Disability Awareness Week at Bergen Community College
By BCCLarry Thursday, September 27, 2007, 02:44 PM EDT
Bergen Community College, in cooperation with the Disability Awareness Committee and Office of Student Life, will hold Disability Awareness Week from October 14-19, 2007. A variety of special events – including the third annual “Rollover MS” charity walk/run/bike/roll and a discussion by depression-survivor Phillip Aronson – are planned to help spread awareness and encourage reflection regarding challenges that are met and overcome. All events will take place on the campus of Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus and are open to the public.
Disability Awareness Week Event Calendar:
Sunday, Oct. 14, 9:00 a.m. (Registration: 8:00 a.m.), Bergen Community College – Rollover MS: The week’s kickoff event is the third annual “Rollover MS” charity walk/run/bike/roll and will take place rain or shine. All money raised from “Rollover MS” will support the MS Center at Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck. Participants have the option to walk, run, bicycle-ride, rollerblade or wheelchair-ride a one, three or five-mile track. The entry fee is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12-years-old and younger. For more information on “Rollover MS,” please contact Bergen’s Abby Santiago at 973-473-7508 or e-mail at giabbey@aol.com.
Monday, Oct. 15, 1:30 p.m., Room A-104 – Speaker, Phillip Aronson: He’s shared the depths of his battle with depression to Oprah, People and “The Today Show” – and now he’s coming to Bergen. Phillip Aronson, the husband of TV personality Emme Aronson, will explain how depression nearly robbed him of his life … and how he emerged from the darkness. He – along with his wife – is the author of Morning Has Broken; A Couple’s Journey Though Depression.
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 12:30 p.m., Cafeteria – “The Ice Cream Challenge”: Contrary to what some believe, people who are blind do not carry a “sixth sense.” Dispel this and other disability myths and win an ice cream sundae!
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 12:30 p.m., Student Center – “Take A Walk in Our Shoes”: This scavenger hunt activity will challenge students to navigate through the College as they would if they were blind or a person in a wheelchair. Facing foreign obstacles, participants are sure to gain a greater understanding of people with disabilities. A discussion on the activity will follow, along with prizes awarded to those who were able to overcome their temporary disabilities.
Thursday, Oct. 18, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Room A-104 – Speakers Sheila Advento and Scott Chesney: Bergen student Sheila Advento will present an insider’s perspective on what it is like to be a person with disabilities. She is sure to inspire and delight. Afterward, Scott Chesney – who suffered a spinal stroke and awoke to paralysis as a 15-year-old – will share his stories of transformational experiences that have defined his life.
Friday, Oct. 19, Noon – 1:30 p.m., Room A-113 – CSIU Coffee House presents: Across the Great Divide, From Homeland to New Land, Hear Our Voices: Join students from both the U.S. and abroad who will discuss how their disabilities have impacted their lives. What are the obstacles for people with disabilities in other countries? How can people with disabilities overcome their physical or emotional challenges? Stop by to find out; refreshments will be served.
Bergen Community College is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling more than 14,000 students in Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs and certificate programs. More than 10,000 students are enrolled in non-credit, professional courses through the Division of Continuing Education, the Institute for Learning in Retirement, and the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center, located at 355 Main Street, Hackensack. Information about the College is available at http://www.bergen.edu or by phoning the Welcome Center at 201-447-7200.
Disability Awareness Week Event Calendar:
Sunday, Oct. 14, 9:00 a.m. (Registration: 8:00 a.m.), Bergen Community College – Rollover MS: The week’s kickoff event is the third annual “Rollover MS” charity walk/run/bike/roll and will take place rain or shine. All money raised from “Rollover MS” will support the MS Center at Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck. Participants have the option to walk, run, bicycle-ride, rollerblade or wheelchair-ride a one, three or five-mile track. The entry fee is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12-years-old and younger. For more information on “Rollover MS,” please contact Bergen’s Abby Santiago at 973-473-7508 or e-mail at giabbey@aol.com.
Monday, Oct. 15, 1:30 p.m., Room A-104 – Speaker, Phillip Aronson: He’s shared the depths of his battle with depression to Oprah, People and “The Today Show” – and now he’s coming to Bergen. Phillip Aronson, the husband of TV personality Emme Aronson, will explain how depression nearly robbed him of his life … and how he emerged from the darkness. He – along with his wife – is the author of Morning Has Broken; A Couple’s Journey Though Depression.
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 12:30 p.m., Cafeteria – “The Ice Cream Challenge”: Contrary to what some believe, people who are blind do not carry a “sixth sense.” Dispel this and other disability myths and win an ice cream sundae!
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 12:30 p.m., Student Center – “Take A Walk in Our Shoes”: This scavenger hunt activity will challenge students to navigate through the College as they would if they were blind or a person in a wheelchair. Facing foreign obstacles, participants are sure to gain a greater understanding of people with disabilities. A discussion on the activity will follow, along with prizes awarded to those who were able to overcome their temporary disabilities.
Thursday, Oct. 18, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Room A-104 – Speakers Sheila Advento and Scott Chesney: Bergen student Sheila Advento will present an insider’s perspective on what it is like to be a person with disabilities. She is sure to inspire and delight. Afterward, Scott Chesney – who suffered a spinal stroke and awoke to paralysis as a 15-year-old – will share his stories of transformational experiences that have defined his life.
Friday, Oct. 19, Noon – 1:30 p.m., Room A-113 – CSIU Coffee House presents: Across the Great Divide, From Homeland to New Land, Hear Our Voices: Join students from both the U.S. and abroad who will discuss how their disabilities have impacted their lives. What are the obstacles for people with disabilities in other countries? How can people with disabilities overcome their physical or emotional challenges? Stop by to find out; refreshments will be served.
Bergen Community College is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling more than 14,000 students in Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs and certificate programs. More than 10,000 students are enrolled in non-credit, professional courses through the Division of Continuing Education, the Institute for Learning in Retirement, and the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center, located at 355 Main Street, Hackensack. Information about the College is available at http://www.bergen.edu or by phoning the Welcome Center at 201-447-7200.
