The Athens City Commission on Disabilities will host its sixth annual “Challenged by Choice” and “Disabilities Speak” events April 16 to bring.
Ohio’s women’s basketball coach Bob Boldon and several local government officials will soon face challenges unfamiliar to them.
The Athens City Commission on Disabilities will be holding its sixth annual “Challenged by Choice” and “Disabilities Speak” events on Thursday to bring awareness to the obstacles people living with disabilities face on a day-to-day basis.
The event will last from 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with two breaks — 1 to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.
In the “Challenged by Choice” portion of the day, non-disabled members of the Athens community are assigned a disability and will have to navigate through daily activities as a person with that disability might face. Participants include several city employees, the manager of Athens’ Kroger, Boldon and Ohio University students.
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The event will begin with an orientation at Bob Evans, 357 E. State St., and proceed throughout the afternoon.
The participants will then discuss their experiences later in the day at “Disabilities Speak” which lasts from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Athens Community Center, 701 E. State St.
J.W. Smith, an OU associate professor in the Scripps College of Communication, will give the keynote presentation at the event. The National Federation of the Blind recognized Smith as “Educator of the Year” in 2004.
Additionally, Steve Patterson, Athens City councilman and chair of the Athens City Commission on Disabilities, will award a person “who has made a significant difference in the lives of disabled people in Athens” the first-ever “Athena Award.”
Pizza and refreshments will also be served at the event.
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