Wright State’s annual Presidential Lecture Series will feature the theme: “Redefining the Face of Disability” with speakers that will offer various insights on past and current disability issues.
One of the motivations behind this year’s theme was to celebrate 25 years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The law was enacted to prohibit discrimination and ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities in employment and other areas of civil life.
Director of Disability Services Tom Webb wanted awareness to be raised about the ADA and the current state of the issues the law advocated for. In coordination with the university president’s office, Webb pitched the idea of raising disability awareness through the annual lecture series.
“The fact that Dr. Hopkins was willing and interested in making this part of the showcase of the Presidential Lecture Series really speaks highly of his awareness and value of disability being part of diversity,” Webb said.
The festivities will commence on September 9 when Dr. Temple Grandin speaks at the Nutter Center.
Grandin was diagnosed with Autism in 1950, and her parents were told she should be institutionalized. She went to become a successful livestock-handling equipment designer and is currently a professor of animal science at Colorado State.
“Her [Grandin’s] message is about taking disability and making it into a positive and showing that everybody has value no matter what their level of ability, and you just have to figure out what their strengths are and focus on that,” Webb said.
The second speaker, retired senator Tom Harkin, will be taking the Nutter Center stage on November 3. Harkin was vocal in the process of drafting the ADA and eventually getting it passed. According to Webb, Harkin will discuss a current lack of employment for the disabled.
“I think Tom Harkin is really going to speak to that and speak to some of our victories, but also to highlight some of the new frontier of where we really need to focus our efforts in terms of disability rights,” Webb said.
The venue will then switch to the Apollo room when Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy speaks on February 12.
Purdy is a double leg amputee who won a bronze medal in the 2014 Paralympic Games. She was also a runner-up on Dancing with the Stars and was featured in a critically acclaimed Super Bowl ad last February for Toyota. She will also be speaking at Wright State’s annual adventure summit about outdoor recreation on February 13.
The series will conclude when comedian Maysoon Zayid speaks in the Apollo Room on March 22. Zayid is a professional stand-up comedian and co-founder of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival.
“Her [Zayid’s] message is trying to get away from everybody looking at her with a sense of pity or inspiration, and that she is just another person that deserves a shot like everybody else,” Webb said. “One of her primary goals is to really get more people involved in the arts, television and the movies because there is not a good representation.”
Junior mass communication major Sarah Olsen believes the multitude of experiences relayed by this year’s speakers will have a positive net effect of disability awareness on campus.
“I believe that the Presidential Lecture Series provides a unique group of people from an array of past experiences that come together with one thing in common: a disability,” Olsen said. “I think their presence will be motivating to students, staff and faculty with disabilities and even to those who don't.”
The wide-range of perspectives highlighted by the four speakers is something Webb was hoping the series would accomplish. He believes the series will be an enlightening experience for students of all abilities and faculty who work with disabled students.
