Date: Oct 06, 2011

Hofstra Gives 'Voice' To People With Special Needs

Day of Events To Highlight Innovative Wellness Programs

Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. – For the second consecutive year, Hofstra University will host VOICE Day, an exhibition of information and activities that promote awareness of issues related to improving the lives of people with disabilities and mental illness. “VOICE Day 2011: Get Out, Get Active, Catch the Spirit” will be held on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 12 to 5 p.m. in the Physical Education and Swim Center. The day will feature demonstrations from sports teams, opportunities to participate in recreational activities, information about local programs, nutrition and fitness consultation and much more. The event is free and open to the public.

“This event brings together individuals with and without disabilities and mental health concerns in an effort to address societal disability issues at the local level and really fill a community need,” said Andrea Perkins Nerlich, assistant professor of rehabilitation counseling and VOICE Day chairperson. “More than focusing on disability, we are really planning an inclusive event so people of all ability levels can get involved in the day. Fun, recreation and sport are truly ‘common ground’ experiences.”

Vision of Integration, Choice and Equality (VOICE) is a work group formed by faculty in the Counseling, Research, Special Education, and Rehabilitation (CRSR) department in the School of Education, Health and Human Services at Hofstra University, along with community partners that support the mission of the group to raise awareness about disability and mental health issues. For this year’s event, the Health Professions and Kinesiology (HPK) department has joined VOICE to support the theme of activity and wellness.

“As a group, we pride ourselves on the values of accepting the disability and mental health experience as a part of diversity, challenging stigma and exclusion and opening opportunities for individuals to participate in their community in the ways that they prefer,” Perkins Nerlich said.

For more information and a full schedule of events, click here.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 150 undergraduate and more than 150 graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law and the Hofstra-North Shore LIJ School of Medicine at Hofstra University.
 

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