Schneider Disability Issues Forum
A new annual lecture on disability issues at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was recently established by UW-Eau Claire counselor emerita Katherine Schneider through a gift to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation. The Schneider Disability Issues Forum's first speaker will be Jonathan Friesen, author of a book about growing up with Tourette's Syndrome. Friesen, who wrote "Jerk, California," will present "Do No Harm: When Good Intentions Have Harmful Results" at 4 p.m. Oct. 22 in Room 100 of UW-Eau Claire's Hibbard Hall. The fund "Establishing this disability issues forum is a way to expand on the educating I was able to do while working at the university," Schneider said. "I'm thrilled that we were able to garner an award-winning author for our first speaker." Additional funding is sought to support this disabilities issues forum as well as for scholarships for students with disabilities. If you are interested in helping support this area of need, choose the giving option that is best for you on the Foundation's giving page, and type "Schneider Disabilities Issues Forum" or "scholarships for students with disabilities" in the online giving form when designating the use of your gift. For more information on disability services at UW-Eau Claire, visit the Services for Students with Disabilities Web site. |
Friesen is an award-winning author, speaker and writing coach who received the diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome later in life. TS or its symptoms affect several members of his family. His book is the 2009 winner of the American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award for books dealing with disability issues. Friezen also has taught in traditional classroom, special education, and university settings for 15 years. Currently, Friezen serves on the board of the Minnesota Tourette Syndrome Association and is a national speaker on disability issues.
Katherine Schneider, who wrote her own book relating her experiences as a blind person, "To the Left of Inspiration: Adventures in Living with Disabilities," and who worked in counseling services at UW-Eau Claire for 14 years, established the forum to help people understand accessibility issues for people who have disabilities.
