ZAPOPAN, Jalisco; October 21, 2022.- In order to raise awareness among the university community of the Guadalajara Campus, different activities have been carried out to promote disability culture. Universidad Panamericana Guadalajara Campus, different activities have been carried out to promote disability culture. All of these organized by the Strategic Social Project, COLABORE of the Social Commitment department.
Starting with VIVE!, an activity was organized in which 20 volunteers participated and had to use a wheelchair inside the Panamericana facilities.
The experience of using a wheelchair within the facilities sought to sensitize the university community of the correct use of wheelchairs, of the architectural and human barriers that wheelchair users face every day, specifically, with the constancy, perseverance and discipline they have when living with some type of disability.
Giovanni Cervantes Oliva, a student of International Business and Administration, shared the following:
"I thought that not so much force would have to be used when it came to rolling the chair, but that was my first mistake. It is too tiring to do such a long walk as I did, from the offices of Social Commitment to hall A3. At the beginning of the trip I can say that I felt observed by several people, I don't know if I have colleagues with disabilities at UP, I haven't seen them.
Continuing with the activities, the activity Donate! To the experience of visual impairment, an event that had the participation of 260 members of the university community, where they performed daily life dynamics such as: walking, reading, touching an object and discovering what object it is and even shooting a penalty, all of these blind!
In addition to raising awareness and gratitude for the things we can do in such a natural, everyday way that we sometimes forget or take for granted, participants learned about:
- How and why a visually impaired person uses the "white cane".
- What abilities and senses of visually impaired people are heightened.
- What is the literacy system they use the most to communicate.
- Adapted sports and do blind people play soccer? If you went to the Donate! you probably know the answer.
"It's very interesting that they are making students aware of the different disabilities, since many times you are not aware until you do these types of activities," said Santiago Garcia, Alumni of Communication and Audiovisual Creation.
In order to promote Disability Culture on Campus, COLABORE carries out activities throughout the year so that the university community becomes familiar with the different types of disability, the correct terminology and how to include people with disabilities in society. All this has also been part of a communication campaign entitled "Count on me", which has been developed throughout the year through social networks and digital platforms, seeking to add to the same goal.
The Universidad Panamericana welcomes the initiative organized by the Strategic Social Project COLABORE and invites the university community this October 25 from 8:30 am at the central esplanade to commemorate, within the Campus, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities!
