Multiple activities have been scheduled on Monday-Saturday, April 8-13, in conjunction with the 26th annual Disability Awareness Week at Hope College.
The public is invited. Admission to most events is free with the exception of a fund-raising wheelchair-tennis tournament and concert sponsored by the Mortar Board student organization.
Disability Awareness Week will begin in the morning on Monday, April 8, with a wheelchair challenge that will have invited members of the college’s student body, faculty and staff undergo a mobility impairment simulation for six, 12 or 24 hours.
On Monday, April 8, at 7 p.m., the college’s Silent Praise student organization will sponsor “Can You Hear Me Now?” in room 1118 of the A. Paul Schaap Science Center. The interactive presentation will provide information about being hard-of-hearing and living with auditory processing disorders.
On Tuesday, April 9, visitors will be able to simulate a variety of disabilities, including mobility impairment, hearing impairment, vision impairment and learning disabilities, as well as have an opportunity to gather information about a number of hidden disabilities. The simulations will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the main-floor lounge of the DeWitt Center.
On Tuesday, April 9, at 7 p.m., the college’s Health and Counseling centers will present “Why Willpower Is Not Enough: The Brain, Dopamine and Healthy Change” in Cook Auditorium of the De Pree Art Center. The event will consider the role of dopamine activity in the reward circuitry of the brain and practical skills that can be used to change bad habits.
On Tuesday, April 9, at 9 p.m., a descriptive video version of the film “Tangled” will be shown in the main-floor lounge of the DeWitt Center. The video, designed for audiences with vision impairments, includes audio description of action on screen. Those who attend will be entered into a drawing to win a Hope College sweatshirt blanket.
On Wednesday, April 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., participants who pay $10 per team through advance registration will participate in a wheelchair doubles tennis tournament at the DeWitt Tennis Center. Registration information will be available through the “Disability Awareness Week” program booklet that will be distributed during the week’s other activities.
The college’s chapter of Mortar Board is sponsoring the wheelchair tennis tournament to raise funds to renovate the college’s Mayor’s Cottage to be wheelchair-livable. The chapter will also be sponsoring a benefit concert later in the week, and Mortar Board members will also be participating in an additional wheelchair challenge across the week as part of the fund-raising effort.
On Wednesday, April 10, at 7 p.m., the keynote presentation “Achieving Hope: Hope College Alumni Moving on to Success” will feature reflections by four alumni with disabilities about ways in which accommodations at Hope while they were students assisted them and the careers that they have since been leading. The event will take place in the Fried-Hemenway Auditorium of the Martha Miller Center for Global Communication. The participants will be Todd Adams, a 1991 graduate who is a physicist and professor; Steven Brunink, a 1991 graduate who is an attorney and professor; Catherine Notestine-Short, a 1991 graduate who is an editor; and Dana Affrunti, a 2006 graduate who is president of Dynamic Behavior Services.
On Thursday, April 11, at 9 p.m., a descriptive video version of the film “Up” will be shown in the main-floor lounge of the DeWitt Center. As with the film presentation on Tuesday, those who attend will be entered into a drawing to win a Hope College sweatshirt blanket.
On Friday, April 12, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., an ice cream social will provide an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the week’s activities. The event will be held in the DeWitt Center Kletz.
On Saturday, April 13, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., a variety of students will perform in the benefit concert sponsored by the college’s chapter of Mortar Board. The event will be held in the Maas Center auditorium. Tickets will be $3, payable at the door.
The De Pree Art Center is located at 160 E. 12th St., on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street. The DeWitt Center is located at 141 E. 12th St., on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street. The DeWitt Tennis Center is located at 301 Fairbanks Ave., on Fairbanks Avenue at 13th Street. The Maas Center is located at 264 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street. The Martha Miller Center for Global Communication is located at 257 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Avenue at 10th Street. The A. Paul Schaap Science Center is located at 35 E. 12th St., at 12th Street and College Avenue.