[NABS-L] creating a student organization on campus

[Ana Martinez]

Hi all, hope everyone is doing good in this last months of the
semester. So, I would like to start a student organization here on
campus. And I’m looking for some insites. I would like to have an
organization that creates awareness and fosters understanding towards
students with disabilities. The purpose of this would be to include
everyone on campus, I want this organization to be a way to educate my
college as well as the surrounding communityabout the true
capabilities of Disabled students. Besides the education portion, I
would like to create a mentoring program, where college students with
disabilities can serve as mentors to disabled high school students
around the area.
I believe that college is a place in which students constantly learn,
and challenge preconceived notions, opinions and ideas. This would
then be a great chance to challenge the general perception on
disability, and provide the students with a more accurate
representation.
I think this could be a good idea, and that this organization could
really make a difference and educate my college community.
The only problem I have is, all the students I’ve met here on campus
who have a disability , have a very bad philosophy about people with
disabilities. Students here have a hierarchy of disability. For
example: students with learning disabilities often help students in
wheel chairs. And many disabled students think that those of us who
are blind or deaf are “amazing because we are just doing things that
every other college student does, like going to class. My question is,
how to first educate the disabled students in my campus about other
disabilities? I recognize I can’t start this organization if students
don’t have good perceptions about themselves or others in the
disability community. thanks.