DA' Club
Contact information: Jim Barnet, President - jbarnet@cocc.edu
Kris Maddox, Vice President - kmaddox@cocc.edu
Kevin Kelly, Treasurer - kmkelly@cocc.edu
Ashley Addison, Secretary - aaddison@cocc.edu
Dave Hagenbach, Advisor - dhagenbach@cocc.edu or
383-7737
'Da' Club' aims to shed light on the needs and challenges of students with disabilities........
A new all campus club, including COCC and OSU-Cascades campus students, has recently formed. Composed of students who have to overcome more obstacles than most, it was somewhat ironic that the biggest challenge at the first meeting was naming the organization. The working title "The Disability Club" was too politically incorrect. "We are people with disabilities not disabled people," club Treasurer Ashley Addison plainly stated during the first meeting of the group. So, the moniker "Da' Club" was adopted for this group of people with a wide range of abilities. "This is a club that includes all people, really, because all people face challenges of some kind or another," stated club President Jim Barnet. "Unless we recognize our own disabilities we can't grow." This is a club that is looking to include not exclude while at the same time stand up for students who are differently-abled. The group's mission statement states their purpose is to develop a team of students with a common goal for learning to embrace life's adventures; to develop awareness of needs and challenges faced by people with various disabilties and advocate for all people's passions, dream and goals. In addition Da' Club would like to address the issue of rethinking how to approach obstacles and adversities in life's challenges. There is a number of activites that Da' Club is planning on starting for members of the group, including skiing, talking at local schools and working with the local Special Olympics. As much as Da' Club will act as an advocate for students, it also is looking to give back to the community. "We need to show how our disabilities make us better (people)," club Treasurer Kevin Kelly added. The club is still small with Barnet, Kelly, Addison and a fourth member, Kris Maddox, making up the bulk of the members, but the group hopes to grow quickly. If one is looking for a statement which could truly describe the genuine spirit and soul of the group calling itself Da' Club, one only need to look at the third bullet point of their constitution: "We are human spirits and we are to be respected no matter what container we come in."
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The Multicultural Center is located in Room 108, Grandview Hall. The Center fosters cross-cultural understanding and communication by providing a welcoming setting for learning, sharing and connection. It is open to the public, staffed daily, and offers activities and information during the academic year. The Center provides a fridge, microwave, coffee makers, snacks and a TV/VCR for student use. For more information, contact the Center at (541) 318-3787.
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Deaf & Hard of Hearing Access Program (DHHAP), 1257 Ferry St. SE, Salem, OR 97301-4278,
800-521-9615 (V/TTY in-state only), (503) 378-2272 (V/TTY),http://www.oregon.gov/odc/dhhap/index.shtml.
To view upcoming deaf events, please go to http://www.signplay.com/.
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For other events taking place at COCC, please go to the Fine Arts website at http://finearts.cocc.edu/.
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