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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The UIS Office of Disability Services would like to thank the students, staff, faculty, community members, volunteers, and sponsors for another fantastic Disability Awareness Week and to continue to encourage you to keep your minds and hearts open to the world of diversity and inclusion. In doing this, we not only improve our life and experiences on campus, but we hope you will take that enlightenment off campus and into the world and improve the lives of everyone you encounter.
While the world around us is always evolving in terms of accessibility to individuals with disabilities, it is essential to remember that it’s not just structures that must be accessible, but ourselves as well, to always welcome the invitation to diversity.
Please always remember the magnitude of your words. The language you choose to use when you communicate on a daily basis is truly your most powerful weapon. With it, and without always realizing it, you can choose to destroy or heal people during your daily interactions. You can choose to uplift a person or hold them back. You can choose to use your words to encourage and enlighten, or discriminate and degrade. Free speech is a precious privilege, but it is a powerful privilege with a question of responsibility. You alone have the choice of how you will affect the lives of those around you; please cherish this responsibility as part of your learning experience during your time at UIS.
Please keep this in mind as you step onto our beautiful UIS campus today, think of the power you hold in your words as you encounter people. The language you choose means more than you realize, and when you are presented with the choice to use those words to encourage or discourage; only you can make the right choice.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the all the UIS students, staff, faculty, and community members I have worked with this year in our mutual mission of promoting awareness, celebrating diversity and encouraging inclusion in our daily working lives. Please know that your work in our mission has not gone unnoticed, and has truly impacted the lives of our students.
Kimberly Rutherford
Disability Services Learning Specialist
Advisor Delta Sigma Omicron
