Postponed Disability concert date rescheduled

Each year, the IU Office of Disability Services for Students plans an event in March in recognition of Disability Awareness Month. Originally scheduled for March 26, the event was postponed because of inclement weather. This year, they have organized a concert from 2-5 p.m. April 14 in Dunn Meadow.

This year’s theme for Disability Awareness Month is “Community Connections,” which aims to feature a growing community in which people with disabilities can live successful, independent lives.

With the new date, the concert falls at the end of IU’s Culture of Care Week in addition to being a kick-start to Little 500 week.

Rhajaan Edwards, an IU graduate student and special events coordinator for the Office of Disability Services for Students, was the first to initiate the idea of a concert as this year’s event.

“I’m a big advocate for local music,” Edwards said. “When I saw the opportunity to raise awareness for disabilities and also raise money for a scholarship that recognizes disabilities, I figured, why not integrate the diversity of the university as well as integrate some local music from people who may or may not have been heard of around campus?”

The concert will feature three local musicians: Isaac Lightfoot, rap artist; Jiridon, an African drum ensemble and Crescent Ulmerm, a folk artist. With the diversity among these artists, an analogy can be made to the numerous IU students living with various disabilities, Edwards said.

“I wanted to integrate the whole community and share this experience as one,” Edwards said. “I figured, through music, we can get everybody together and make that
happen.”

This concert, in addition to raising awareness about disability month, is also a fundraiser for the Amanda Meredith Mills Memorial
Scholarship.

“This is the first time we will be raising funds for a scholarship and it has yet to be endowed, which means that there aren’t enough funds in the scholarship yet to be given out to a student,” Edwards said. “So we’re hoping with this event and with the coming year, we’ll make that happen.”

In order for the scholarship to be endowed, a total of $10,000 must be raised. Significant funds have contributed to this goal, but there are still a few thousand dollars that must be acquired.

The Office of Disability Services for Students will be working with the IU
Foundation to collect donations at the concert. There will be pledge cards available, which will allow donators to write down their credit card information with the amount of money they wish to give. Cash donations will also be accepted.

In addition to live music, there will be food and games for participants to enjoy.
Martha Jax,  director of the Office of Disability Services for Students, said if she feels this event is successful, the office is open to discussing the motion to make this an annual benefit concert.

“It’s the first time we’ve done it, and we want to see how it flies,” Jax said. “If nothing else, people that walk by will get the chance to connect our names to something and maybe it will affect how they feel about disabilities down the road. Little things like that add up after a while.”