BRAYDON CONELL
conellbt@lopers.unk.edu
Next week, the university is bringing Danelle Umstead, a three-time paralympian, to campus as part of Disability Awareness Week.
Disability Awareness Week, or DAW, is hosted annually by the Collegians for Integration and Accessibility and the UNK Academic Success Office. Monday will mark the 26th time this event has been held at our university.
“The purpose of DAW is to educate UNK and the surrounding community about different disabilities, focusing more on the abilities of the individual,” said Allison Gray, an elementary education major from Omaha and member of CIA.
This year’s theme for Disability Awareness Week is “Abilities Around the World.” CIA pulled inspiration for this year from the homecoming theme. With the goal of being inclusive, our community here at UNK needs to remember all people and focus on the unique abilities each brings to the table.
The purpose of DAW is to educate UNK and the surrounding community about different disabilities, focusing more on the abilities of the individual.
Events include student presentations on Spina Bifida and cerebral palsy and presentations by UNK Peer Health and UNK Counsel and Disability Services. A full schedule will be listed below.
However, this year’s keynote speaker really brings the theme together for this year. Umstead, being a paralympian, has traveled the world competing with individuals from many countries. Recently, she traveled to PyeongChang, Sochi and Vancouver where she won three bronze medals.
Umstead competes in Alpine Skiing and is visually impaired. Suffering from an eye disease known as retinitis pigmentosa and early onset macular degeneration, Umstead has no central vision and is losing her peripheral vision. She was introduced to skiing by her father at age 29.
“Vision is to have sight, an idea, or a dream,” Umstead said.
To share this, she mentors junior athletes by sharing her story and going by her motto “Living the impossible everyday”.
