Kent State University Celebrates disAbility Awareness Month

Kent State University will celebrate disAbility Awareness Month throughout the month of October with several events. The word disability is intentionally spelled with a lowercase letter d and a capital letter A to emphasize ability.

On Oct. 9, award-winning actress, author and deaf advocate Marlee Matlin will speak about her disability and the goals she has accomplished. Matlin will deliver her keynote address at the Kent Student Center Ballroom at 7 p.m. Matlin won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1976 for her role inChildren of a Lesser God, and she has starred in ABC’s family’s Switched at Birth, The Apprentice, CSI Miami and more.

Dogs on Campus, a pet therapy program, will take place on Oct. 18, from noon to 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Kent Student Center. Dogs on Campus will give students an opportunity to relieve stress while working with certified therapy dogs. The program was developed by Kathy Adamle, Ph.D., faculty member in Kent State’s College of Nursing. Adamle’s research shows that many students consider their pets to be part of their families and that leaving home can add to the usual stress of any college student.

“People don’t have to be ill or have been in a disaster to enjoy pet therapy,” Adamle says.

Join the Wick Poetry Center and Student Accessibility Services on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 12:30-1:45 p.m. for a poetry reading on the Kent Campus by Angie Orlando, Katherine Orr, Ph.D., and Connie Triplett. The event will take place on the second floor of University Library and will include open mic time and a Q & A session. For more information or questions about the Wick Poetry Center readings, contact Leah Subak at accessterpsksu@gmail.com.

All of these events are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.kent.edu/sas/disability-awareness-month-october-2012.cfm.