Accessibility Awareness Week '08

BYUSA, a campus group, was holding Accessibility Awareness Week the past few days. Students can "adopt" a disability for a couple hours and complete some tasks with it, then watch a 20-minute video on disability, then get a free t-shirt that says "I Took the Challenge." I decided to do it (partially because I needed something to write about for my Opinion Editorial) and so I went and adpoted this morning.

I chose hearing and speech impairment, which besically meant I was deaf and mute. I was supposed to do it for 2 hours, but I ended up doing it for 4. It was really funny. And very peaceful with the ear plugs in. I could still hear, but everything was muffled. Here's what I looked like (and I made this facial expression all day, too! haha):

Here's the card they gave me when I completed the challenge

Here's a note I used to get help

And how I told my teachers what was going on

I had a few things I had to do:

1. Attend a class; get notes from a friend

2. Have a conversation with someone

3. Ask for directions to one of your classes

4. Watch 10 minutes of TV

All of them were fun to do. I especially liked how cashiers at the Cougareat and in the Bookstore would respond when they realized I was "deaf." They would start to us motions and talk less. It was interesting. And I think I noticed that my teachers were writing on the board more than usual. It was nice that they were catching on to the point, which was to realize the accomodations that disabled students need.

Some of the other disabilities were: partial blindness, tunnel vision, wheelchair, crutches, hand impairment, hearing impairment, speech imparment (each indiviually), and a few more I don't remember. I think wheelchair was the most popular, because they advertised the challege of going all the way to the RB from the Wilk. I wasn't going to try. :) Haha

And the crowning glory of the day, my t-shirt!