UNK-University of Nebraska at Kearney students, faculty and administration will have the opportunity to follow a disabled student for a day on March 23 for “Walk a While in My Shoes.
“A lot of people just don’t know what a disabled person has to go through on a daily basis,” said Sue Petersen, Counseling Center assistant director.
Students with disabilities can invite anyone to shadow them for the day or even just take a coffee break. Petersen said that this day gives people an opportunity to see how the campus becomes handicap accessible or they can interact with specialized adaptive equipment.
This is the second year UNK has implemented “Walk a While in My Shoes” and Petersen said the day “creates a greater sense of community and takes away some of the fear people experience when they encounter a person with a disability.”
There are over 100 students on campus who have disclosed their disabilities, but Petersen estimates the number of all the students with disabilities to be much higher. The greatest number involves those with invisible disabilities such as learning disabilities and health problems, Petersen said.
For more information on “Walk a While in My Shoes,” contact Petersen at (308) 865-8248.
