When Catherine Besteman first asked me to think about a project that would both happily consume my semester and publicly engage my community, I had to pause for a second. The first thing that sprung to mind was my love for the world of adaptive recreation, a field that seeks to help those of all abilities enjoy spending time outdoors. But how could I relate this passion to the Colby community?

One of the first things you learn when working with the “disabled” community is how to spin a positive light on every situation. Most importantly, you start thinking about a person’s abilities instead of his or her disabilities. This change in vocabulary necessitates a change in attitude, for when framed this way, you begin to see a person for who he or she truly is. Their disability ceases to define them.

This has been my guiding principle throughout a semester-long project that focuses on the ways in which the Colby campus is accessible to those using wheelchairs as their primary means of transportation. As a way to publicly engage with my community at Colby, I’ve spent the past several months talking with various departments on campus to hear their unique perspectives. Thanks to the help and guidance of Manny Gimond (Geographic Information Systems) and Pat Murphy (Physical Plant Department), my final product is a map that highlights the most accessible pathways, buildings and entrances on campus, showing people where they can go instead of where they can’t.

Disabilities (or perhaps more appropriately, alternate abilities) are a facet of diversity that few students at Colby choose to think about on a regular basis. We are an active campus of healthy young individuals, and let’s face it, our campus is built upon a hill—any full-time student in a wheelchair would be crazy to enroll at Colby. But that doesn’t mean that accessibility isn’t important. Many Colby students face physical injuries during their four years on the Hill, and with a student body of over 1,800 students, there must be at least a handful of family members who use wheelchairs to get around. And that is not taking into account any other potential speakers, professors or other campus visitors. If these individuals decide to call campus “home” for a year, a day or even an afternoon, we should have a means of discussing accessibility, a means of embracing this often forgotten form of diversity.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to highlight the ways in which Colby needs to change. I am simply emphasizing and publicizing the things that Colby is doing and the things that Colby has already done. Did you know that to comply with current ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) standards, Colby didn’t need to put elevators in any of the recently renovated Frat Row dorms? None of them, not even Johnson, is large enough to “necessitate” an elevator. But Colby took it upon itself to exceed the standard. If you look around you, if you take the time to ask, I think you might be surprised by how open this campus is to both accessibility and change.

One of the most incredible things about this project is the support I’ve found within our small community. No one turned me away and every single person that I spoke with willingly offered me his or her continued support. Beyond Manny and Pat, Kim Kenniston, Joe Atkins, Bill Jack, Paul Berkner, Mark Serdjenian, Sandra Sohne-Johnston and Lisa Marquez among many others, helped me make this project possible. I have even found some support from outside of our Colby community – a local resident has kindly agreed to give my map a “test drive” before it is published.

A good friend recently asked me how and why I ever started working with people of varying abilities. The truth is that I really stumbled into it, but it has slowly become something I consider an integral part of my life. I am proud that I’ve been able to give something back to the Colby community that means so much to me. This process has helped me to “academically” explore something that I truly love, and to share it with my community. If you have the chance to do the same while you’re at Colby, I would strongly encourage it.

So keep your eyes out for a new map on campus, one that begins to redefine the ways we think about ability, access and individuality. I hope that it will be making its debut during the 2011 Commencement weekend.