Four members of the Rotary Disabilities Advisers Group, one of District 7910's newest cause-related committees, are actively engaged in service of people with disabilities.
 
Jeremy Opperman, an RDAG member, has been appointed to Rotary International's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force.  This appointment is an important development for the progress of accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in Rotary.
 
Jeremy is a member of a Rotary club in South Africa, and has been an RDAG member for several months.  He was recently was one of the panelists on the worldwide webinar that RI sponsored on Building A Welcoming Community for People with Disabilities.
 
Having someone on RI's DEI Task Force was among RDAG's goals as it places disabilities to an equal level with all of the DEI areas of focus. Those of us who know Jeremy will agree that his knowledge of, experience with, and conviction for disabilities makes him the perfect person to represent disabilities on this critical Task Force. This is a significant development in RDAG's focus to help make Rotary more welcoming to people with disabilities.
 

Jeremy Warriner, an RDAG member, is a consultant in accessibility, hospitality management, and outreach. Based in Indianapolis, he's a motivational speaker with a focus on Disability Awareness: Finding Strength in Traumatic Events.
 
To watch his 20-minute presentation, Becoming Disabled - his story of before and after losing his legs in a car accident - click here or on the image at right.
 
 
 
 
 

Victoria Handy, an RDAG member, recently addressed the group on Being Autistic: Vulnerability and Acceptance. "We don't choose to be autistic; it is who we are," she says. "I have got to get to the point that I care about myself. I have to go on living for so many people who look up to me. I have to go on fighting for so many people who need me, too."
 
To watch her 14-minute presentation, either click here or on the image at right.
 

 

 
Learning can be challenging for people with dyslexia, according to Anita Nchat Kevin, an RDAG member and founder of the Amina Dyslexia Center in Nigeria. She has designed a system to reduce the challenges that come with dyslexia, and bring the fun back into learning. This video describes the teaching steps her center takes with students with dyslexia.
 
To watch her eight-minute presentation, either click here or on the image at right.
 
 

 
For more information on our district's Rotary Disabilities Advocacy Groupcontact its  chair Ken Masson, of the Rotary Club of Merrimack Valley, at kennethmasson@gmail.com.