The Student Disability Awareness Club at Seton Hall University has been working on raising awareness about students with disabilities through “hands-on awareness” events, according to Gill Sharp, a junior biochemistry and biology double major, who is the club’s vice president.
Walter Matuza , a management, marketing and entrepreneurship major who is a senior, joined the club his freshman year in 2010. He worked his way up to vice president and president of the club, before he handed it off last fall to Virginia Araoz and Sharp.
“There was no one left to take it over at one point and I was like we can’t let this club just die, so I had to take it over and find people to take it over for me,” Matuza said. “I found people who were very good to take it over.”
Matuza is still a member of the club this year.
According to the club’s mission statement, its purpose is to provide “students and the general population with knowledge about the challenges handicaps offer on and off campus.”
One of the goals this year is to raise awareness of physical disabilities, according to Sharp.
“We are aiming to do hands-on awareness events that will bring the awareness home,” Sharp said.
Some of the future events may include blindfolding students so that they experience what it is like to walk around campus without sight. Another possibility is binding student volunteers’ legs together in order to experience what it would be like to have restricted use of their legs.
“It is important because it gets people to learn about what disabilities are out there on campuses and what disabilities – what can happen with other people,” Matuza said. “How people should interact around people with other disabilities.”
Matuza feels so strongly about the club because he has a disability and wants people to realize that people with disabilities are the same as everyone else.
Freshman Ariel MacArthur, an early childhood and special education major in the speech pathology dual degree program, felt similarly to Matuza.
“I believe that the club is important because some disabilities are well-known but others aren't, so it's important to spread awareness for all of them,” MacArthur said.
Club members want to increase membership.
“I really like the club, it's not very big right now but we want to get more people, but everyone is really nice and friendly,” MacArthur said.
Sharp agreed, saying that anyone is welcome to come to the general body meetings Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. in Jubilee to “see all the great things” the club has to offer.
Mary Saydah can be reached at mary.saydah@student.shu.edu.
