The Disability Project: A Progress Report

One of the initiatives of which I’m pleased to be a part is The Disability Project, which was created in 2009 by Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs. 

When we launched The Disability Project, we set our sights on identifying, addressing and eliminating the barriers to employment that college educated people with disabilities often face.  The Disability Project was initially funded by a three-year, combined state and federal grant of $463,000 from the State of Indiana. While the project’s initial results were promising, funding was discontinued in early 2010 due to state budget cuts.

The Disability Project has continued to thrive with the support of businesses and organizations committed to our work.  From the outset, the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation has charged us with identifying how we can better foster self-esteem and self-confidence among people with disabilities as it relates to securing employment. We also have received ongoing support from the Marion County Election Board to increase the participation of people with disabilities in the political process. And, we recently secured a commitment from The Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF affiliate, to strengthen our efforts through Ball State's campus in downtown Indianapolis. 

That's why it's an honor and a privilege to introduce you to The Disability Project's first progress report.  I hope you take time to review the report, and encourage you to share your thoughts with me. The report shares the process these students explore on their path to self-reliance.  Importantly, it reflects the ongoing commitment of Ball State and the Bowen Center to teach - and prepare - students with disabilities to be business and community leaders. 

Since we began this journey three years ago, we have spent countless hours - both in and out of the classroom - in helping our students learn to help themselves find sustainable and meaningful employment.  While we are proud of their progress and our progress, we still have much, much more to do.

I look forward to updating you on our progress. 

The Fehribach Awards

Recipients of the 2012 Fehribach Awards gather for a photo with Greg and Mary Beth Fehribach.  Bottom row, left to right:  Laura Walter, Allen Caldwell, Jr., Greg Fehribach and Syndey Comer.  Top row, left to right:  Mary Beth Fehribach, Jacob Caudill, Seth Johnson and Patricia Kupchik. 

Recently, Mary Beth and I had the opportunity to honor six outstanding students at Ball State University with the Fehribach Awards.  This award and scholarship program recognizes students with disabilities for their academic achievements and extracurricular activities. 

I’ve had the privilege and pleasure to come into contact with many of the award winners through my work at Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs.  Engaging with these students, who are the next generation of community, business and political leaders, is one of the highlights of the semester. 

Working with Larry Markle and Ball State’s Disabled Student Development team, we honored the following students in 2012:

• Allen Caldwell, a senior telecommunications major, is a founding member of the Ball State power soccer team and has twice competed in the national championships.  Allen is involved in residence hall activities and has served as a mentor to new students with disabilities.
• Jacob Caudill, a sophomore business major, serves as the vice president of Disabled Students in Action and is a senator in the Student Government Association.
• Sydney Comer, a junior journalism major, is the current president of Disabled Students in Action.  Not only did she grow the organization in the last year, she played a key role in supporting Disability Awareness Month programming in March. 
• Seth Johnson, a senior journalism major, is a member of the Honors College.  Seth writes for the Ball State Daily News, the News Scholars program and a music blog. 
• Patricia Kupchik, a senior special education major, will be student teaching next fall.  She is active with Disabled Students in Action, the Student Council for Exceptional Children, and the Faculty Mentorship Program.
• Laura Walter, a senior political science major, serves as a resident assistant and a member of the Oxfam Club and Navigators College Ministry.  She has traveled to Bahrain and Honduras, and hopes to intern this summer in Washington, D.C.

At Ball State, which has an unparalleled commitment to students with disabilities, these young people have learned firsthand the importance of taking entrepreneurship and immersive learning to the next level.   I have great confidence that these students will succeed in finding meaningful and sustainable employment throughout their lives.  At the same time, I firmly believe they will be torchbearers in educating and engaging the communities in which we live and work about the economics of inclusion – and why it matters. 

Congratulations to the 2012 Fehribach Award winners!

“A Chance to See Disabilities as Assets”

Last week, The New York Times ran a piece by Peggy Klaus titled, “A Chance to See Disabilities as Assets.” Ms. Klaus recently gave a lecture at the University of California, Berkeley to students with disabilities in its Disabled Students Program. These students, like those I work with at Ball State University’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs, are educated, engaged and ready to enter the workforce.

However, we all know it’s tough to find – and keep – a job. For students with disabilities, the challenges are even greater. According to the article, the percentage of people with disabilities who are employed is 17.9 percent, compared to 63.7 percent for people without disabilities.

What Ms. Klaus discovers is that people with disabilities are uniquely positioned to succeed in today’s current job market. Often a student’s very condition – and their ability to use creative problem solving skills at managing daily life – can demonstrate how well they will be able to adapt to the workplace. The student also must take the initiative in proactively addressing the concerns of prospective employers.

Here in the Midwest, there are a number of elements coming together that point to improvements in not just the economy, but the future of disabled students. The Bowen Center’s Disability Project is providing similar mentoring and coaching to students. At the same time, our state’s capital city is one of the most accessible in the nation, with generations of city leaders who have exercised a strong commitment to access and inclusion.

On the heels of the Super Bowl, which went the full mile to provide fans with disabilities accessible accommodations, I firmly believe we are poised for improving this very critical economic disparity. Ms. Klaus also agrees, closing her article with the following:

“If more of us can see disability as both a challenge and an asset, the nation will be well on the way to fully using the job skills of all of its citizens.”

How the Super Bowl's Accessible Accomodations Benefit Everyone

As we get closer to game day, I'm particularly energized by the work I've been doing for the National Football League to ensure people with disabilities are able to attend and enjoy the Super Bowl. Creating this inclusive opportunity for people with disabilities gives them more choices when it comes to how they spend their disposable income.

At any point in time, an individual could find they need accessible accommodations, whether it's a parent pushing a stroller or a Baby Boomer facing knee pain. These circumstances may slow us down, but accessible accommodations allow us to fully enjoy and participate in the experience at hand. That might be a visit to The Children's Museum or the Super Bowl. It's an important illustration of how people with disabilities - and those facing similar conditions - add to our collective economic bottom line.

"The Economics of Inclusion"

This week’s The Indiana Lawyer highlights the progress Indianapolis has made in the areas of access and inclusion, which ultimately will play a key role during the Super Bowl. I’m pleased to have been a part of this effort, particularly because of the efforts of the members of the host committee’s ADA Disability Inclusion Subcommittee. I’m even more pleased to have served with the fine members of our team, and I hope you take a few minutes to read about them in the article.

Finally, the article touches on a key point: generations of city leaders have made an unprecedented commitment to enhancing access and inclusion. These leaders brought on talented individuals like Peter Bisbecos and Juli Paini to manage such challenging and rewarding work. I’m immensely proud of them as our city – and its accessible features and programs – are today shining on an international stage.

Indianapolis: The Ideal Super Bowl City

As a lifelong football fan, welcoming the Super Bowl to Indianapolis is truly exciting. I firmly believe that Indianapolis does events better than most cities. This week, our city will shine on the national and international stage.

It’s been an honor and a privilege for me to assist the host committee in ensuring the Super Bowl is accommodating to all guests. Our city already stands head and shoulders above others in terms of our commitment to accessibility and inclusion, which makes us the ideal home for a Super Bowl. Consider this: a wheelchair user visiting our city can enjoy all aspects of the Super Bowl Village and NFL Experience that is currently pulsing with activity in our downtown. A guest with a visual impairment can pick up merchandise at the Huddle for loved ones back home, all while contributing to our local economy.

Simply put, Indianapolis is the ideal Super Bowl city. Because of the commitment of generations of bipartisan city leaders, people with disabilities will be able to fully participate in the experience.

I hope you enjoy this short video produced by the Super Bowl host committee – XLVI Faces highlights the many volunteers and how their diverse experiences will make the Super Bowl experience unique for all guests:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDNNv1fg1bw

Creating an Accessible Super Bowl

Written by Larry Markle, director of Disabled Student Development at Ball State University

Though the home town team will not be represented, the city of Indianapolis will be at the center of the football world on Sunday, February 5, when the Super Bowl is played at Lucas Oil Stadium. With a goal of hosting the most accessible Super Bowl ever, staff and volunteers have been at work for months to ensure that the game and all of the events surrounding it are welcoming and accessible for individuals with disabilities.

Ball State graduate and Indianapolis attorney Greg Fehribach is co-chairing the ADA Disability Inclusion Committee for the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee. Fehribach and his committee have been busy training the thousands of volunteers in best practices for making the game day and the events leading up to the Super Bowl as a first-class experience for fans with disabilities. In addition to providing training and literature detailing best practices in working with persons with disabilities, Fehribach and his committee have created a hotline that can be reached for specific questions relative to accessibility.

“Indianapolis has had over 15 years of commitment to accessibility for guests and neighbors who are aging and who have disabilities,” Fehribach stated. “This year’s Super Bowl is the marquee event that will illuminate the hospitality and commitment to the inclusion of fans and guests with disabilities.”

In addition to his work as an attorney and nationally-recognized expert on ADA issues pertaining to facilities (he consulted on the design of Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Governor’s Residence, and the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center), Fehribach is a Distinguished Fellow at Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs. Heading up the Disability Project at the Bowen Center, Fehribach is studying the employment of individuals with disabilities from a public policy perspective and working to create jobs and internships for college students with disabilities. As part of his work with the Bowen Center, Fehribach teaches courses at Ball State on the political and economic impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Fehribach has enlisted some of his students as volunteers for this year’s Super Bowl. “We’re excited that several of our students have immersed themselves as volunteers to assist with the Disability/Mobility Assistance Team,” Fehribach said. “This is exactly how we’d hoped the project would work.”

Greg Fehribach checks out accessibility options while attending the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami.