©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Public Celebrates "Disabilities Awareness Day" |
Officials say there needs to be more awareness of, and help for, people in the immediate area who have disabilities.
The Christian-based group Special Touch Ministries and their Galesburg chapter hosted a Disabilities Awareness Day Saturday in Standish Park. The cold weather did not prevent local residents and the disabled alike from participating in a number of activities that officials hope informed people of what those with disabilities live with.
Jerry Fields is one of the organizers of the event and is the Chapter National Coordinator for Special Touch Ministries, and tells WGIL people may be more accepting here of people with disabilities than another chapter he works with.
"I've felt that the Galesburg community is very much more accepting," Fields said. "We've done (work in the) Peoria chapter...for six years prior to this, and we saw a lot more barriers there in that community than we found in Galesburg. We've found it to be very accepting in the community of Galesburg."
Fields says that might be partially because of the smaller population of Galesburg compared to Peoria, since he says it might be more common to see people with disabilities here.
Fields says as many as one in six local residents have some sort of disability.
He says if there's one way the area could improve, employers need to make more job opportunities available for the disabled.
Photos from "Disabilities Awareness Day" Saturday in Galesburg:
(WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 10 10 09 by Newsroom |
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