Disability Awareness Week at RU

The Disability Resource Office (DRO) at Radford University works to ensure that all students have equal access to education. To reach out to the campus community, it is hosting Disability Awareness Week from March 17 through March 21.

On Monday, March 17, the office will host a meet and greet with staff until 3 p.m. Members of the RU community are invited to bring their questions and learn about services provided to students with disabilities. The DRO is located in suite 54 on lower level of Tyler Hall.

On Tuesday, March 18, the office will run simulation activities in the Hurlburt Student Center that will allow participants learn what it's like to live with a brain injury from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Afterward, outreach specialist Betti Thompson from the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Service Center (DHHSC) will present on adaptive technology for people who are deaf or hard of hearing in Hurlburt Student Center rooms 249/250.

Presentations will continue on Wednesday, March 19, with demonstrations of adaptive technologies such as Kurzweil, Dragon, and Smart Pen in Walker 279 from 12:15 to 1 p.m. In the evening, students living with disabilities speak up and speak out about their challenges and how to overcome adversity in the Hurlburt Student Center Auditorium from 5 to 6 p.m.

Debbie Longwood and Poncho, a certified therapy dog, from New River Valley Paws of Hope will visit the Hurlburt Student Center on Thursday, March 20 to educate RU about the value of Animal Assisted Therapy. Poncho will meet students from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To cap off the week's events, the DRO will host a second meet and greet with staff on Friday, March 21, for those who missed the opportunity earlier in the week. The open house will take place in the Disability Resource Office (Suite 54, lower level of Tyler Hall) from 1 to 3 p.m.

Through the DRO, RU provides reasonable academic accommodations for students, parents, and visitors with documented disabilities. The DRO is committed to the university's goal of removing physical and learning barriers that might infringe upon the individual's opportunity to fully participate in the university experience.

For more information about Disability Awareness Week events, please visit the DRO website or call Courtney Bell at (540) 831-6350.