Office of Internal Communications
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October 21, 2004
Learning is the cornerstone of the university experience, and sometimes the most enlightening lessons are taught outside of the classroom. This will be the case during the University of Houston’s DisAbility Awareness Week (DAW), Monday, Oct. 25 – Friday, Oct. 29, when faculty, staff and students will learn about the challenges facing those with disabilities. In some cases, people will learn these lessons while sitting in a wheelchair. “This week of events will also help the campus community recognize the abilities of people with disabilities,” said Cheryl Amoruso, director of the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD). This is the fifth year CSD has hosted and coordinated events, including symposiums, a mental health fair, a wheelchair basketball game and a campus tour at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28 in which faculty, staff and students are led throughout the campus in wheelchairs. “The tour is one of the week’s most popular events,” Amoruso said. “It’s extremely educational for everyone who participates. I do it every year and I always learn something new.” While the campus tour has been a regular feature of DAW, a new event will be the mental health symposium at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Featured speakers are Texas House Rep. Garnet Coleman and Ken Arfa, psychiatrist in the UH Health Center, who will discuss the various mental health problems encountered by students, as well as the campus services that are available to them. Another symposium at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 27, will focus on the legal and professional challenges of those with disabilities. Moderating the event will be UH alumnus Jim Savage, assistant Harris County attorney. Savage is all too familiar with these topics as he is a wheelchair user and only has partial use of one arm. “I plan to offer an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which isn’t enforced as often as most people think. I’ll also offer job interviewing tips,” Savage said. “Surveying a building before going to a job interview is something I will talk about and which I used to do because I found that handicap accessible doors in office buildings are often hidden.” For more information on DAW, or to make reservations at any of the events, call CSD at (713) 743-5400. All events are free. Mike Emery
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