What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word soda? A nice and refreshing beverage, right? Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Dr. Pepper…Try to imagine an organization called SODA that can be just as refreshing but in a different way.

Student Organization for Disability Awareness is an upcoming student organization with intentions to improve Western’s understanding of the needs of people with disabilities. The organization plans to work to achieve awareness on campus by hosting special events and providing students support and information. SODA will try hard to be an academic resource as well as an emotional and social support group for students with disabilities and their fellow classmates.

“We hope to give students with disabilities a voice and really let administration know what they can do to help,” said Michael Ritter, disability services coordinator and faculty advisor for SODA.

Membership will be open to all registered students at Western. SODA is currently trying to recruit enough members to be established.

“It has been my job to put up flyers around campus, and I have thought about making some kind of card to hand out to students,” student Elizabeth Friedly said.

SODA won’t be an established organization until they have five members, and if they get five members, they will be able to fill out an application and wait to be approved by the Student Government Association.

“People have suggested moving our meeting times to the afternoon because right now we hold meetings at 9:30 a.m., and that’s not such a convenient time,” Ritter said. “We are working on moving the meetings to Tuesday afternoons, maybe around 2:00 p.m. and hoping this will bring in more bodies.”

The group will offer students with disabilities peer support, take on student leadership outreach and educational opportunities, increase the understanding of disability as part of diversity and provide non-disabled students with education about disability knowledge.

“I think it’s great to have a program like this,” said John Nyman, an education major with an emphasis in special education. “I am going into Special Education, so I feel it is important for the organization to get going so others can have the chance to learn about the special needs of those people with disabilities.”

They will be committed to educating the campus as well as the community to the needs of people with disabilities.

SODA plans to cover the entire range of disabilities and try to search for ways to get rid of physical, educational and recreational obstacles.

“We want people to see us in a different perspective,” Friedly said. “Basically, realize not everything is so simple.”

SODA wishes to improve the quality and access of educational accommodations provided to students with disabilities, by providing more accessible parking and making small
accommodations in the classroom, for example.

“We hope we can focus on issues on campus and suggest better accessibility,” Friedly said. “Everyone so far has been so nice and helpful, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

We expect to advance the attitudes, consideration, respect and awareness of the general public toward people with all disabilities, by demonstrating their abilities, talents, skills and capabilities.

“We really want people to understand that having a disability is simply a characteristic and it is not the only characteristic that person has,” Ritter said.

SODA will act in educating the campus community about disabled students and the different challenges they face each day. With high hopes SODA will increase self-esteem and strive for perfection in their own manner within their disability.

“Overall, I think this will be such a great organization because I know from personal experiences – family and friends alike – they had a tough time getting a good education due to their special needs,” Nyman said. “I really hope to see this program take off.”

SODA plans to be a self-supported organization and charge $5 fees per semester.