Celebrate 25 years of disability services today

Disability Resources and Services (DRS) will commemorate its 25th anniversary today with a Disability Awareness Celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 1700 block of Liacouras Walk.

“We are into our 25th year, and we’re celebrating with a special disability sensitivity event,” said Dorothy Cebula, director of DRS. “We’re inviting students, faculty and staff to come out and do fun things.”

Outdoor events will take place in the mall area beside Ritter Annex on Liacouras Walk. In addition to free food, DRS will offer tips on guide dog etiquette and hand cycling demonstrations.

The University community also will be invited to take part in wheelchair competitions such as obstacle courses and foul shooting. Prizes will be awarded to the winners.

Additional events will be held in the DRS suite at 100 Ritter Annex. Participants can take part in awareness trivia, including identifying famous people with disabilities, or see demonstrations of adaptive technologies, such as TDD/TTY technology for hearing-impaired telephone users, computer software that inputs text as it is spoken, or Braille embossing.

At 12:30, Temple alumnus Hugh Young will have a poetry reading in the Ritter Annex lobby to mark the anniversary.

Also helping with the event will be Recreation Services, whose adapted recreation program offers extracurricular opportunities for students with physical disabilities.

“It’s a good opportunity for everyone to be aware of what’s available,” Cebula said. “You can put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a while.”

For more information about the celebration or about DRS, please call 204-1280 or visit their Web site at www.temple.edu/disability. For more information about recreation services, visit their Web site at www.temple.edu/recsvcs.

— Helen H. Thompson