"The Virtual Center for Independent Living for West Virginia""The Virtual Center for Independent Living for West Virginia"
Disability Awareness Day was established by Mountain State Centers for Independent Living (MTSTCIL) over 20 years ago to help community leaders understand disability issues, including the need for curb cuts. Disability Awareness Day at MTSTCIL traditionally occurs in October in observance of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Read more about the history of Disability Awareness Day.
Update - September 30, 2008 -
"Disability Awareness Day was a great success", said Anne Weeks, CEO of MTSTCIL. I was with Mayor Felinton this morning when he simulated being blind and was his sighted guide when he walked around the block.
Later in the morning I was with Dee DeLancey of WOWK, who also wore a blindfold to simulate blindness. It was gratifying to hear so many people tell us that they agree that with support people with disabilities can perform the work required to be Mayor, TV anchorman, work in city hall, or be a business owner like Steve Parsons at Turnpike Ford.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this day including our great staff at MTSTCIL without whom this day would not have happened, to Dee DeLancey at WOWK for bringing attention to this issue along with Mayor Felinton, Bryan Chambers at the Herald Dispatch, and the others who participated in simulating a disability, and staff who participated as sighted guides / driver / and personal attendant.
And thank you for the support of the community, including Steve Parsons from Turnpike Ford who simulated a mobility impairment, in getting the word out that there are benefits to hiring people with disabilities.
Save the Date! And join us next year for Disability Awareness Day, October 1, 2009.
Our own Tina Smith receiving an award at the Walk and Roll 2008.
Dee DeLancey of WOWK-TV (Channel 13 CBS) simulated a mobility impairment by using a wheelchair during the Walk and Roll parade last year - in the rain! The experience impacted Dee so much that this year Dee has asked to participate in Disability Awareness Day with MTSTCIL and will simulate being a person who is totally blind. Dee has also invited the Mayor and several others to participate along with him from 9 a.m. until noon on Disability Awareness Day, September 30.
Dee will simulate being blind and will start his day as he usually does at City Hall at 9 a.m. while wearing a blindfold.
Be sure and watch WOWK Channel 13 evening news at 6 p.m. to see Dee simulating blindness. Dee will be accompanied by Kelly Simpson of MTSTCIL who will be his sighted guide for the morning and Ben Branson of MTSTCIL who will provide accessible transportation during the morning.
Mayor David Felinton will simulate being totally blind and Cathy Hutchinson of MTSTCIL who uses a power wheelchair will be his sighted guide for the morning.
Kathy Torlone, an assistant city clerk here in Huntington, will simulate a visual impairment with Georgetta Stevens of MTSTCIL as her sighted guide.
Chris Tatum, from the County Commissions office will simulate a visual impairment. Nicola Lucas of MTSTCIL will be his sighted guide. During the morning Chris will visit the county clerk's office where the voting equipment is stored and attempt to mock vote in order to check the accessibility of the voting place and voting equipment.
Steve Parsons, the owner of Turnpike Ford and a long time supporter of MTSTCIL, will simulate being a person with a mobility impairment and will spend the morning working at Turnpike Ford in a wheelchair. Tina Smith of MTSTCIL will be accompanying him.
Cheryl King, a Sodexho food manager, the provider of food services at Marshall University will spend her morning working at Marshall University in a wheelchair. Tammy Terry of MTSTCIL will be her assistant.
JB Miller, a disc jockey with MAGIC 97.9 will be using a wheelchair. Anne Weeks, CEO of MTSTCIL will be his assistant. Be sure to tune into MAGIC 97.9 at 8:30 when JB interviews Anne Weeks live on the air.
Through the activities of Disability Awareness Day when Dee and others will be simulating living and working in the community with a disability, MTSTCIL hopes to bring awareness to the community, and potential employers, that there are benefits to hiring a person with a disability.
Meet some of our current employers in the Huntington area. Learn more about becoming a Community Based Training work site and how your business can benefit.
As of October 1, MTSTCIL is offering expanded employment services for people with disabilities through its Employment Services Division (ESD). ESD will work with people with disabilities to provide job training and supports to enable them to find a job or to reenter the work force after becoming disabled. MTSTCIL through ESD will provide qualified applicants, who are people with disabilities, for competitive employment.
To learn more about the typical day in the life of a person with a disability we encourage you to participate in Disability Awareness Day on September 30 and to attend this year's Walk and Roll on October 2. The Mayor's Committee for Persons with Disabilities Walk and Roll parade starts at 9:30 a.m. at 4th Avenue and 15th Street in Huntington, travels west to 8th Street, and then north on 8th Street to the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. The Awards Ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Arena.
You might remember at last year's Mayor's Committee for Persons with Disabilities Walk and Roll parade, Dee DeLancey of WOWK-TV (Channel 13 CBS) simulated a mobility impairment by using a wheelchair during the parade - in the rain! This year Dee has asked to participate in Disability Awareness Day with MTSTCIL and will be simulating a visual impairment.
Dee approached MTSTCIL with an interest in continuing his involvement with Disability Awareness Day. Last year during the Walk and Roll parade when he was in a wheelchair he was almost hit by a car coming around the corner and was sore for a few days after using the chair. Dee has gained not only insight into the life of a person with a disability but a belief that it is possible to be a person with a disability and be a productive and valued member of any work force.
When we first started Disability Awareness Day here at MTSTCIL, there were no activities acknowledging disability month in the Huntington area. One aspect of our awareness campaign was to engage the public in simulations of living as a person with a disability.
One of our early simulation initiatives was to have the Mayor at the time, Mayor Joe Williams, simulate being a person with a visual disability. We took Mayor Williams to Bailey's for lunch while he was wearing goggles that simulated blindness. These simulations drew attention to the needs of people with vision impairments living in the community.
At the same time Ron Yost, an advocate for people with disabilities, and a person who was a wheelchair user, had the then City Manager Steve Williams use a wheelchair on a public sidewalk. Mr. Williams discovered how difficult it was to maneuver sidewalks without curb cuts. During another simulation by Judge Dan O'Hanlon blew out a tire trying to get up curb that was not fully cut to the street.
Through the continued efforts of MTSTCIL advocacy, today curb cuts in Huntington are the norm. Curb cuts are an accessibility accommodation that also benefits mothers with children in strollers, UPS delivery people using hand trucks and many more non-disabled people. It is hard to remember a time without curb cuts.
www.mtstcil.org
