Sam Dunaway | News Editor
A new organization joined Western’s campus in April; D.R.E.A.M., which stands for “Disability, Rights, Empowerment, Awareness and Mentoring,” is a club that aims to provide a judgement-free zone for Western students, faculty and staff to talk about disabilities and the challenges that individuals with disabilities may face at Western.
“It’s kind of a place for us to talk about our lives but then also find ways to change the campus and change people’s perspectives,” explained D.R.E.A.M. club founder and sophomore Frankie Holborn. Holborn participated in a discussion panel for Western Accessibility Awareness Month where individuals talked about their experiences with a disability. She realized that many students with disabilities were facing similar challenges and took it upon herself to create a way for these students to help one another.
“For a lot of disabled people, it’s very hard to want to come out and ask for help, and want to join clubs like this,” said Holborn.
While the club is still new, they hope to do big things at Western. Club leader and sophomore early childhood education major Faith Van Putten aspires to help future educators learn about disabilities in the classroom.
“I want to focus on the teaching aspect of it and do the parts with the future teachers and getting them more educated on disabilities,” said Van Putten. She claimed that Western’s education program does not teach extensively about working with students with disabilities, explaining, “There’s so many different (disabilities) and no two people with the same disability are alike and their accommodations are never the same. So, I want to focus on that.”
To erase the stigma around disabilities, Holborn invites everyone to attend club meetings and ask questions.
“We want people to talk to us about it,” Holborn expressed. She hopes that both students and professors take the time to learn more about disabilities and ways to make Western more accessible for individuals with disabilities.
“If you don’t know if you want to identify with the community or if you don’t know if this club is right for you, I’d say come. We’re very open-minded. We want to talk with you. We are a judgement-free zone,” encouraged Holborn. “Anyone is welcome.”
To learn more about Western’s D.R.E.A.M. club, visit OrgSync or attend a club meeting Mondays at 6 p.m. in the Calapooia room.
Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu
Photo by: Paul F. Davis
