Samantha Edwards is a writer, pageant winner, club president and advocate.

She also suffers from cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair since age 4, but as Edwards’s long list of activities shows, she does not let her disability define her.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination. For Edwards, the condition affects the part of her brain that controls balance and motor skills.

Edwards, senior in journalism and mass communication, said she never planned on becoming an advocate for disability awareness, but that it happened by chance.

It all started with Edwards’s graduation from high school in Marshalltown. Edwards’s school did not have a wheelchair ramp for her to get on the stage and receive her high school diploma.

When Edwards requested that a ramp be put in the auditorium, the school denied her.

“They told me that people in wheelchairs had graduated before, they just weren’t able to get on the stage,” she said. “Graduation is an important moment. I wanted to go across the stage and receive my diploma like everyone else.”

Edwards succeeded in her mission, and a permanent ramp was put in Marshalltown High School’s auditorium.

“It wasn’t just for me,” Edwards said, “but for all the students who will graduate in the future.”

During high school, Edwards pursued her love of writing by becoming an opinion columnist for her local newspaper.

“I don’t want to be known by my disability or my advocacy work,” Edwards said. “I want to be known as a writer.”

After graduating high school, Edwards attended Marshalltown Community College where she succeeded in getting handicapped-accessible facilities put in place for the college’s apartments.

Since transferring to Iowa State, Edwards has also helped the university better its handicapped accessibility.

After the urging of a friend, Edwards entered the Ms. Wheelchair Iowa pageant last year. Ms. Wheelchair America is competition that is based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation.

Edwards won the title of Ms. Wheelchair Iowa and continued on to the Ms. Wheelchair America competition in Grand Rapids, Mich., where she spoke about creating positive perceptions of people with disabilities in the media.

During her reign as Ms. Wheelchair Iowa, Edwards has thrown out the first pitch at a Sioux City Explorers baseball game, volunteered at a retirement home and helped children at the Red Cross. She is also the current president of the Alliance for Disability Awareness.

Disability Awareness Week

This week is Iowa State’s Disability Awareness Week. The goal of this week is to educate students about disabilities, as well as be an entertaining social experience.

“I like to focus on the ability aspect of it,” Edwards said. “It’s not about hearing people’s problems, but it is about human interest stories of what people can accomplish.”

The week’s activities began with an interactive discussion panel Monday afternoon.

Edwards and Axton Betz, a human development and family studies doctoral candidate, spoke about their struggles with disabilities.

Betz was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder six months ago. Betz said her hope for the future is that children with ADHD are not looked at as “bad” students. She wants people to know that the behavior of these students is not willful.

Following the panel was a game night where various gift cards to local businesses were given out as bingo prizes.

On Tuesday and Thursday there will be a dining simulation over the lunch hour in the Union Drive Community Center dining hall where students will be able to experience typical tasks that people with disabilities face everyday, like eating with a blindfold or maneuvering through the dining center in a wheelchair or with crutches.

“The purpose of this activity is for students to gain perspective and see how difficult these tasks can be,” Edwards said.

On Tuesday afternoon from 4 to 5 p.m., a game of Goalball will be held at Beyer Hall.

Goalball is a combination of volleyball, dodgeball and soccer. The game, designed for blind athletes, uses the sound of bells inside a ball to allow athletes to navigate on the court and score. Students can wear blindfolds and participate in the game, or just sit back and watch.

Best Buddies

Iowa State’s Best Buddies program is hosting a “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign Wednesday at the west booth in the Memorial Union.

Best Buddies is a program started by Anthony Kennedy Shriver in 1989 that provides a community for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Iowa State’s Best Buddy program pairs students with a “buddy” so that they can build relationships. The program also helps people with disabilities gain employment.

The “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign is a movement that asks students to pledge to end the use of the R-word.

Emily Chambers, president of Iowa State’s Best Buddy program, said she hopes the campaign will help people realize how offensive this word is.

“People need to understand how the words they use affect others,” Chambers said. “This word dehumanizes people.”

Best Buddies will also be hosting a prom event Saturday at Drake University. The event is for all Best Buddy programs across Central Iowa. A “buddy” and their partner will be crowned prom king and queen at this Las Vegas-themed event.

Best Buddies currently has 22 members from Iowa State and 35 “buddies” with disabilities. Chambers said the program is for students of all majors and that students are paired up with buddies based on their interests.

To find out more about joining Best Buddies, contact Emily Chambers at [email protected].