirteen Marian girls came up to me and told me how much they
appreciated my story,” Heine said.
No matter what the opinion
of the day was, each person of the Marian student body walked away with
something different they had learned.
Whether it was how to help someone blind climb stairs, or how to show
simple dignity towards someone in a wheelchair, a value was learned by all.