Courtney Meyer
"The biggest obstacles faced by people with disabilities are not physical, medical, or personal, but social. As people without disabilities, we often underestimate the unique talents of all individuals, regardless of ability, and feel sorry for them because of their ‘unfortunate condition.'" -Megan Fortelka
In June 2009, ten fortunate students, Fortelka among them, combined coursework with experiential learning to increase their awareness, sensitivity, and understanding of the social, cultural, legal, and political aspects of disability. Over the course of one month, students studied disability from a unique, global standpoint, considering historical conceptualizations, the impact of current legislation, and even their own preconceptions and beliefs.
The Disability in a Diverse Society program began in 2007, originating from a course designed through the Office of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies in the College of Education by professors Virginia Thielsen and Michael Leahy to expose undergraduates of all career choices to disabilities. Determination on the part of the RCPD's Learning Disabilities Specialist, Valerie Nilson and Cindy Chalou, Assistant Director of the Office of Study Abroad, to make studying abroad more accessible to those with disabilities led to the establishment of a program that could make the core concepts of the course come alive. A continued connection with a former student, Sister Martha Hagerty, now part of the international Catholic organization Daughters of Charity in Ireland, was a persuading force in locating the program. Though most students have a connection to the subject because of a family member or a personal diagnosis, the intensity of the experience and the opportunity to make all of Ireland their classroom are what Leahy and Thielsen believe make it powerfully awakening. While participating students are not required to have a disability, trips have allowed deaf, blind, and paraplegic students to obtain an international perspective on concerns close to their hearts while, for many, traveling for the first time beyond the borders of their home country. The program benefits from lectures by officials presenting the concept of disability from an Irish and European Union perspective and recently expanded to incorporate a service learning component in which students interact with individuals with mild and severe forms of disabilities. For Fortelka, the opportunity to "play soccer" with a woman who was a wheelchair user and nonverbal was touching and eye-opening. "I saw her again the next day at a different program. When she saw me the second day, her eyes lit up, she was grinning from ear to ear, and she pulled me over and hugged me...try getting an experience like that in the classroom!"
Professors Thielsen and Leahy spoke with pride about the transformations that their students undergo in thinking and understanding, and about the revelations they record in their journals. Leahy finds it "enlightening to see how the Irish provide services." The readings, speakers, and lectures are designed to "build them up and supplement their knowledge," and the interactions during service learning activities "carry over to allow the students to notice things" around the city. Though most of the progressive innovations discovered have a higher probability of existence in large towns and urban communities, they create dialogue for the students, who learn to examine the sights and sounds of the city with disability studies on their mind. Fortelka remembers, "We pointed out inaccessible places and commented on helpful accommodations, and we observed people with disabilities throughout the city and how others interacted with them...Chirping walk signs, dished and textured sidewalks at crosswalks, and signs on the road telling walkers which way to look for traffic not only made navigation easier and safer for people with disabilities, but for those without as well." Though Ireland is struggling with making historical structures accommodating without destroying the architecture, the assistance provided both legally and charitably left a strong, resonating impression. "Legislatively, the provision of top rated care for people with disabilities without a financial burden on their families is above and beyond anything I have encountered here in the U.S."
Fortelka, a senior majoring in Kinesiology who seeks to become an orthotics and prosthetics practitioner, received an understanding of "the personal and societal barriers associated with having a disability...I was able to see the immense talent and unbridled emotions of people with different levels of abilities, and I realized that the beliefs of people without disabilities limit people with disabilities more than the constructs of their actual disability. The best thing I can do now is to spread what I have learned to others. People with disabilities have just as much to add to society as those without and we are the ones limiting ourselves if we cannot learn to appreciate the unique abilities of everyone."