With another academic term coming to a close, what can be better than reviewing the best moments of the Fall 2021 term by reliving the best moments. Scroll down to view the SOFEDUP Club's latest blog post to relive memories that have been made during the Fall 2021 term while looking forward to the Spring 2022 term as part of the new year!
Defining What is Normal Nowadays: Mental Health & Its Impact on People with Disabilities
Although mental health has been a growing issue before the beginning of the current decade, the issue has been exacerbated due to various issues that have plague the United States of America while in the in the middle of a global event. With mental health services more important than before, how is it for people with disabilities? The SOFEDUP Club's first event of the Fall 2021 term was hosted alongside Brooklyn College's Personal Counseling Center, where a discussion was held on how to navigate life as a person with a disability and/or diagnosis while stabilizing mental health, along with ways stability can be maintained when the world seems unstable.
Being Voiceful Versus Being Voiceless: The Importance of Self-Advocacy
As humans, the power of one's voice has the ability to do one thing or more things simultaneously or at various times. When it comes to knowing ourselves and how to acquire our needs and wants to ensure a reasonable livelihood is sustained, that is where the art of self-advocacy comes into play. The Student Organization for Every Disability United for Progress (SOFEDUP) Club hosted an event with the Undergraduate Speech-Language and Hearing Society of Brooklyn College (BCNSSLHA) to ignite a discussion regarding self-advocacy, where attendees heard from different individuals on what it means to them and how they were able to become their own advocate.
The Art of Disability in the Arts: The Connection Between Interdisciplinary Arts & People with Disabilities
People with disabilities and diagnoses have had a history of complications when it comes to being involved in the arts. From not being able to perform to not being accommodated, the arts have a long way to go to be more accessible. With the advancement of technology in the twenty-first century, a new world of opportunities is being explored to provide people with disabilities and diagnoses a chance to experience the arts without barriers. The SOFEDUP Club, along with Infinite Light, ADAPT Community Network, Kilusan Bautista—a second-year M.F.A. candidate—and the Community Arts Practice Group hosted an art-related event for all student club members and guests to experience, where the freedom of expression is the objective to understanding and establishing our mark in the arts.
Although the Fall 2021 term may be over, the SOFEDUP Club is preparing for the Spring 2022 term, meaning the current administration still has to go through the second and final half of the 2021-2022 semester. With the new academic term around the corner, not only will there be an opportunity to put what has been done into practice, but there will also be the possibility of being in person again while utilizing a modality known as HyFlex to make meetings/sessions and events more inclusive. Whatever the outcome will be in terms of what modalities will be allowed for the Spring 2022 term, the day(s) and time the SOFEDUP Club will meet will be different as well. With all that being said, checking your e-mail inbox and spam folders—along with our social media updates is important! We hope all is well with you and your family, and may this holiday season be the best for you and everyone you know while hoping for a better new year!