Thursday, August 25, 2005
Zach Coble, Winfield junior, is tired of stereotypes associated with disabled persons.
“A big misconception is they are somehow less able to do things or should be pitied,” said Coble, who has cerebral palsy. “The disability is just another part of our lives, not something that inhibits our ability to get things done.”
AbleHawks began its campaign at its meeting Tuesday night to get an appointed seat on Student Senate.
AbleHawks is an advocate group formed to raise awareness of disability issues at the University of Kansas.
Coble, AbleHawks member, said a Senate seat would ensure fair representation for the campus’s disabled community, which makes up nearly 10 percent of the student population.
“If you look at any piece of legislation, almost everything affects disabled people,” Coble said. “The Senate needs someone to be there to consider that perspective.”
Coble said accessibility issues with the busing system, buildings and bathroom stalls were issues an AbleHawks Senate representative could work on. Attending classes at a campus with many hills also complicates issues.
“This is obviously not the most accessible-friendly campus because of the geography,” Coble said.
Derek Zarda, Shawnee junior and member of AbleHawks, said the group would follow up where fellow disabilities advocate, Rachel Magario, Sao Paulo, Brazil, graduate student had left off last semester.
Magario met with Nick Sterner, Olathe senior and student body president, in late March. Sterner said it was hard to accomplish anything at the end of the year but that Senate outreach board members would meet with representatives from AbleHawks for a discussion.
“We are a minority and we don’t get a lot of representation,” Zarda said. “I think a seat on Senate would help us get the word out.”
There are 13 appointed seats on Senate with six belonging to other multicultural organizations: International Students Association, Black Student Union, Hispanic American Leadership Organization, First Nations Student Association, Asian American Student Union and KU Queers and Allies. These senators are not elected and act as representatives for their groups.
Stephanie Craig, Edmond, Okla., senior and Multicultural Committee chairwoman for Senate, said having appointed senators ensured diversity that might not otherwise exist.
“While Senate is diverse in some ways, in regards to what our country constitutes as diversity, it’s not at all,” Craig said. “Elections don’t guarantee diversity, so appointed seats rectify this situation.”
In order for a group to obtain an appointed seat, a student must approach a senator who will take up the issue in Senate. The senator would then introduce a bill. In this case, the Multicultural Committee would take up the issue and discuss the validity of the request. From there, the entire Senate would vote on the measure.
Craig said if she received the proposal, she would make sure to discuss the matter thoroughly in Senate and ensure the legislation gets the proper attention it deserved.
— Edited by Tricia Masenthin
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