Western Hosts Disability Awareness Month Panel Discussion
ROCK SPRINGS, WY – March 14, 2023
Western Wyoming Community College (Western) has designated March as Disability Awareness Month. The college marks this month to celebrate and raise awareness of the experiences of people with disabilities. To work towards this goal, Western will host a panel discussion with community members, former and current Western students, advocacy groups, and parents of children with disabilities. This event is open to the public and takes place at 7:00 PM on March 29 at the Rock Springs campus, in room 3650.
Western’s Wellbeing & Accessibility Office organized this panel for a second year to provide a venue for community members to share, learn, and ask questions regarding disabilities. Not all disabilities are able to be “seen” and are very real for those they affect. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors.
Lyndsey Love, Accessibility Specialist for the college stated “This month we celebrate and raise awareness of the experiences and contributions of people in the disability community. The panel discussion last March was a very impactful conversation with students and community members sharing their experiences living with a disability. We hope that the community will join us for the event this year, it is important as we focus on celebrating diversity and acknowledge that the disability community is large but often overlooked.”
Part of the panel discussion will involve three current Western students sharing their life stories and journey through college. Shay Lamorie is a nursing major who was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder with panic attacks and PTSD. Cooper Galley was born with Cerebral Palsy. He is majoring in communications and will be transferring to the University of Wyoming next fall. Tyler Camphouse is a Type I Diabetic and is going into the field of engineering. All three students have been successful at Western and have generously given their insights, feedback, and helped raise awareness in support of making Western a more accessible institution.
Western’s Office of Wellbeing & Accessibility (W&A) fills an important role for students through the various services they offer. The goal of the office is to support and empower students as they strive for personal, social, and academic success. W&A offers a variety of services to the entire campus community, including both outreach and online students. The office offers personal counseling, peer support, crisis and emergency services, accommodations for persons with disabilities, events, workshops, seminars, courses, relaxation services, and online resources.
The panel will be moderated by Case Manager and Peer Specialist Mya Boren of the W&A office. This year’s discussion is in partnership with the Western Accessibility Council, a campus committee dedicated to improving accessibility at Western.
The event is free and open to the public. There will be an opportunity for Q&A after the panel discussion. Please contact Accessibility Specialist Lyndsey Love with questions, 307-382-1806 or e-mail llove@westernwyoming.edu. To keep up to date with all of Western’s events visit the calendar at westernwyoming.edu/calendar.