Project by student sends Rowan President to work in a wheelchair on March 25

March 20, 2008

In a move that is raising both funds and awareness, Rowan University President Donald Farish will spend his workday in a manual wheelchair on Tuesday, March 25.

Farish was one of the winners of "The (Wheelchair) Apprentice," a program orchestrated by junior physics major Erin Gordon, 23, of Tabernacle. The event is sponsored Alpha Phi Omega, the national co-ed service fraternity, of which Gordon is a member, and Rowan's Academic Success Center.

Gordon organized "The (Wheelchair) Apprentice" as a way to increase awareness of physical accessibility issues on campus and to raise money for Children's Lightning Wheels, an adapted sports program for youth with disabilities, based in Mountainside, NJ. The program also fulfills the service-learning component of Gordon's research for her College Composition II course.

For two days this month, University community members, through donations, voted for the Rowan administrator they most wanted to see spend the day in a wheelchair on March 25, which is Disability Awareness Day at Rowan. Altogether, "The (Wheelchair) Apprentice" raised $291.88 for Children's Lightning Wheels.

As the two candidates who generated the largest donations, Farish and Joseph Orlins, acting assistant vice president for facilities management, will both spend the day on campus in a manual wheelchair.

For Gordon, who has used a wheelchair since sixth grade due to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, "The (Wheelchair) Apprentice" is a real opportunity to raise awareness about disability issues on campus. While she rates Rowan "about in the middle" of campuses she has visited in terms of disability access, there's always room for improvement, Gordon says.

"I think the first thing the president will realize is the planning that's involved to move around on campus," says Gordon, who navigates Rowan's Glassboro campus in a power wheelchair which, on a good day, reaches a speed of 7.5 miles per hour.

"If a someone doesn't have a personal experience, they won't think about access--or lack thereof--and they won't take it as seriously," continues Gordon, who lives in an on-campus, wheelchair-accessible townhouse. "I want people to think about this. And this event should raise awareness of certain issues this campus faces...things like safe inclines and sidewalks and accessible restrooms."

In addition to "The (Wheelchair) Apprentice," activities during Disability Awareness Day also will include "The Amazing Race," a wheelchair challenge in which able-bodied students will spend time in manual chairs (11 a.m.-noon), a seeing eye puppy guide dog training program demonstration, presented by RUFF; and "American Idol," a panel discussion about living and learning with a disability (12:15-1:30 p.m., Room 129).

All events will be in the University's Chamberlain Student Center.

Gordon will join both Farish and Orlins for lunch at 12:15 p.m. in the Marketplace of the Student Center.