Filled with events meant to explore the relationship between Christianity and physical disability, the Learning Enrichment Center’s (LEC) inaugural Disability Awareness Week (DAW) took place from March 2-4.
“The purpose of DAW was to discover the diversity of disability within various contexts for APU students, faculty, staff and the broader APU community,” said Kimberley Wiedefeld, senior director of undergraduate admissions at APU. “The week helped us explore the imago dei (image of God) within each of us.”
Wiedefeld is a member of a committee that helped put together DAW. She and the other members hope that students and faculty were able to gain more of an awareness about various disabilities.
“I think approaching each other with a desire to learn is key,” Weidefeld said. “There are some resources on campus, [like] classes to help us understand and take into account disability perspectives and identify our own predisposition to ableism. The departments of social work and theology [even] teach a joint class on disability.”
One of the events was a faculty and staff luncheon, where Amos Yong, Ph.D., a well-published theologian from Fuller Theological Seminary, spoke on Christian higher education and disability perspectives.
“As we discuss disability as a campus, it’s important that people with disabilities are part of what we do and discuss. I’d love to see the momentum that started with DAW continue to provide more opportunities to learn and celebrate the diversity of ability that is a part of imago dei, both here and off campus,” Wiedefeld said.
APU alumnus Travis Davis, who spoke at the DAW Student Leadership Chapel, reflected on how APU shaped him as a student and as an alumnus.
“APU molded me…in how we can become more conscientious of individuals who may have disabilities on campus and outside the walls of campus,” Davis said.
Through his speech, Davis hopes that people came away with a greater understanding of disabilities. “I find that it’s not ignorance on people’s part that is preventing or creating this barrier, but the lack of education,” Davis said.
Davis explained that the LEC helped him thrive as an APU student.
“The school was very great about accommodating me [because I needed] an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-approved apartment,” Davis said. “Without resources and programs like the LEC, I wouldn’t be able to do the things that [I need to], get ADA accommodations or [receive] any help that I might need during the year.”
The Learning Enrichment Center currently has 60 tutors for 90 subjects. In addition, Disability Services currently serves 250 students. Incorporating disability in light of diversity has been a huge topic of discussion at APU lately. LEC Director Elizabeth Chamberlain believes that conversation about disabilities should open up even more.
“There are so many different conversations we can have, whether it be staff conversations about disabilities, ways that we serve people with disabilities in our broader community, [or even serve] people with intellectual disabilities,” Chamberlain said.
Dean of Students, Terry Franson, Ph.D., said, “I think the Church has been unsure how to embrace people with with disabilities and learn from them. Instead of trying to make people with disabilities able-bodied or able-minded to try and fix them, but to learn from them. I think it requires a deeper level of sensitivity.”
The LEC is open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Monday-Friday, and located on East Campus.