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January 29, 2013

The Academic Counseling Center and Educational Support Services (ACCESS) Office at Geneva College will host disABILITY Awareness Week from February 25–28, 2013. Members of the ACCESS staff have planned events throughout that time that are intended to spark discussion and raise awareness about disabilities.

“I think discussing the topic of disabilities is essential for every community because it is a reality people face every day,” notes Stephen Milliken, a graduate assistant (GA) in the ACCESS Office. “We hope that through this awareness, we may be equipped with understanding in order to better serve and love each other as a community.”

On Monday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m., there will be a screening of the movie The Boys Next Door in Skye Lounge of the Student Center. The film follows four mentally challenged men who share a house and are looked after by their social worker. After the screening, there will be a panel discussion to reflect on the film and begin the conversation on disabilities.

Syndicated broadcaster and author Nelson Lauver will be speaking at a number of venues on Wednesday, February 27.  He will deliver the message during Chapel at 10:10 a.m. in Metheny Fieldhouse. At 7 p.m. in Skye Lounge, he will present “Ordinary Americans, Extraordinary Achievements.”  Both of these engagements are free and open to the public.

Lauver will also participate in a luncheon for Geneva faculty and staff on Wednesday at noon in the President’s Dining Room, where Lauver will present “Don’t Give Up on that Kid.”

After overcoming many challenges presented by his dyslexia, Lauver became the host and creator of The American Storyteller Radio Journal. The program, which aired from 2001 to 2010, offered radio listeners across the country a daily four-minute inspirational story. Dubbed “The Rockwell of Radio,” Lauver authored and narrated over 300 short stories. In 2011, he released his award-winning memoir, Most Unlikely to Succeed.

On Thursday, February 28, Josie Badger, a 2007 Geneva alumnus, will speak at 7 p.m. in Skye Lounge. Her topic is “Disabilities in the Kingdom.” Badger was Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania 2011 and Ms. Wheelchair America 2012. She is a youth coordinator for the PEAL (Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership) Center, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that helps families of children with disabilities. Her engagement is free and open to the public.

The ACCESS Office strives to promote the academic success of all Geneva students. This is done by providing open access to academic counseling and coaching, extensive peer-tutoring opportunities, and appropriate support for students with disabilities.

Geneva College invites students to accept the challenge of an academically excellent, Christ-centered education. Offering nearly 40 undergraduate majors, an Adult Degree Completion Program with fully online and campus-based options, and seven graduate degrees, Geneva has programs that place students at the forefront of higher learning. Adhering to the inerrancy of scripture, the liberal arts core curriculum fosters a breadth of knowledge through the study of humanities, social and natural sciences, and experiential learning.