Having a Disability Does Not Mean One Is Disabled

By Broadside News Editor Noah Martin

Working to acknowledge the diversity of students on campus, the Office of Disability Services became a member of Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society Chapter Xi last January.

The honor society, the first of its kind, was officially recognized this semester by George Mason University. Mason is the only university member in the state of Virginia. The organization was started as an honor society to acknowledge the academic achievement and community contribution of students with disabilities.

“Delta Alpha Pi will bring awareness to the students and faculty on our campus. It empowers our students and dispels the stigma that disability carries,” said Christopher Moy, director for the Office of Disability Services.

Not solely focused on honoring academic achievement, Delta Alpha Pi, as part of its mission, will work to cultivate leadership, involvement and advocacy skills. It will work to educate the Mason community and beyond about disability-related issues.

“People are more alike than different. People with disabilities are more a part of the community than they are outside of it,” said Mary Kate Harris, secretary of Delta Alpha Pi. “You have to own this disability.

Members of Delta Alpha Pi shared their personal journeys that brought them to the organization.

“I used to be embarrassed, I used to feel stupid, it was a realization that an honor society and having a disability could go hand-in-hand. It took 20 years to realize that,” said Katelyn Sexton, president of Delta Alpha Pi.

Sexton expressed the difficulty she had before attending Mason and the feeling of isolation that accompanied her difficulty in school.

“It was really hard in high school, I had a teacher who said, ‘I don’t believe in those ABC, ADHD things’ and I was like, ‘ouch.’ That’s why I never wanted to tell anyone,” said Sexton.

Sexton says her struggle shaped who she has become and her determination to be a voice for disabled awareness. “A disability is very personal because you feel very vulnerable. I took this job so people do not have to go through what I’ve gone through,” said Sexton.

Jerry Holy, an active member of Delta Alpha Pi, struggled to keep his high school autism program alive. He applied to schools all over Virginia and was accepted by Mason.
“It was a great sense of pride for me, that Mason accepted me as part of the community,” said Holy who went to the Office of Disability Services where he learned about Delta Alpha Pi and now works to raise awareness about the autism spectrum.

“It’s all right to go there, it’s all right to ask for help in the end,” said Holy.

To those who would trivialize disability, said Sexton, “You don’t understand and I wish you did. I wish you could be patient.”

Mason’s Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society team will be participating in “Out of Darkness,” a walk to prevent suicide on Oct. 11 at Burke Lake Park. Students and faculty are encouraged to join the team without any fundraising obligation.

The Office of Disabilities Services is hosting a number of activities and events around campus and the community this October for Disability Awareness Month. For more information, visit their Web site at http://ods.gmu.edu/.