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UGBC’s Council for Students with Disabilities (CSD) is hosting its first annual Ability Awareness Week from April 18-21.
Ability Awareness Week will touch on a variety of topics, including living with a physical disability, mental health (specifically stress management and anxiety), meditation, and yoga.
The week’s events will begin on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. in Stokes N117 with BC Buddhism Club leading a meditation on self-care and self-love.
Wednesday afternoon will feature a luncheon Town Hall event called “Cuisine and Conversation” at 12 p.m. in Stokes S295. According to CSD Chair, Mary Royer, LSOE ‘17, this event will allow students to “voice any concerns, comments, and ideas about accessibility and accommodations on campus to administrators, Disability Services staff, and professors.”
Then, CSD will be featuring comedian and activist Zach Anner at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening in Merkert 217. Anner will speak about his experience living and traveling with a disability.
From 2 – 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, the Council will be hosting an Open House and Ice Cream Social in the Disability Services Office on the fourth floor of Maloney Hall. There will be free treats and CSD merchandise for those who attend.
Thursday evening will also feature a workshop focused on helping students manage stress by Rana Chudnofsky at 6 p.m. in McGuinn 521. Chudnofsky is a psychologist from the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Finally, the week will close with a Slow Flow Yoga class and meditation open to all ability levels led by an instructor from Down Under Yoga Boston. This final yoga class will be capped at 25 participants. Those interested in signing up are encouraged to email csd.boston.college@gmail.com.
Royer passionately encourages members of the BC community to take part in the events during the first annual Ability Awareness Week. This week-long program is an opportunity to spark conversations about ability and disability amongst the student body on campus.
“The overarching goal of this week is to help us all think about the role that ability plays in our identities, and to embrace that part of our self,” she explains. “This week is about acknowledging your privilege if you are able-bodied, and about breaking down the stigmas, negative connotations, and misconceptions around disability.”
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