Living with a disability can be a challenge, and on Thursday afternoon, Challenged by Choice participants were given the ability to experience what living life with a disability is like first hand.
This was the fourth year the Athens County Commission on Disabilities sponsored the event, which was followed by the Disability Speaks discussion panel Thursday evening.
This year, participants were given the option to simulate one of five disabilities: diabetes, communication disorders, mental illness, Parkinson's disease or cognitive delay."
These simulations better prepare people to understand family members, neighbors, co-workers and community members with disabilities,” said Larry Jageman, co-chair of the Challenged by Choice event.
“Participants become more sociable, helpful and kind to those with disabilities.”
The day began with orientation at noon, where participants met at Ponderosa on East State Street to receive their disability and instructions for daily activities.
Councilman Steve Patterson, another co-chair of the commission, challenged participants to label the disorder — not the individual — by saying, for example, “I am an individual who suffers from schizophrenia,” instead of “a schizophrenic.”
Angelina Sakharovskaya, a graduate student at OU studying communication and development studies, chose to take on schizophrenia for the day.
To simulate schizophrenia, Sakharovskaya spent her day with a portable CD player and headphones listening to “voices,” which experts believe are similar to what a person with schizophrenia would hear.
“This is very different from what I was trying to expect,” said Sakharovskaya. “You have to realize it’s supposed to be your own voices, not just a recording. I feel like I’m fighting with someone; it’s scary.”
Sakharovskaya spent her day doing activities as she normally would at the library where she said she had to read the same sentences over and over again until she understood them and could move on.
After a day of taking on a disability, participants meet at the Athens Community Center on East State Street to discuss their experiences and share what they had learned.
Keynote speaker Dr. Jason Jolley, assistant professor of rural economic development of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, addressed of about 50 people.
Having three daughters, who each deal with their own disability, Jolley admires the program.
“Sharing a family’s perspective on the challenges we face raising children with special needs is important,” Jolley said. “It’s also important to help individuals learn how to better communicate and work with individuals and families dealing with disabilities."
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