By Madi Mansour
On Oct. 13, DREAM (Disability, Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring) held a forum in Dwight Beeson Hall featuring one of Samford’s Interior Architecture professors Charles Ford. During the forum, Ford spoke about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has impacted the architecture industry.
Ford led an activity where attendees split into two groups. One member of each group wore glasses designed to elevate the effects of limited vision those with glaucoma experience. The members with glasses were given a stick to help them navigate around Dwight Beeson Hall while another member walked by to keep them safe without fully guiding them. This activity allowed attendees to step into the shoes of those with visual disabilities and experience how they navigate the world.
The rest of the forum involved a discussion revolving around the creation of the ADA and how its updates in the last decade have affected architecture.
Finally, the event concluded with a Q & A.
DREAM seeks to advocate for disability rights. According to current president Levi Thomas, DREAM’s two main goals are to “create a community on campus that educates about the disability community and advocate to make campus more accessible.”
To accomplish these goals, DREAM holds various events throughout the semesters.
“Each one has a specific focus, but they do share a common goal of starting a conversation. For example, the conversation with the most recent one focused on building accessibility,’” Thomas said.
DREAM’s next event will be a Halloween Party taking place on Oct. 28 from 6:30-8 p.m.
For those interested in learning more about DREAM and their work, follow @dreamsamford on Instagram.
