Full mobility
Mobility Challenge draws more than 800 Blue Hens
10:26 a.m., Oct. 27, 2015--The 2015 edition of Mobility Challenge at the University of Delaware drew more than 800 participants across all disciplines to raise awareness about the social and lifestyle impact of restricted mobility.
The Assistive Medical Technologies student organization led the campus-wide initiative. Participants chose from four daylong challenges — no use of stairs (to exhibit the challenges of wheelchairs), straps tied at the hip (arthrogryposis), walking with PVC sticks (stereotype) and complete silence (the social impact of a disability) for the entire day.
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The Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics recruited 125 participants alone, including event planner Kim Ragan, who said that the best part of the experience was the community that formed across campus as participants spotted one another and stopped to share experiences.
“Everyone who participated is changing the world, even if they don’t realize it,” she continued. “Each one of us has become more aware of how difficult it must be for family, friends, colleagues and students with disabilities – and we only ‘took on their challenge’ in a modified way for a very short period of time.”
For her personal challenge, Ragan was silent for the day. The event planner, who describes herself as usually chatty, said that holding meetings all day without the use of speech was both difficult and eye opening.
“During conversations, I would have to write responses or comments. Sometimes by the time I had written my response, the others had moved onto another topic. It was isolating,” Ragan said.
The day culminated in a field day event on The Green, which featured restricted mobility editions of jousting, car races and Battleship,to name a few. The event saw heavy participation on social media with a litany of images capturing the struggles of completing everyday tasks like brushing your teeth, getting to your classroom and putting on your book bag. Buoyed by a strong second year, eyes are already turning to the future for organizers.
“I cannot wait to see how this event continues to grow as we move forward,” says Naimisha Movva, co-organizer and senior biology and psychology major. “The success of Mobility Challenge is due in large part to the University, deans, faculty and all of the student organizations on campus, who provided funding and manpower.”
Article by Dante LaPenta and Sunny Rosen