Taylor Bembery
Associate Editor
Jackson State University students are coming together for a great cause, and that is to promote the well-being of our handi-capable students.
Monica Jones, assistant director of Disability Services at JSU, hopes the Disability Street Team will help to bring awareness to the Jackson State community and encourage them to be mindful of not hitting the handicap panels, not park in the handicap parking spaces, and to be considerate of disabled students. Jones services 430 students at JSU with various disabilities.
On April 10th, the street team hosted a wheelchair demonstration guided by student Mario Henderson.
“Mario is doing a day in the life of what he does around Jackson States campus in a wheelchair. Just to show non-disabled students how it actually is maneuvering in a wheelchair to complete daily tasks. We just created the street team about three weeks ago and have over 35 members who are going to start promoting awareness on campus. We don’t use handicap, we use handi-capable, it will bring a better campus for students who are disabled,” said Jones
Thaddeus Wright, a senior English major from Chicago, Ill., is the director of the student disability services street team, where he promotes, serves, and advocates for JSU students with disabilities.
“We have a total of 40 members that signed up but we have a total of 20 students that showed up to participate in the demonstration. We are trying to get acclimated to how our students with disabilities live on a daily basis to promote awareness. Also to let non-disabled students know to stop hitting the disable door panels and parking in the disabled parking spaces on campus,” said Wright.
Wright, who is not disabled, said he has more respect for people with disabilities after the demonstration.
“It is not as easy as people think getting around on campus in a wheelchair,” said Wright.
Mario Henderson, assistant director of the disability awareness street team, gave students a firsthand experience of what it’s like to be in a wheelchair. He appreciates the support of the new street team at JSU.
“It will bring respect to those who have disabilities, we have a lot of students that use the door panels and also the handicap parking and it’s a struggle for those who are disabled. We feel that if we can get them to experience what the struggle is, they will understand and help advocate and be mindful and respectable to students with disabilities.”
Henderson is very involved on campus. He is a member of the musical brotherhood of Phi Mu Alpha, the chorale, the concert choir, and Gentlemen’s Academy. He hopes more students get involved with the disability awareness street team.
“I hope all of the other leadership organizations will help us in this movement to better the respect and camaraderie of regular people and people with disabilities,” said Henderson.
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