A New Dawn: Disability Awareness Week Network

Disability Awareness Week Network

Elizabeth Mortensen and Joseph Plutz, Office of Disability Services: FIT-ABLE

• The Office of Disability Support Service/FIT-ABLE presented a weeks worth of events for Disability Awareness Week.

• Activities included workshops, guest speakers and other activities.

• A learning styles assessment questionnaire (VARK) was sent to faculty, administrators, and students to determine their learning styles. Faculty were encouraged to discuss the results with their individual classes and to consider different learning styles when teaching.

• A panel of FIT faculty, identified by students, who incorporate varied modalities of teaching to reach all students, was convened to provide a platform for sharing information amongst colleagues.

• There was a guest speaker on inclusive design (research associate from the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access School of Architecture and Planning, University at Buffalo, SUNY). This person also made studio visits to classes of Interior Design and graduate student classes of Exhibition Design.

• There were books on display in the Gladys Marcus Library, and in the Marvin Feldman Center Lobby showcasing disability history, study skills, and disability.

• Faculty of the Counseling Center presented three workshops in a disability survival seminar.

• There was also a film festival showcasing disability related films.